Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Porcupine Tree - Rockpalast CD (album) cover

ROCKPALAST

Porcupine Tree

 

Heavy Prog

4.20 | 185 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer
4 stars This double album is from a live performance they did for a German TV broadcast on November 19 / 05. It was during the "Deadwing" tour and the majority of songs are from that album.

"Intro" is almost 3 minutes of a pulsating beat, while synths come in part way through. No introduction or vocals. Strange. "Open Car" opens with heavy riffs. I love the mellow sections. The synths after 2 1/2 minutes are also a highlight. John Wesley does the backup vocals. "Blackest Eyes" is one of my favourite PT songs. I really like the chorus "Swim with me into your blackest eyes". Again the mellower passages both impress and move me. Gavin is great on the drums as well. "Lazarus" is a beautiful song with piano and mellotron. "Futile" is a left over from the "In Absentia" album and it rocks ! The heavy riffs are nasty and Harrison is all over this tune. "Mellotron Scratch" was probably the biggest surprise for me. It just works so well here. Just a gorgeous tune with mellotron of course. There is a brief heavy section before 5 minutes. I like the vocal arrangements after 6 minutes too. "Mother And Child Divided" is a killer instrumental. Gavin is on fire. It settles after 3 minutes but not for long. ".3" has some nice bass as synths come in then drums. Vocals don't arrive until after 3 minutes. Very laid back, I really dig this one. The guitar 4 minutes in so relaxing and enjoyable. "So Called Friend" is from the "Deadwing" sessions. A nice heavy intro as vocals come in. This is a fairly aggressive song that calms down on the chorus. I like the synths 3 1/2 minutes in.

Disc 2 starts with "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here" a fan favourite and one of my favs as well. It is spacey to start with then that beautiful melody comes in around the 2 minute mark. It kicks in after 4 minutes. What a ride ! That relentless beat as the guitar plays over top and those spacey synths.This song is magic, or as TonyR says "sublime". "The Sound Of Muzak" is another favourite of mine. In fact i've been playing it periodically around my family trying to win them over to this great band. It's working. Check out the guitar after 2 1/2 minutes that goes on and on, love that part. "The Start Of Something Beautiful" has this melancholic intro. I like the bass. Guitar comes in after 2 minutes as the sound gets fuller. Nice synth work as well. A mournful guitar solo 3 1/2 minutes in. I really like the instrumental section before and after 6 minutes. Great song. "Halo" is an infectious tune. I like the synths and the explosion of sound before 4 1/2 minutes. "Radioactive Toy" opens with spacey synths as that beat comes in then vocals. It kicks in rather heavily 2 1/2 minutes. The contrast continues. Love the guitar that goes on and on to end it. "Trains" is the final song of this concert. A fitting way to end it. Before they play it Steven thanks everyone including the opening act OCEANSIZE. Strummed guitar and vocals open the song. "Always the summers are slipping away" is Steven's line before it gets heavier. The contrast continues. The crowd claps along 3 1/2 minutes in.

Thankyou again Martijn (evenless) for sending me this recording. He downloaded it legally from PT's site including the excellent artwork. This is a fitting album for review number 1,500.

Mellotron Storm | 4/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this PORCUPINE TREE review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.