Porcupine Tree
Fear of a Blank Planet

Release Date: 2007 | Tracklist

The beauty of Porcupine Tree is that none of their records sound the same despite being around for so long. Lyrically and musically every album is different. When it comes to lyrics Porcupine Tree is all over the place. They’ve covered break ups, the thoughts of serial killers and rapists, ghost stories and incidents that happen in the would. This time Steve Wilson decided to write about an extremely angry and disturbed teenage boy.

However, it goes much deeper than just being a teen angst album. Wilson got the inspiration for the lyrical content from the novel Lunar Park. The novel is about the father, but Fear of a Blank Planet is told from the perspective from that father’s son. It’s a unique lyrical idea that is surprisingly hit or miss unfortunately. The idea that Wilson is trying to get across is very ambitious which is admirable, but the lyrics still remain inconsistent in the sense that they range from being fantastic to laughable. The title track is one of the greatest offender of this. Wilson chillingly states “xbox is a god to me/finger on the switch/my mother is a bitch/my father gave up ever trying to talk to me.” The song introduces the main character of the album and his nature, but these lyrics are incredibly cringe worthy. Thankfully, the band’s stunning musicianship shines high above these inadequate lyrics. The music is dark, brooding, and features one of Wilson’s best guitar solos. Gavin’s fantastic drumming and Colin’s incredible bassline also shine through Wilson’s solid vocal delivery and expert guitar playing.

The whole album is meant to be listened to in one complete sitting because it is basically about fifty minutes of nonstop music. Each song runs into each other in a seamless fashion. The title track runs into My Ashes which is a homage to the final chapter in Lunar Park with some lyrics being lifted directly from the final chapter. While it’s not as memorable as the title track, it’s also a beautiful calm before the storm as it runs directly into Anesthetize. Anesthetize is essentially an eighteen minute epic that consists of three parts. It begins with Gavin’s masterful epic rhythm and bleak guitar. It then changes into something incredibly heavy even for Porcupine Tree’s standards. The middle section also features the record’s best lyrics as Wilson states “we’re lost in the mall shuffling through the stores like zombies/what is the point, what can money buy/my hands on a gun and I find the range/God tempts me.” The song's climax is nothing short of mind blowing as it explodes into rapid fire drumming and guitar playing. It surprisingly ends on a beautiful note filled with lovely harmonizing and an overall psychedelic feel. It’s truly an amazing work of art.

Sentimental is the strangest song on the record and not for reasons anyone would think. It’s a nice song and there’s nothing particularly bad about it in any way, but one can’t help but think of Trains as you listen to it. It essentially has the same exact guitar chords as Trains and it’s played in the same fashion as Trains. It’s a strange decision and what inspired them to recycle a chord section is perplexing. Way Out of Here is your typical teen angst song, but a damn good one at that. It’s soaring guitar playing and the vocal delivery really is nothing short of amazing. The experience ends on an undeniably eerie one. Sleep Together could be taken as the son essentially going crazy over a girl and forcing her to leave with him forever or the son going crazy in general over his disorders. The creepy keyboards, heavily distorted guitars, and angsty vocal delivery really sells the song and it is the perfect song to end on.

While this is ultimately not the band’s best album as a whole, it contains some incredible moments that really stay with you after listening to it in one sitting. Some of the lyrics are cringe worthy and it contains some strange musical choices by the band, but it still doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. Any fans of progressive metal should not pass this up. This is the closest the band has ever gotten to the genre and you will leave the experience both disturbed and exhilarated.

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4.2 excellent

Rank: #44 for 2007