Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Porcupine Tree
Label: Roadrunner Records
Release: 2007
Rating: 4.5/5
“Fear Of A Blank Planet” is the ninth studio album from cult progressive rockers Porcupine Tree, who are getting more recognizable year after year (commercially too). They’re one of the few modern prog bands that never stop surprising with their innovations, and at the same time their compositions can win over a much wider circle of music lovers. Ever since they gradually started ditching their psychedelic-tinged electronic detours years ago and steering toward progressive metal waters, in their classic transcendental way and with intelligent lyrics, of course, Porcupine Tree have grown into what I think is the most important and most exciting band in modern progressive rock. They’ve always had a sound all their own, but they’ve never hidden their love for the legendary bands that shaped the development of that sound. Steven Wilson, sentimental multi-instrumentalist and musical innovator, has once again cooked up a first-class transcendental masterpiece that effortlessly carries the listener into different states of subconsciousness and personal perception. He’s smartly fused spacey, dreamy soundscapes with hard-hitting metal passages into a combination that creates an extraordinary contrast between melancholy, longing and rage.
“Fear Of A Blank Planet” is, roughly speaking, a sonic mix of the two previous masterpieces, “In Absentia” (2002) and “Deadwing” (2005), but with noticeably darker sections and a gloomier mood than we got on either predecessor. Steven also managed to pull two legendary names of progressive rock into the album, Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and Alex Lifeson (Rush), who each in their own recognizable way help build its atmosphere.
This time that atmosphere is pretty fatalistic because “Fear Of A Blank Planet” is a concept album revolving around the all-encompassing apathy of a modern, information-saturated society stuck in a blind spot of its own emotional and spiritual development. Above all, it’s about the emotionally hollowed-out, spiritually stunted and materially saturated “MTV/MP3/MSN” generation of teenagers who burn all their free time in front of computer and TV screens, staring numbly and apathetically at reality shows, trawling the web for porn or testing themselves in violent, sex-soaked video games. That concept reflects Steven’s fear that the next generations will become more and more mentally and spiritually stunted, which will inevitably lead to the collapse of modern “civilization” as a whole. I can say the band more than succeeded in marrying an intelligent concept with deeply atmospheric music. The concept ties together six tracks, which you can also take as one track split into six interconnected parts.
The opening “Fear Of A Blank Planet” starts with keyboard sounds as a kid plugs into the internet to download a mountain of MP3s, watch porn, find out what happened in the latest episode of Big Brother, mow down virtual soldiers in a computer simulation, and waste the whole day in front of the monitor. Hence the title of the album and the song, “fear of a blank planet”. This vivid, symbolic introduction is followed by a slow section that picks up steam through the sharp sounds of an energetic rhythm line, guitar and Steven’s excellent vocals, singing meaningful lyrics about the daily life of an information-saturated kid. The gloomy mood is lifted a little by a melodic chorus that contrasts with the harsh rhythm amid a flood of assorted sound samples on the keys. In the middle section they unleash some heavier metal passages, and Steven even treats himself to a short guitar solo. In the finale the keyboard soundscapes bring back the melancholy mood and round off this excellent piece.
“My Ashes” is an excellent emotional ballad built on splendid orchestral arrangements, melancholic acoustic guitar and sensitive vocals. After a slow intro it gradually builds its atmosphere over a palette of great soundscapes that instantly carry the listener into a transcendental state of mind. A track that calms things down before the key moment of the album.
“Anesthetize”, a prog-rock epic of more than 17 minutes, is the centerpiece and, in my opinion, the best piece on the album, marked not only by outstanding variety but also by layered atmosphere. Legendary guitarist Alex Lifeson guests here as well, dropping an unforgettable solo in the middle section that’s totally his signature. After a slow, darkly colored intro of drums, sound samples and a resigned-sounding vocal, they shift into a raw, obscure section where a thick bass guitar line riddles your ears. That’s followed by one of the best sections in the band’s history, where a hard rhythm line and delicate keyboards trade off while Lifeson plays an excellent, instantly recognizable guitar solo in the background. An unforgettable, mounting mood builds at this point, shifting from melancholic to aggressive. The obscurity gets even heavier with the arrival of the “metal” section, where Steven grinds out some hard riffs backed by a brutal rhythm that no modern thrash metal band would be ashamed of. Steven’s vocal is the centerpiece of an excellent, sarcastic chorus that keeps the composition in balance the whole time, especially during the brutal passages. Over soundscapes and other sound samples on Barbieri’s keyboards, the track slowly starts to settle. A calm keyboard section enters with multi-part vocal harmonies, out of which Steven’s always emotional voice finally emerges and gradually closes one of the most majestic and ambitious pieces of their career.
