METANOIA

It's strange so many people would call this a fan only release. I'd say it's entirely the opposite as it doesn't conform to any expectation a fan might have from a PT album. Metanoia is a collection of improvisations from around the Signify era. All tracks are lengthy improvisations that might have more appeal to fans of laid-back jazz-rock and Gong-alike spacetrips, then to PT's regular fanbase.

So, while many refer this to the fans-only trash bin, I couldn't disagree more. A versatile band like PT doesn't think in boxes and takes their creativity into whatever direction it sends them in. On Metanoia the course of action is improvised instrumental music. The result is very imaginative and progressive, music that appeals by its free structure, loose feel and the fragile tension created on the spur of the moment.

There is quite a lot of music to wade through and it demands some patience to sit through the 60 minutes of slowly developing atmospheres. At first I didn't play it frequently either, but every time I heard it I regretted not spending more time with it. It won't give instant satisfaction of PT's normal structured and song-oriented approach as it has more a jammy vibe then the usual composed control that characterizes PT. But for once I love the unfinished imperfection of it.

If you can avoid the preconceived idea of what a PT album should sound like, a couple of listens might reveal some pure beauty and challenging art here. Highly recommended to people enjoying fluidly flowing instrumental music like Gong, Ozric Tentacles, IEM, Djam Karet, and other jazzy space-rock or progressive electronic.