New Porcupine Tree Album

^ so, what's wrong with that? So do the lyrics on The Incident, even though the common theme is a bit more generic (Incidents that have a huge impact on individuals - often involving death and loss).

progkidjoel wrote: Mr ProgFreak wrote: I think that the metal element provides a really nice counterpoint to the calmer parts ... the problem is how to integrate these elements organically, and IMO this was nicely done on The Incident. I agree, but I'd like to add that this album seemed to have alot less focus - Most other PT albums focus on one area of music... Lightbulb Sun is mostly acoustic, Fear Of A Blank Planet carried the same lyrical (and musical) style the whole way through, but The Incident seems undecided on its stylistic content and flow...

To me it's not undecided at all ... there's simply a high stylistical bandwidth on the album. But that's something that PT have often done ... consider Stupid Dream and In Absentia for example. The latter features a different style for each song ...

Mr ProgFreak wrote: I think that the metal element provides a really nice counterpoint to the calmer parts ... the problem is how to integrate these elements organically, and IMO this was nicely done on The Incident.

I agree, but I'd like to add that this album seemed to have alot less focus - Most other PT albums focus on one area of music... Lightbulb Sun is mostly acoustic, Fear Of A Blank Planet carried the same lyrical (and musical) style the whole way through, but The Incident seems undecided on its stylistic content and flow...

Dean wrote: As I said in another thread far far away, I think the post "Opeth" effect (ie the metal contingent) is far more restrained on this album, it's still there but not as prominent as it was, it's now just another dab of texture on Wilson's sonic pallette rather than being one of the defining styles.

Totally agree, but you put it far better than I did

I'm still waiting for Wilson's Abba fixation to have an effect on PT...

valravennz wrote: ^ Thats interesting! I thought that there was a fair amount of metal in this album.

I wasn't aware that the definition of metal now was any record that has a guitar in it?

If there's a lot of metal in this album then it's the first time Wilson has successfully blended it together with his good stuff so that people like me don't realise it!

squonkuk wrote: lets hope his flirtation with metal has passed; it tends to only appeal to knuckleheads and morons!

Yeah, let's.

Personally, I think it's the best prog album for 10 years. This album encapsulates just what PT are for me and if it isn't heavy enough for the prog metalists, then I'm sure some Swede growling into a microphone over the next 6 months will go some way to assuage the pain of this 'disappointment' 

I expect all of the people who didn't like it to still attend the shows, preventing people who do like it and can't get tickets to miss out.

The 55-minute track filled me with trepidation; I remember wondering if Anaesthetise was going to be this 'monster' of a track prior to FOABP coming out and it turned out to be a mish-mash, a real nadir in PT's career. So The Incident worried me. I'm glad, because it blew me away. It has been on constant rotation since prior to its official release - I'm listening to it now and smiling at the Animals era Floyd homage - and I think Steven Wilson has finally realised that his band's future lies in producing this type of record; lets hope his flirtation with metal has passed; it tends to only appeal to knuckleheads and morons!

Im enjoying it.  

Good to see Porcupine Tree being taken seriously by the beeb. Thanks for the link Snow Dog.

I'm giving this album a daily spin, and I'm liking it more with each listen. After releasing a number of extremly good albums in a row, The Incident had a lot to live up to. I think the band have risen to that challenge brilliantly. I look forward to them touring. I wont miss out this time!!

hahha... yeah... if I had mastered that talent I wouldn't have sat through an entire New Kids on the Block concert ...followed a week later by George Michael.   They at least put on a good show hahaha.

no wait... I did fall asleep during the GM concert ( I forgot a book).. so I guess I can't say he was better than DT. 

and I did have purely x-rated reasons for staying up for the NKotB.. so I guess that isn't a fair comparison...

anyway you are too kind Raff....we are old farts... but we walked out because the show stunk.. and we had seen the musical headliner one group earlier...