The exceptionally beautiful and melancholic ballad “Sentimental” is, as its title says, a sentimental piece that brings a somewhat lighter mood after the complex, dark epic, though it’s still incredibly sad. It’s marked by Steven’s deeply heartfelt vocals, piano, percussion and an acoustic guitar played in flamenco style. This track reminds me slightly of “Lazarus” from the previous album, only a notch more down-to-earth. Despite its slight depressiveness, which again ties back to the album title, its chorus pulls the listener in incredibly fast, and I have no doubt this track will become one of their classics. It closes with a guitar riff similar to the one in the classic “Trains” from “In Absentia”, followed by a final build-up on piano and sound samples.
“Way Out Of Here” is another extremely interesting, multi-layered piece that shows off both main sides of the band, the transcendental and the metal, which has been dominant in recent years. On the soundscapes here shines none other than the legendary guitar master Robert Fripp, who has become something of a patron of the band after accompanying them on their previous tour. After Adrian Belew, who guested on “Deadwing”, Fripp is the second musician from the ranks of King Crimson to help the band realize their musical visions. Fripp’s contribution is one of the key building blocks of the incredible atmosphere, which ranges from majestic sonic arrangements on the soundscapes to brutal metal passages. The track has a slow intro on soundscapes, then gradually builds its mood on Steven’s vocals and melancholic guitar, followed by an excellent instrumental section. After the calm sounds of sound samples come brutal passages on drums and guitar, which are constantly wrapped in stunningly beautiful keyboard arrangements. The superbly built structures of this composition won me over from start to finish, and the realization followed that this is probably the most balanced piece on the album, one that will surely become a favorite part of their upcoming tour.
“Sleep Together” opens with obscure, mysterious keyboard sound samples before the drums and a depressively colored vocal crash in. The end result is a track that sounds like a kind of mix of gothic and progressive metal, with the important difference that, unlike most bands from both genres, it has an excellent vocal that ranges from fragile to brutally distorted through effects. Once again they’ve used a great combination of sharpened guitar riffs, layered rhythm and deep, transcendental sound samples that put the listener into different states of mind. We also get a nice Steven guitar solo, which he doesn’t usually serve up in abundance. Above all, it’s the superb use of orchestral arrangements that turns a seemingly simple piece into a masterpiece.
“Fear Of A Blank Planet” is one more masterpiece in the band’s impressive string of deeply heartfelt, richly structured albums, capable of carrying the listener from one state of mind to another in a heartbeat and passing along plenty of life lessons. Porcupine Tree and their central musical genius, who is without doubt one of the most innovative musicians of the last decade, have once again managed to craft an extremely emotional and diverse album that “grows” with every new listen, while carrying messages powerful enough to shake the collective mindset and give food for thought to many members of the “blocked” generation who’ve held on to a spark of their own personality. “Fear Of A Blank Planet” is yet another testament to the band’s versatility as they carry on their mission of making spiritually rich progressive rock. Even in these days of rule by emotionally and spiritually stunted information know-it-alls, who in every field live only by the principle of “money or death”, it keeps growing and, in small steps, strengthens the awareness that no social order lasts forever and that change is our only constant.
Lineup
Steven Wilson – vocals, guitar, piano
Colin Edwin – bass guitar
Richard Barbieri – keyboards, synthesizer
Gavin Harrison – drums & percussion
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Alex Lifeson (Rush) – guitar solo (3)
Robert Fripp (King Crimson) – soundscapes (5)
John Wesley – backing vocals
Production
Steven Wilson
Track List
1. Fear of a Blank Planet (7:28)
2. My Ashes (5:07)
3. Anesthetize (17:42)
4. Sentimental (5:26)
5. Way Out of Here (7:37)
6. Sleep Together (7:28)
Album length: 50:08
