THE INCIDENT

Where do I begin?

I have been a fan of Porcupine Tree for about 10 years now. I can't say for sure where this will end up ranking in the grand list of Porcupine Tree recordings, but it will definitely be up there. I don't disagree with it's current rating, in fact this may end up being my favorite Porcupine Tree album of them all.

Why? It has SO MUCH to offer. There is a broad range of sounds and feelings at work here. The entire first disc is incredible, amazing melodies, bone shattering heavy bits, goosebump inducing climaxes, atmospheric ambient flowing quiet parts.

BAM BAM BUUMMMMmmmmmmmmmm. The intro track hits you in the face with power in simplicity, then the progression is continued in track two...

The track The Blind House stands out at me on first listen as a blend between Blackest Eyes and something from FOABP. However after a short while I realize this is no blend, it's simply a new sound. They've evolved AGAIN, how many times can they do it and STILL write amazing stuff? One thing that has been incorporated to this album more-so than previous albums is Gavin Harrison's INCREDIBLE drumming. Not to say he wasn't featured on the other albums at all, but on this he shines. Unreal drum beats and fills throughout, intricate ghost note patterns, off time fills with flams from cymbals to toms to snares in a flurry of sound that's incomprehensible to me (and I've been drumming for 10 years.). After a traditional recent Porcupine Tree sound in The Blind House, the track takes a turn to a feel we will find more of later in the album, an electronic psychedelic breakdown, with fading deep bass notes and a spacey out of the room vocal sound, then back into the heavy part one more time before the first set of "segue songs" as I'll refer to them.

Usually short on the edge of a few minutes long, most of the time bringing you from one theme to the next as the next larger songs draws near, these "segue songs" are what bring the album together. making this a masterpiece of combining themes and ideas. This may persuade someone to skip over these songs, but you'd be missing a lot of excellent Porcupine Tree music, they're not all merely interludes of acoustic guitar. The first of these tracks entitled Great Expectations has some great riffs and drumming, and it's only 1:26 long. Don't skip over these little gems to get to the better stuff. This album is made to be appreciated as a whole, it's like having a great cheeseburger without the cheese, bun, vegetables, and condiments. When you just have the meat of it, you loose the characteristics that make it a great cheeseburger (or album in this case.. but now I'm getting hungry..)

I will now continue track by track to give my analysis of each song, I'll put an (s) after the titles of the songs I feel to be segue songs...

Kneel and Disconnect (s) - Excellent vocals, beautiful melodies, soft pianos, bringing you into:

Drawing the Line - Eerie start, excellent drumming in the verse groove. I love this song, it has a great dark feel while being "pretty" at the same time. The chorus was a bit repetitive for my taste at first but it has definitely grown on me.

The Incident - Heavy Nine Inch Nails influence at work here, industrial electronic feel. Dark whispering in the background. Then heavy guitars come in with intricate rhythmic drumming, and the song starts it's transition from industrial to ethereal, with a climax that is incredible in it's beauty considering the depths of darkness it evolved out of.

Your Unpleasant Family (s) - Continues a similar groove from The Incident for a bit then goes into a part that reminds me of Prodigal from In Absentia

The Yellow Windows Of The Evening Train (s) - Ambient synth sounds, quiet, peaceful, brings you into:

Time Flies - Probably my favorite track on the new album thus far. Reminds me of In Absentia style writing, a lot of people have made a connection with "Trains", to me it's more like a better "Drown With Me" that evolves and goes somewhere. Gavin's drumming is amazing in this song, the ghost notes he plays on the snare drum are mind boggling. After you get used to this style of 3/4 grove, it breaks and pulls you back into the darkness of the album as a whole, a Pink Floyd-esque guitar interlude. Then after time comes back to the original groove, excellent.

Degree Of Zero Liability (s) - BAM BAM BUMMMmmmm (Similar to Occam's Razor) bringing you out of the beautiful Time Flies theme back into darkness and quiet

Octane Twisted - Excellent melodies at work here, overlapping vocals and harmonies in that distinct Steven Wilson style, with some great heavy parts with some groaning male chorus sounds to accompany the riffs, then into some great polyrhythmic complex rhythms with swirling guitars and building rising leads playing over it. Then it breaks to a quiet dark almost creepy sounding part and fades into:

The Seance - I was going to say this was a segue song, but it really isn't. It is it's own piece of music, takes melodic ideas from Octane Twisted but putting them in a more atmospheric light, then after some synth sounds BAM Hard rock acoustic guitar riff with quarter notes on the high hats, getting you totally pumped for

Circle Of Manias - Holy crap. This is Porcupine Tree at their heaviest. This is metal. The main riff is in 9/8 but it has a part that comes in with a break that is in 8/8, so when played together they never quite match up before the Meshuggah-esque heavy part. The guitar tone here is incredible, I can only hope they play this song live with stobe lights blasting me in the face.

I Drive The Hearse - Excellent vocals, reminds me of Blackfield stuff almost.

DISC 2:

Flicker - Great grooves and rhythm. Enchanting melodies, so atmospheric, almost reminds me of Glass Arm Shattering with some "la-la's" again..

Bonnie The Cat - Woah. This is heavy and dark, I've never heard Porcupine Tree do something like this. Probably my second favorite track on the whole album. Middle heavy part is intimidating..

Black Dahlia - Wow. Beautiful. This is the stuff I love about Porcupine Tree, they can kick your butt with heavy stuff, then they can come at you with music so beautiful and heartfelt that it just makes you melt. I love the melodies in this song.

Remember Me Lover - Another amazing piece of music, I can honestly say that this is another masterpiece... Light parts, and HEAVY parts, a great climax / finish to an INCREDIBLE album.

So if you've gotten here in my review (it was lengthy) I can tell you this: The Incident feels like 5 short minutes when you listen to the whole thing. 70+ minutes of music flies by because it's all written so excellently. I can't say enough good about this album.

Do I have ANY complaints?

Yes, I do. Now that the new album has arrived, I have to wait a couple more years for the next!!

Share this PORCUPINE TREE review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to MawcDrums
• Report this review (#238953)
• Buy PORCUPINE TREE music online with PA partners
• Show all PORCUPINE TREE MP3/Stream
• Go to PORCUPINE TREE page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to The Incident page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for PORCUPINE TREE related discussions