Jane Doe really took me by surprise. As someone who's opinion of "core" has been contaminated by bands such as Bring Me The Horizon and Emmure, this album was sort of "Well, let's give the best of this genre a shot and see if it can redeem itself." And it has. Jane Doe is a whirlwind of emotion and technicality that never ceases and makes you longing for more when it does finally fade out. Every song is a cohesive experience, you're not going to "get it" by just listening to Homewrecker or Concubine by itself; it needs the context of the album to fully appreciate. Every song is absolutely essential, feeling like a mad house until the last track fills you with some sense of closure, but still longing for more.

The lyrics have no real structure to them and instead every song feels like a poem, but with hXe screams. Most people are put-off from the vocal style, but I think if you can get over that fact you can find some really meaningful stuff. Jane Doe's lyrics were written from Jacob Bannon's heart and I really do think it blends very well. He takes you on a journey where you feel everything from: shock, to denial, to depression, to hatred, defeat, self-loathing, loneliness, and hope. When all our roads have been travelled and all have come to a most bitter end: Today I thaw.

And of course there are the instruments. There are nothing short of being some of the most creative I've heard in a while. There is no question that this is also a masterpiece regarding technicality. Right away within the first 30 seconds of the album, it throws you into odd time signatures, crazy riffing, blast beats, and screaming. Concubine sure kicks off the album with haste. And it really doesn't slow down with Fault and Fracture, continuing on with Concubine's crazy theme. But what I like about this song so much is the outro. The drums crashing in and then speeding up the song is just great. After that is Distance and Meaning which actually utilizes clean vocals. And yes, I have to say it has calmed down a bit here, although that riff in the beginning still sounds pretty clustered. Now, Hell to Pay is when it really calms down. No doubt the calmest song on the album, and it has a very climatic song structure. It also has some great lyrics and how they're presented are great:

"That night, I think he cried himself to sleep Just maybe, he felt more than we could ever know And I think he pulled that trigger to empty that memory I think he cut the weight to end the floods of you Let him soar, let him ride as budding gravestones do Just sleep, girl, just dream well"

Then it goes into Homewrecker, which is kind of a 'rocking' song, believe it or not...at least I think so. It's still mathcore, don't get me wrong, but it has a certain drive to it that kinda makes it feel like that. Maybe it's the cowbell. Then there's The Broken Vow which is a pleasant little 2 minute'r. Starts off sounding like hardcore punk, but then quickly switches to a more mellow song until it finally hits you with the outro. And then it hits you with an even shorter song. This one just has a very punk-y tone through-out, I think. Heaven In Her Arms is when the album starts to take a turn. It's pretty fast the first half, but then it quickly goes into a more heavy sounding riff and then slows down until it fades off into Phoenix in Flight. Phoenix in Flight is like any other song on here, as it's just kinda slow and has an epic (forgive me for using that word) feel to it. It just sort of builds on itself instrumentally and then brings it home with a driving outro. And then there Phoenix in Flames which is just nuts. Just screaming and drums and the production turns kinda shotty. It serves as an excellent transition to Thaw, which is one of my favorites. It just never gets dull; it starts off with an awesome riff, and then just erupts with, yes you guessed it, an awesome outro. I know I kinda used that phrase a lot, but it's true: a lot of these songs' finishes are just golden. And I have to say, the best outro, and reward for the best song on the album, goes to Jane Doe: the epic to end it all. This song practically makes the album. I don't like to throw around the word 'perfect' a lot, but this song may just be. It's not as chaotic as you would think, but the song is driven by such emotion that it can be easily forgiven and in fact you wouldn't want it either way.

Jane Doe has went far beyond my expectations and deserves a 5 star for how much it enlightened me on other genres. It gives me hope for all of those other genres I disregarded. Maybe they will have a Jane Doe of their own.

Run on girl, run on.

A lot of people absolutely love this album, and a lot of people absolutely hate it. I'm a bit more on the hate side.

Let me just say that this album is incredibly inconsistent. It has a bunch of ups and downs, but as you can tell with the rating I give it, a bit more downs.

