DEADWING

People who frequent the site or the forums are most likely familar with Porcupine Tree, at least by name. However, the band has quite a diverse catalouge and with the 2005 release of "Deadwing," old meets new, but the result is fresh and crisp, for the most part. There is some of the psych which was more prevalent in the preceding release, "In Absentia" and this album for the most part has a harder metallic edge. Sometimes, it is at the expense of the great style the band developed, but most of the time, it is a welcomed invitation. Steven Wilson's musical prowess helped led teh band in to what had become another excellent album.

First off, I can not get over the vocals in the album. They are always a highlight, and they are consistantly good, even when the guitars are not. Metal is not a genre that I am fond of, but the album is at no point a full-fledged metal album. It is far too melodic to be considered different. Although the instrumentation on songs like "Shallow" seem unappealing, the vocals make up for it.

The thing is, when a song on this album is good, it's very very good. For example, the opening title track is a major highlight. It shows a good range of the bands direction and sets an excellent tone that the album follows up to. Here the instruments synchronize well and the result is an excellent piece of music. "Lazarus" and "Halo" are both excellent, shorter songs and are almost opposites to each other. The former is a lovely piano driven track and the latter runs along an excellent bass groove with an explosive chorus and solo. What do they have in common? Excellent melodic skill, of course. Soon comes the true highlight of the album, which is one of the best anthems of modern prog, "Arriving Somewhere." This song is diverse and consistantly mindblowing. From the soft verse and intro to the explosive middle section, sparks constantly fly from this hot bed of goodness in music form. This 12 minute epic is truly the centerpiece of the album, it erupts with such well-constucted melody and rhythm. All members are truly in top form here. "Mellotron Scratch" keeps us the stretch of great songs. A highly melodic song with...you guessed it...ok there's not much mellotron here for mellotron lovers, but it does not deduct from the song in any way. "Open Car" is in a bit of a similar vein to "Strip the Soul" off "In Absentia." It's certainly a better heavy song than "Shallow" and has a pretty catchy riff. "Start of Something Beautiful" is a bit of a return to form, it's a song that would fit well at any point of their discography. The instruments are beautiful and well played. "Glass Arm Shattering" is a bit of a cool down after a tumultuously breathtaking album. Apart from the voice, there's nothing too special, but there really is nothigng wrong with it.

The lyrics are conceptual, but not to the point where the lyrics overtake the music as the focus of the listener. Usually, I forget it's even a concept album. There is no question that the music is the focus of the record, as it should be. It wouldnt't work any other way, the songs are too well constructed to be ignored. This album is excellent, certainly a centerpiece of prog in the 21st century. It would also work well for a person who is new to prog with roots in the alternative scene because I can see some relation there. In short, this album may be psychadelic at points, heavy at another, but all in all, it's highly melodic and well-crafted music that would make an excellent addition to any prog music collection.

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