THE INCIDENT

Porcupine Tree's 2007 release 'Fear Of A Blank Planet' really set the stakes high for the modern prog giants. Having crafted a flawless masterpiece of proportions that few bands ever reach, it would be difficult to write a follow-up that would satisfy the aggregate of rabid fans yearning for music that was even better.

What a intelligent thing for Steven Wilson to do in that case, then to change the rules?

Instead of making one disc, he makes two; the first totally encompassed by a 55-minute long epic. The way I see 'The Incident;' it's exactly the same thing that Dream Theater did with 'Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence.' After releasing the total masterpiece that was 'Scenes From A Memory,' the only way to hopefully trump that album would be with a double album... with an epic encompassing an entire disc. Sound familiar? But enough about prog metal...

...or maybe not! 'The Incident' further develops Wilson's infatuation with metal, throwing in plenty of riffage worthy of the metal label. While Porcupine Tree still isn't necessarily a metal band, 'The Incident' is not afraid to experiment with different genres. There is electronic music here (the title track,) a dose of post-rock (the 'Yellow Windows' interlude sounds alot like 'Sigur Ros') and of course, the Porcupine Tree signature sound, which melds progressive tendencies with pop sensibility, and beautiful soundscaping.

I will be honest however, after a handful of listens, I was a bit dissapointed with the album. I resented the fact that there were 14 tracks on the first disc, and many of them short interludes. I couldn't bring myself to think that this lived up to beautiful works like 'Deadwing.' Still, more listens to the album trickled into my everyday life, and I realized that taken as a whole, the album really does work. There are alot of details and flourishes in the music that would be impossble to detect without some profuse, and dedicated listening.

The second disc of the package doesn't pass me as being part of the same album as the first disc, but more or less a separate work under the same title. Think of it as the Incident's equivalent to 'Nil Recurring' or 'Staircase Infinities...' The songs are good, but none of them really strike me as fantastic, although I have a soft spot for 'Black Dahlia.' As with the main work, these songs also require a fair bit of attention to appreciate, although not nearly as much as the epic.

The solemn mistake that many people make with this album is expecting another 'Fear Of A Blank Planet.' This is not a sequel, this is 'The Incident!' For what it is, the album is a haunting, and beautiful concept piece, and while it's not as good as it's predecessor (how could one really beat 'Fear' anyway?) the album takes a life of it's own, and while it may not be one of the bands best works to date, its still a steady contender for any album of the year list, if one gives it the time it needs to grow.

Share this PORCUPINE TREE review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Conor Fynes
• Report this review (#245520)
• Buy PORCUPINE TREE music online with PA partners
• Show all PORCUPINE TREE MP3/Stream
• Go to PORCUPINE TREE page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to The Incident page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for PORCUPINE TREE related discussions