Warthur Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet is their third album in a row to take the approach of In Absentia - in that whilst there are sufficient metal aspects to it to appeal to the prog metal crowd, there's also plenty of the space rock aspects which have always been an aspect of the band's sound, as well as indie-flavoured crossover moments reminiscent of Stupid Dream or Lightbulb Sun.

By this point in time, Steven Wilson had well and truly become prog aristocracy - when people like Alex Lifeson and Robert Fripp are guesting on your albums you know you've become a big deal in the prog world - but far from resting on his laurels, Fear of a Blank Planet is a tighter and more carefully constructed album than Deadwing, and testament to the consistently high quality of Porcupine Tree's studio albums. I'd say it's the recommended next stop after In Absentia.

Warthur Prog critics raved about Deadwing when it came out, and I can't blame them - it's a really tight album which carries forward the advances in Porcupine Tree's sound first put forth on In Absentia. But I don't think it's quite the five-star classic it's sometimes made out to be; the pacing of the album flags a little for me in the second half, though it's made up a bit by the last two songs (The Start of Something Beautiful and Glass Arm Shattering), which are excellent and blow most of the preceding songs out of the water. I suppose that's why people are very generous to the album - even if it does meander a little at points, it has a really excellent conclusion and leaves you feeling very positive about it.

Warthur Porcupine Tree's In Absentia certainly caused a stir when it came out - some prog-heads even going so far as to suggest the time Steven Wilson spent with Opeth had rubbed off on him - but listened to in the context of their whole discography it's clear that it's an evolution of their sound, not a reinvention of it. You can still just about hear the spacey psychedelic prog foundations of the band (which they'd never really given up) and you can also still hear the Radiohead-inspired indie rock/prog rock crossover of the triptych of Stupid Dream, Lightbulb Sun, and Recordings.

On top of this, there's an injection of a heap of hard rock, heavy metal, and heavy prog (a la King Crimson - see, for instance, the opening of The Creator Has a Mastertape) influences which add a third new layer of musical genetic material into the rich mixture Porcupine Tree habitually offer. And to be honest, this isn't even the most prominent feature of the album - sure, there's a big dose in the lead track, but there's also several gentler songs which wouldn't have sounded out of place on Lightbulb Sun.

And come to think of it, the title track of that one had some fairly hard riffing on it too, didn't it? Just like I said: evoltuion, not revolution. But what an evolution!

Xaxaar 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.

Andyman1125 The undeserved bashing needs to end

Porcupine Tree is a widely loved band in the progressive community. Since the early 90s, the band has released a number of classic records, from the quirky debut On the Sunday of Life to the more metallic and incredibly diverse In Absentia. With their latest album, The Incident, the band's second album on the acclaimed (and also declaimed) label Roadrunner Records, host of many a prog-lover's bands, the band truly exemplifies the sound they began to approach back in 2002. The album is essentially one 55 minute long epic, with an EP length disc 2. Comprised of a more metallic edge, a fiercer outlook, and a dynamic range of sonic excellence, the album truly is a treat. Sadly, compared to 2007's great Fear of a Blank Planet, many were skeptical with the release and the album's ratings quickly began to decline. Although this album may not be your everyday Porcupine Tree album, it certainly packs a fantastic punch and is a great display of this band's excellent prowess.

Porcupine Tree is known for its more psychedelic output of the 90s. In the 2000s, the new drummer Gavin Harrison announced almost a new era for the band, with a sharper turn in the Progressive Metal direction with his appearance on In Absentia. The band has steadily progressed in that direction ever since. On this album, a whole slew of influences can be heard, from a slightly psychedelic to mellower rock, great punchy metal lines, and even some more art-pop oriented regions all appearing on the fantastic epic. Although this may not reach the level of the superb long epic like "The Whirlwind" or "Mei", but it certainly marks a superb display of modern prog. Steve Wilson has shown his compositional knowhow many a times, and this album only extends this. With tasty sections and rhythmic and harmonically beautiful sections, this album certainly has a delicious proggy flair to it. Even on my first listen I was captivated by a few incredible tracks, most notably Time Flies and I Drive the Hearse. Although the lyrical theme can seem silly at first, it quickly delves into more philosophical matter and at times has some superb lyrics. Overall, the album is a real treat. Although at times one may speculate the band has sold into a more poppy region of music, the album really stays true to its original genre and is a great album for the year.

I'd like to talk about two tracks on this album that really strike a chord with me on this album - Time Flies and I Drive the Hearse. Both are incredible, impeccably composed and mastered and overall just wonderfully done. When I had first heard Porcupine Tree around 2007 or 2008, I was still a huge metalhead and thought most of the band's music, which was overall much lighter, was boring and not listen-worthy. Despite the fact, I got The Incident. When I heard Time Flies, I was blown away. The gentle chords, the simple yet complex rhythms and the potent atmosphere created by the truly genius Richard Barbieri really made a spectacular effect on me - it showed me the power of more "simple" music; that music didn't need to have shredding solos or intense riffing sessions, that it truly could just be this incredible blend of psychedelics, popularly leaning melodies, and an overall wonderful atmosphere that could make up a spectacular song. Overall, this track is genius and a wonderful gem on this album.

The next real kicker for me was the final movement, I Drive the Hearse. This is probably one of the most pop-oriented tracks on the album, yet I absolutely love it. The incredible simplicity of it, the fantastic lyrics, and the overall spectacular atmosphere of the music really turned me on to this classic of the PT discography. Although it may seem one of those "sell-out" sort of tracks, it really is an almost retro-PT track, reaching into the back catalogs of PT's sound and extracting a truly marvelous song - and an incredibly addition to this album.

It's quite sad how this album is poo-pooed by so many critics. It really is a great album, and although it may not be a masterpiece of the band's discography, it really is a magnificent addition to a line of great albums. Yes, the band seems to be moving in a more popularly leaning direction, but this album is in no way pop - it still has that PT vibe, the slightly psychedelic, almost metallic, superbly progressive, and overall great atmosphere associated with a Wilson production. Overall, the album is a great addition to anyone's collection that is yearning for a more accessible but still fantastic prog record. 4 stars.