DEADWING

At first listen, I actually disliked this album quite a bit. This was the first I'd heard by Porcupine Tree, and I was convinced that they sucked after listening the album Deadwing. But I felt compelled to continue to listen to the album even after I had concluded it was sub-par. This isn't out of the ordinary - I often listen to bands I dislike. I do this to 1) see if I had judged the band prematurely, and my opinions have changed, or 2) to understand fully why I dislike them, or 3) to not listen to the same few albums continuously so I won't find them banal. After a few more listens, I drastically changed my mind about this band. I had once thought them a simplistic, metal band, and now I recognize them as a diverse, shifting, surrealistic prog band.

Much of this album is genuine prog, with strong metal influences and a lot of psychedelic interludes. It is very otherworldly, thought provoking, thrilling and memorable. The other half of this album is very good rock/pop. Both halves of the album rely on excellent songwriting, lyrics, atmospheres, and technical skill. The whole band is great, but Gavin Harrison's drumming must be noted, and the excellent sound of his drums and cymbals.

At times, the music is very fast, aggressive (Deadwing, middle of Arriving Somewhere) and it can also be very psychedelic (start of Arriving Somewhere, middle of Deadwing) and even soft and beautiful (Lazarus). Even in the more simple rock songs, there is still a concept behind the music, fantastic lyrics and surrealistic instrumental sections. And constantly - throughout the entire album - there is a powerful mood and a very strong feel.