THE INCIDENT

Well, as soon as this morning rolled around I was like a kid on christmas, as I rushed to the mailbox to pick up the deluxe edition of Porcupine Tree's newest masterpiece "The Incident". And honestly I have to say that my 100$ investment towards an album (a price I would normally consider absurd) seemed questionable, but as I popped the disc into my sound system for the first time, my questions were all answered: this album is amazing. Truly Steven Wilson has delivered yet another masterpiece of progressive rock, and there's no doubt in my mind that this is my favorite album of 2009. What left me in awe about this album is the way that soothing acoustic portions and Wilson's soft, melodic voice have been melded together with Progressive Metal without ever missing a step. Songs like "Blind House" and "Octane Twisted" are excellent examples of this, as well as the transition from "The Seance" into the Weding Nails-reminiscent "Circle of Manias", and then back into the light, moody "I Drive the Hearse". I could not have thought of a better way to close out the album myself, and the guys fade the main disc out on the high point of the album. But then, just when you think it's over, there's still the 4 standalone songs on disc 2. The song that is worth mentioning of the 4 is "Remember Me Lover" which is a very moving, emotional piece of music delivered by another high point of the album, the soft voice of Steven Wilson. And of course, throughout the album he has a top notch band to back him up, whether it's the thick textures of Rich Barbieri's synthesizer or the explosive drumming of Gavin Harrison, truly one of the top drummers of the generation. On a closing note, I would also like to give credit to the only single from the album, "Time Flies" which is yet another passionate delivery of lyricism and musicianship that can leave one sitting and pondering for hours (and of course the extended album version is far superior to the radio edit). This album leaves me with only a few words left in my mind: Buy it. This album has brought together all of the pieces of Porcupine Tree's past album into one beautiful masterpiece. Bravo.

Favorite song: I drive the Hearse

Least Favorite: Bonnie the Cat (although it feels bad calling something least, it's an overall fantastic album)