IN ABSENTIA

This was my first Porcupine Tree album, and besides my dad's old Pink Floyd, Yes, and Genesis, this was the first time I had ever heard prog. This album is what got me hooked, and I have been a prog addict ever since. I now own all of PT's albums and this is still my favorite. If you are looking for a place to start with Porcupine Tree, this is it.

"Blackest Eyes": Not my favorite track, but it is still a good opener. The heavy guitar in the intro is a precursor to the direction the band would take with Deadwing, and Steven's voice is just great. I think the chorus is a little week but this is still a good song.

"Trains": Easily my favorite track off of this album. I think I must have listened to this for days on end. The beautiful acoustic guitar mixes perfectly with Steven's voice to create a masterpiece. The end of the song combines some more great instruments (and some clapping) to finish the song out well.

"Lips Of Ashes": Another great track. The intro is beautiful. Steven starts off on a great note with "paralyzed, lips of ashes". The song goes on from there. I could have done without the la-la-las at the end, but the guitar solo is beautiful, so the song does end on a good note.

"Sound Of Muzak": Excellent. This song has the most powerful lyrics on this album, and they are so true. The song structure is fairly simple, but you should be listening to this one for the lyrics more than anything else.

"Gravity Eyelids": Absolutely astonishing. This track is so beautiful that it is hard to put into words. The intro harkens back to the earlier PT, and the rest of the song is brilliant.

"Wedding Nails": Great track. This instrumental is very different from the rest of the album, and the riff(though a little repetitive) is just great.

"Prodigal": Another good track. Not my favorite but this is still a good song. The lyrics are good, and the music is not spectacular, but still enjoyable.

".3": Great bass intro. I really like this song. The background symphonic stuff creates a very ethereal feel, although I wish that Steve would have left this as an instrumental.

"The Creator Has A Mastertape": My least favorite track of the album. The track is sped up and sounds very distressed. I'm not a fan of the metallic voice, and the lyrics are very odd.

"Heart Attack In A Layby": Beautiful. I love this song. This is a huge contrast to the previous track, and that is what makes it so great. The song is very slowed down and relaxing. The lyrics are quite sad, and the track has a great feel to it. The second half of the song where the multiple voices come in is poetry in motion.

"Strip The Soul": Great bassline. Lyrics are odd but great. This song is stuck between two very beautiful slow songs, and it really provides a nice contrast.

"Collapse The Light Into Earth": I love this song! The piano is very simple, but just beautiful. The vocals are great. The element of this song that really shines for me is the lyrics. The lyrics are amazing, they made a big impact on me, and they are some of my favorite.

This CD is a true masterpiece and my favorite prog album of all time.

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