Porcupine Tree | The return of the post-prog masters ★★★★

Drummer Gavin Harrison once told us in an interview that Porcupine Tree is more popular today than before his hiatus that began in 2010, with the band unwittingly reaching cult status. With an 11e unexpected album of the fans, the British trio shows that they are still the spearhead of modern progressive rock.

Posted at 12:30 p.m.

Pierre-Marc Durivage

Pierre-Marc Durivage
The Press

It’s from demos that have remained unfinished since 2010 that guitarist and singer Steven Wilson restarted the Porcupine Tree machine in the company of Harrison and keyboardist Richard Barbieri – bassist Colin Edwin is not on the trip this time. However, it is the bass which launches the hostilities at the opening of the disc, Wilson taking charge of setting the tone with a funk discharge which leaves no doubt as to the modernity of Closing/Continuing.

Harridan is reminiscent of Wilson’s last solo effort, The Future Bites, bursting with electro textures. After the pretty planing ballad Of the New Day, Rats Return shows that Porcupine Tree still knows how to venture into metal territory, the intro is powerful and syncopated, but the whole thing nevertheless leaves room for Barbieri’s keyboards and digital tools, which makes this track the most beautiful amalgamation of what Wilson has been able to achieve over the past 15 years, with and without his Porcupine Tree colleagues.

After the muscle Herd Cullin, Walk the Plank turns out to be the hidden gem of the album, the most daring in its assumed electro formula – Barbieri takes center stage, Wilson leaves his six-string in its case while Harrison mainly uses his electronic drums. However, the Steve Hackett-esque guitar intro sets the record straight in Chimera’s Wreck, a nine-and-a-half-minute prog piece that ends with a sometimes djent, sometimes funk finale. The more classic progressive atmosphere then sets in until the end, the conclusion of a superbly successful exercise.

Closing/Continuing

progressive rock

Closing/Continuing

Porcupine tree

Sony Music


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