Porcupine Tree - Signify

Porcupine Tree
Signify

Delirium, 1996

Steve Wilson - vocals, guitars, samplers, organ, mellotron, electronics, piano
Colin Edwin - bass
Richard Barbiri - keyboards, tapes, electronics, synthesizers
Chris Maitland - drums, percussion, vocal harmonies

1. Bornlivedie
2. Signify
3. Sleep Of No Dreaming
4. Pagan
5. Waiting Phase One
6. Waiting Phase Two
7. Sever
8. Idiot Prayer
9. Every Home is Wired
10. Intermediate Jesus
11. Light Mass Prayers
12. Darkmatter

Porcupine Tree is relatively new on the progressive rock scene, only having come about during the 90's. I hear a lot of comparisions to Pink Floyd made about them, and rightfully so. But writing them off as a Pink Floyd imitator would be wrong. They've got their own very modern sound, and are one of my favorite modern bands.

The album features a lot of bluesy, fuzzed-out rock riffing, ambient keyboards, and bass grooves. There is a heavy use of sampledspeech, most of which sounds like it came from radio or television programs, or possibly movies (this is probably what causes the near-constant Pink Floyd comparison.) There are basically two types of songs on this album: there are actual songs, and ambient jam tracks. I find that the band does very good with both of them on Signify, and some of the highlights for me include Signify, Sleep Of No
Dreaming, Waiting Phases One and Two, Idtiot Prayer, Sever, Intermediate Jesus, and Darkmatter. (Yes, I know that's more than half the album.)

So the verdict on this album is a ringing endorsement. It made me a fan, and this is one that I listen to at least once a week. The mood is a dark one, but accessible.

Dream Theater - Train of Thought

Dream Theater
Train of Thought
Elektra, 2003

James LaBrie - vocals
John Petrucci - guitars
John Myung - bass
Jordan Rudess - keyboards
Mike Portnoy - percussion

1. As I Am
2. This Dying Soul
3. Endless Sacrifice
4. Honor Thy Father
5. Vacant
6. Stream of Consciousness
7. In The Name of God


As anyone who actually knows me could tell you, I absolutely love Dream Theater. Which is why I hate to say that they really shot themself in the foot on this one. They came together on this one for the sole purpose of making a heavy album, and heavy it is. Pointedly so. It comes
off more as a Metallica ripoff than a Dream Theater album.

Now I'll get into the songs. I'll admit to enjoying As I Am very much. It's one of the best songs on this album. A lot of Metallica influence here too, but this is the song where they manage to do it right. This Dying Soul isn't bad lyrically, featuring many of the lyrics found in other parts of Portnoy's "AA Suite." However, musically, its 11-minute length is not justified, and LaBrie's delivery of the lyrics is terrible. It even resembles Linkin Park-esque rapping at times. Endless Sacrifice isn't exactly bad, but like many of the others, it is a bit overlong. Honor Thy Father is more of the same.. There is some very good soloing in this one, but it's buried late in the middle of a 10-minute song, and you have to sit through more LaBrie-rap (a term I hope to never use again) to get to it. Vacant is a throwaway ballad. (Which is a shame that when they chose a song from Train of Thought to include on Score, Vacant is the one they used, instead of either As I Am or Endless Sacrifice.) Stream of Consciousness isn't a bad instrumental, but it suffers from taking 6 or 7 minutes worth of good ideas and dragging them out to fill 11 minutes of CD space. In The Name of God is similar to Honor Thy Father musically, but it's even longer, and equally unjustified.

So, the final verdict on the album: Hardcore Dream Theater fans will want it for As I Am and This Dying Soul, the latter because it fits into the AA Suite. Furthermore, anyone who knows what that IS is probably so much of a Dream Theater completist that they already have this
(kinda like me.) For casual Dream Theater fans, As I Am is probably going to be the main interest here. This review will probably get me a lot of contempt from Dream Theater and Metallica fans, and a lot of people will probably disagree with me. But I feel that this is one of
Dream Theater's worst. (Which is odd, because I prefer their other two heavy albums the most.)

Rush - 2112

Rush
2112
Mercury, 1976


Bass, vocals - Geddy Lee
Percussion - Neil Peart
Guitars - Alex Lifeson


1. 2112: Overture, Temples of Syrinx, Discovery, Presentation, Oracle: The Dream, Soliloquy, Grand Finale
2. A Passage to Bangkok
3. The Twilight Zone
4. Lessons
5. Tears
6. Something for Nothing


For my first review, I figured I'd do something fairly well-known. So here goes. When this album came out, Rush NEEDED this album. After three decent but uneven albums, they were close to giving up and calling Rush a failure. However, they have it one last try, putting all their hopes in 2112, and were greatly rewarded.

The first half of this album consists entirely of the epic 2112 suite, the story of a man in a futuristic society where the religion-based government has strict control over everything that people are allowed to see and hear. The man in question threatens this when he finds a guitar and learns how to create his own music. However, he is unaware of how strictly he is controlled, and takes his discovery to the priests. They, of course, discourage him from making his own music and take his instrument away. He goes home, dreams of a time when people can express themselves freely. When he awakes, he kills himself, realizing he could never get the chance to live in such a world.

So how's the music? As far as the epic 2112 goes, I have no complaints. Lifeson lays down excellent guitar work in the overture, shifting through various odd-timed riffs and a great solo before Geddy Lee comes in, his banshee-wailing voice at full force. Lifeson lays down a couple more great solos, and the song concludes with a musical explosion. (Literally.)

As for the rest of the album, it's a bit more hit-or-miss. While the drug anthem "A Passage to Bangkok" features a great riff, this ode to marijuana is quite dated lyrically. The Twilight Zone gets quite silly lyrically at times, and when I hear it, I find myself waiting for the guitar solo, partially because it's a great solo, and partially so Geddy Lee will shut up about giant boys and leather-faced men. Lessons is enjoyable, unless you can't stand Geddyshriek. (Which, personally, I love.) Tears didn't do very much for me, but some like it. Something for Nothing is by
far the best song on the second half of the album, with it's shift in dynamic shortly after the beginning of the song, "deep" lyrics, and great instrumental work all around.

So the verdict? Any Rush fan should have it for musical AND historical value, and any fan of classic rock or progressive rock would find something, if not plenty, to enjoy here. However, Rush could do, and would come to do, much better work than this.