IN ABSENTIA

I think my favorite album...although with released as Deadwing and Fear Of A Black Planet its getting harder and harder to choose. Its certainly one of the most commercial efforts (I normally would mean this negative but in this case its not) what created an allbum that was not for nothing peaking the highest regions of the Prog yearlists.....not more than fair if you ask me.

The album mainly contains some shorter tracks, and as commented above....Steve seems to have changed heavy for psychedelic here...another thing that is really not bad.....although perhaps tendencies towards more heavy were already present on Lightbulb Sun and Stupid Dream too. Having said that I can only conclude that this album contains too much good songs. Too good in a way that its no need to comment them here all one by one. So I shall empasise here on a few favotites.

The first favorite one is Blackest Eyes, the first track of the album, that kicks in all of a sudden quite heavy soo to be go into a really catchy tone....and Steven vocal's come in the first time......Even while is using a distortion his vocals still sounds good....absolutely fabulous song where heavy riffs are taking turns with some great accoustic middle parts...

More accoustic work comes with what by now is I think one of the ultimate PT classics Trains...a song that completely blew me away...and reminds me alot of Stars Die and A Smart Kid, due the use of mainly accoustic guitar.....I like it when the drums kick in....what a melody....and then....halfway the song that countrylike intermezzo, where Steve is jamming over with his electric guitar...what a guitarwork here...and what a beautifull voice.....

The sound of Muzak.....I love that refrain....so beautifull and an adequatie description of the music industry in here....perhaps the most adequate I have ever heard 'The music of the future will not entertain It's only meant to repress and neutralise your brain.' How true......Towards the end this song contains once again some touching guitarwork......steve keeps it going....

The other song I really can play over and over is .3.....I love that bass...and then that suddle keyboard......what a sound...that gets the drum and builds up.....they keyboards are absolutely amazing and so dreamy....reminds me of Pink Floyd....and it will stay like this for about half of the song....till the centre goes back to bass.....and some more psychedelic sound....After that the song finally gets some guitar....I love the way Steve is singing..'Black the sky, weapons fly lay them waste for your race.' Again some amazing keys here in the background...and then the songs bursts open and gets much heavier....some great distortion and guitar again.....One of the best songs on the album....

Another great song is Heartattack in a Layby...a song that only contains vocals and what seems to sounds as guitar and keys or only guitar......really beautifull vocals....and some haunting piano......that eventually gets accompanied by some accoustic guitar as we'l......

Collapse the light into Earth....again begins with only piano and vocals.....so sensitive....accompanied by something that sounds surprisingly equal to a mellotron....once again really beautifull vocals...that gets accompained by a beautifull orchestral arrangement in the background that eventuall takes over the mainstage and goes on till the end of the song.....so beautifull......

All in all one of their better albums that comes highly recomanded for prog lovers......