SIGNIFY

We'll get the usual atmospheric and sci-fi (and useless, IMO) track featuring some outer space voices to start with this album. Fortunately, two good songs will move on. More on a harder PT edge, but still catchy and melodic. "Signify" and "Sleep of no Dreaming" belong to the good songs from this album.

The listener will remain in the useless territories with the short "Pagan" song. But his patience will be rewarded with the great "Waiting" (both phases). A truely space-rock theme for most of it; but at time the beat will catches up and will offer some great ambient parts. This is mostly the case during "Phase II" while "Phase I" is more on the traditional and early side of their work. One of my fave on this album. A great and relaxing moment.

I would have hoped more from this album. Some spacey songs, yes there are. Some brilliant songs ? Not really. Even if "Idiot Prayer" tries to combine these elements.

I just feel that "Porcupine Tree" is just short of inspiration, very average songwriting to say the least. Of course, none of the songs are bad, but frankly there are very few ones that will blow me from this album. A band as "Eloy" really provides me more emotion than "Porcupine Tree". Some pleasant psychedelia but nothing from the other world (although you could expect something like this, no ?).

After several releases, these same type of "voices" used to open a song really start to irritate me. Boring and useless, while a more sandard (but can PT be "standard" ?) type of approach might have brought a more interesting musical angle.

The closing number is truely atmospheric. Fully "Land's End" oriented. One of the best moments IMO.

Three stars for this effort. By far, not the best PT one, but not completely uninteresting.