Release Date: 14th September 2009
Genre(s): Progressive metal/rock
I was very much surprised when I heard the intro track to Porcupine Tree’s new album The Incident, as it showed an extreme difference to the Tree that I know. While also sticking to common ground, the Hertfordshire band managed to completely change their sound to something much more darker and heavier.
Steven Wilson (guitar, vocals) explained how the inspiration behind the direction of this new release stemmed from a car accident that he had driven by, and how he felt the “sensation that the spirit of someone that had died in the accident entered into my car and was sitting next to me.” Wilson also explained that he wrote about “the evacuation of teenage girls from a religious cult in Texas, a body found floating in a river by some people on a fishing trip, and more.” With influences such as these on Wilson’s mind, it is clear to see how the album turned out the way it did.
The album is split up into two discs: the first disc has one song on it yet split up into different tracks, and the second disc is more of an EP with four tracks. A classic style of prog, that the band have mastered since the beginning.
This release features a fantastic level of musicianship and production, however if you have not listened to any Porcupine Tree before, I highly recommend against trying this as a first listen, as the sound is so different to previous releases. If you would like to introduce yourself to Porcupine Tree, I would first recommend albums such as Fear Of A Blank Planet, In Absentia and Voyage 34.
All in all this is a great album, with little room for improvement. Despite the sound and direction taking me by surprise at first, it will grow on any regular Porcupine Tree fan as it has me, and one will realise that it is a fantastic work of art.
For more information, check out the following link.