It starts off the album with "The Root of All Evil." This is song, as well with others from various albums, is about Mike Portnoy's AA experience. Personally, I don't like any of the songs that deal with those; they all sound extremely cheesy to me and this is no exception sadly. I do like the intro to the song, though.

Now that we're on the second song, "The Answer Lies Within," I realize I'm going to use the word "cheese" a lot. I'm sorry for my weak vocabulary, but yes, this song does smell of the cheese. It doesn't really have any redeeming qualities for me, just nothing works here.

Next we have "These Walls." Dare I say, the first good song? Yep, I do enjoy this song quite a bit. I mean it's not absolutely great, but it is a good song. No really bad or really awesome moments, just consistent all the way through.

And after all those compliments, we come to this monstrosity. Remember when I said I was going to say cheese too much? Well, "I Walk Beside You" is the king of the cheese on the album. Kinda makes me gag of just the odor it gives off. Probably the worst track of the album.

Next we have...oh this one, if I have to hear this song on the radio again I'm gonna hurt someone. "Panic Attack" is definitely their most overrated piece of music. Now, it's not a horrible song, but I have no idea why it's so popular. It's just kind of the equivalent to decent filler. At least it's better than its predecessor.

"Never Enough" is the next song and it's not quite as cheesy as it is corny. Yes, those are different to me. The instruments aren't actually too bad on this one, it's the vocals that slap me across the face with corn. I am not a huge James fan, I will not hide that, but I feel like this was even bad for him.

Now this is when the song starts getting enjoyable for me, better late than never, eh? "Sacrificed Sons" has a very nice build-up going for itself in the beginning, and then when it goes off the song is actually quite great. Definitely the better than the songs before it. Oh, and I'm sure everyone knows it has to do with 9/11 and all that junk...which is actually quite fitting for when I'm doing this review. This is the first song that gets a solid thumbs up from me.

Now "Octavarium," the self-titled track, the 24 minute long epic, it just HAS to be good, right? ...Right! This is actually my favorite track on the album, not close. If this wasn't here, this album would probably be even rated lower than I have it now, but luckily this song is here. And yes, it is a masterpiece, and I don't like to throw that word around. This song is sooooo much better than the rest of the album, it's even where I coined something I say quite a bit "Octavarium Syndrome."

So yes, enjoy your 24 minute long epic, and Sacrificed Sons too, because that's all this album really has going for it.

"In the L..L..Library Loft" is Toby Driver's solo masterpiece. The way this music is constructed really immerses you and makes you feel like you're in a nightmare. That being said, yes, it is quite dark and not everyone may enjoy it. But it's okay! This is one of those albums that if you do "get it," it brings many gifts and a truly awesome experience.

It must always be stated that this album is quite slow. This album is certainly for more of the Kayo Dot fan than one of maudlin of the Well. And even so, it's not like this is a straight Kayo Dot incarnation. If you thought Kayo Dot would make your kids cry (yes, I've seen people say that), then you ain't seen nothing yet!

The album's atmosphere is incredibly intense, and thus does drive some people away from this album. To summarize the music in a couple of words, it would probably: insanity and tension. Sound like a good time? I thought so. It's also a very climatic album. At first, you're just kind of wallowing around in the ambience of things, yes, still with that creepy, intense atmosphere, but gradually it seems start weighing down on you even more, until you are in some storm of, yes, insanity.

As this minimalist style of song structure may drive people away, people who embrace the music can really find something special in this piece. Probably the darkest album I've heard since Heresie by Univers Zero, definitely recommended from me!

Many people would call this Porcupine Tree's masterpiece. Is it PT's best album? Perhaps. Is it a masterpiece? Well, at least one song is.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy this album very much-so (or else I wouldn't give it 4 stars), I just feel like there is one song that shoots way above the others. I find this album suffers from Octavarium syndrome, if you will (not everyone will agree with that, I know). I feel like there are obvious flaws in every song but the one. Obviously not too many flaws to get this rating, but some nonetheless. I'm sure most of you know what song is the one I am referring to, but let's just start a track by track review in cause you can't quite guess yet.

