METANOIA

Primarily, there are no real song structures here. What we have is a lot of free-form improvisation and psychedelic strains of music. This album is closer to Up the Downstair out of the entirety of the band's catalog, but even still it really is nothing like that release. So, kudos to the band for appropriately venturing into different directions. They play into the psychedelic very obtusely, though, not gently evoking moods and themes through soundscapes a la Pink Floyd or Camel, but rather roughly throwing some abrupt and jarring shifts into ambient chord sequences. The final effect is a neat one, and not unlistenable, but it's nothing very appealing in the long term. It very much is mood music; meaning that you most definitely have to be in a very particular mood to enjoy the creativity and musicality of this record. In over a year, it's happened to me maybe two or three times. In those couple times, the music is wild and powerful, but for the rest of the time, it's the Porcupine Tree album that easily gets the fewest plays from me.

Fans of the band's most psychedelic records probably will find something to enjoy here. Fans of the band's more recent releases may be particularly stymied by the oddness of Metanoia. In the end, it really is a release only recommend to serious fans of the band who have already purchased and gotten to know most of the rest of their output. The single star is not due to a lack of quality but to a very narrow window of enjoyment.

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