About a month ago the new porcupine tree album "in absentia" was released!!To those who have known the band from previous work it will be more than obvious that porcupine's sound has undergone severe alterations in all levels!!This change of musical route is not difficult to comprehend specially if you look into the theme called Steven Wilson and his role as the mastermind(basic musical and lyrical composer) and heart and soul of the existence of porcupine tree.Maybe Wilson's work as the producer of Opeth's two last albums has pulled him towards more metal sounscapes.This is exactly what happens to In absentia when it comes in terms of listening!Even from the first guitar reef can be deduced that Wilson decided to put aside all of his neo-psychedelic explorations and move to a more rock sound containing prog-rock as well as acoustic elements.
So what we have in In Absentia is on the one hand the classical atmospheric Pink floydish mix of acoustic guitars and melodic vocals and on the other some really heavy rhythm guitars as a part of a well built and solid rhythm section approaching the sound of well known progressive metal bands(!!!).Most of the melodies are quite simple and easy to get but they do get along their passionate message and finally manage to get the listener drifted away and lost in the atmosphere they create.
Bad points of the album;Bringing heavy guitars in the frontline and moving to a certainly more rock way of composing should-always according to the humble opinion of my already hurt ears(LOL)-have been escorted by a change in the vocal part and become more direct,strong and finally be what we call "lead vocals".This doesn't happen and we're left with a strange feeling of a mixed heavy sound with soft and melodic vocals that fit in more psychedelic songs.Finally, Wilson's lyrics even though can be described as nice and comforting at a first level they certainly lack the needed poetic base and abstract way of getting your message along.Most of his lyrical work on this one is straight,descriptive and sadly(!?)fully comprehensive.What can i say;It happens even to the best families!!
tracks;
1.Blackest eyes
2.Trains
3.Lips of ashes
4.The sound of muzak
5.Gravity eyelids
6.Wedding nails
7.Prodigal
8.3
9.The creator has a mastertape
10.Hertattack In a Layby
11.Strip the soul
12.Collapse the light Into earth
The European version includes as bonus tracks:
1.Drown with me
2.Chloroform
3.Strip the soul(video edit)
Really good tracks are "trains","sound of muzak", "3", "strip the soul".
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...You used to talk about winners and losers all the time,as if that was all there was
As if we weren't from the same blood family,as if we lived by different laws...
..promise I will quite soon 