Fear Of a Blank Planet - A very solid intro to the album. Sometimes the lyrics can get a bit direct and cheesy, but the singing itself is pretty great. And also that being said, there are also some fantastic lyrics in this song. It's pretty hit-or-miss for me with Steven Wilson most of the time. That being said, the instruments are quite solid to good drumming to good tone with the guitars. With this song you know you're in for an excellent album with awesome musicianship and production.

My Ashes - Pretty straight forward, a nice short and sweet song that fits the concept of the whole album. If you're not emotionally invested in the album it's just going to be a snore-fest, but if you are and agree with the concept (stupid teenagers, basically) that Steven Wilson is trying to portray, then this should just be another enjoyable song on an enjoyable album.

Anesthetize - Yep. The Masterpiece. If every song was like this one, this would be one of my top 5 favorite albums, but alas, not every song is. Everything about this song is great. The production is great and the thoughts and ideas that come into this song are awesome. The more metal riffs or just the slower parts, everything is fantastic. It has a great mix of complexity and emotional, one of my all-time favorite songs.

Sentimental - Did you like My Ashes? Well, you'll love this! It has the same sort of chilled factor that My Ashes has, but I just think the piano works a lot better with the mood. Also, the lyrics are great on this song. Once again, you have to be emotionally invested to listen to this song. Not one of those where you can just turn on this one song without hearing the context of the whole album. I mean, I'm sure some people have turned it on and liked it just from this one song, but I'm sure the vast majority learned to appreciate even more when they finally "got it."

Way Out Of Here - Besides the lyrics at the start being the apex of Steven Wilson's cheesy and direct nature, it's a good song. But yes, the intro...those lyrics just don't do it for me. It just seems silly, but not in the good way. And to be honest, the lyrics don't get much better as the song goes along, it's the instruments that save this song. I love the part that switches from the heavy riff to the chorus multiple times, that part is very well done, and there are no lyrics. Besides the occasional "Waaaaaaaaay out, way out of here!" jargon smargon. And yes, on this part the lyrics are used well, just everywhere else is kinda...bleh. But the instruments are exquisite. This song is still fantastic, just could have been better.

Sleep Together - The worst song on the album. I mean, it still has good production and everything, it's just that nothing really shines on this song for me. I suppose the grand violin solo is a nice way to go out, but ehh...the lyrics are poor and it's just one song I don't get into. Usually when Steven Wilson goes into a chorus on this album I am reminded on how good it is, but not here. The good news about this song is that the last 2 minutes or so are quite excellent so the album doesn't leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Would I recommend this album? Of course! Is it their best? Best song, but not a consistent album. If you want to hear an album that's consistent all the way through, but doesn't quite have that awesome high-point, I'd give In Absentia a listen. Don't like that either? Well I'd give up, I guess some people like Deadwing a lot, but I just see so many flaws in that album that I don't get how others compare it to FoaBT or In Absentia, but that's for a different review, I suppose.

In conclusion: Highly recommended if you want like prog-rock/metal with a bit of emotion. Or if you hate those angst-filled teenagers.

Mike Patton's best work.

It is really hard to say anything bad about this album. The only thing I could say would be some songs are not up to par with the other. Some would call this "filler," but there really is none on this album. So I hear you say doesn't that mean there's filler? I think there's enough originality in all of these songs to justify none of them being called filler, all of it adds to the album. I just think some songs are better than others, simple as that...but NONE are bad. Some are just masterpieces.

I'd like to start with the vocals because I think that's the major hilight of the album. Mike Patton is certainly an awesome vocalist. I couldn't imagine an album without him and only he could make an album like this be so great. The shear talent and raw skill is something to admire, but then he goes above and beyond and shows incomparable creativity.

Past the vocals are, well, the instruments. This has a very wide selection and all of them are great. I don't think any one of these really overshadow the rest or fall in comparison, they are just all really solid. All of them seem to share the spot-light here, all though some instruments appear more than others.

Also besides the instruments are the miscellaneous noise. This I can't really call "masterfully done" considering it's just, well, misc. noise, but I do think it enhances the weird zany mood this album gives off.

Hilights of the album include: "Sleep (Part II): Carry Stress in the Jaw" and "Merry Go Bye Bye" while the not-as-good ones consist of: "Everyone I Went to High School With Is Dead" and "Violenza Domestica."

Definitely recommended from me!