DEADWING

After three years where we were kept quiet with re-releases and special edition goodies, we find Porcupine Tree back in great shape, integrating their metal and industrial influences very consistently an successfully.

Even though we're still not back at the consistent quality of Signify, it's a close runner-up. Next to the brilliant title track and dazzling cuts like Halo, The Start of something beautiful and Glass Arm Shattering, we also have to wade through a batch of lesser tracks such as the Blackest Eyes remake Open Car, a Coldplay-pulp exercise: Lazarus and the inadequate prog epic Arriving Somewhere that starts nicely but runs out of ideas before it arrives anywhere at all. Luckily, the extra tracks are exceptionally strong again.

Porcupine Tree clearly keeps pushing themselves forward. This leads to the occasional hit and miss but at the same it's the very reason why all albums are so different and why we wouldn't want to go anywhere without one of them. So despite the uneven quality this is an excellent modern prog album.

PS. A little side note though. Where on earth are Mike Akerfelt's vocal contributions? I guess the people who can find them will be awarded with an ultra-limited numbered edition of the album where Mike's vocals have not been completely mixed away.