Not enough good things can be said about this group! I first discovered these guys back in 2005 right after Deadwing was released. I was a huge Opeth fan and they raved about them so I decided to check them out. Heard a 20 second sample of 'The Sound of Muzak' and that's all it took! I've been hooked ever since.
One of the biggest problems with getting people to listen to Porcupine Tree is that it's so difficult to put them into a category. Now people always say they're a progressive rock band, but when I think prog-rock, bands like Yes, Genesis, The Flower Kings and Spock's Beard come to mind to name a few. Obviously, Porcupine Tree has an [I]extremely[I] different sound from these groups. But it's not wrong to say that these groups share the same ideology when it comes to making music, which is the idea of making records and albums instead of songs. So I'd like to coin a new phrase for bands like this saying they're "Nu Progressive" hahaha! And that's still a terrible categorization.
And yep, new album comin' due for a September release! VERY excited to say the least. I'd like to see if they drift away from the heavier stuff and try something different; I'm sure anything they do will be amazing.
And to chime in on the whole Gavin Harrison debate, I would like to think that there are better drummers out there, but honestly, I haven't heard anybody that's impressed me as much as Gavin. Virgil Donati (of Planet X, also toured with Steve Vai for a short time) is another drummer that's just ridiculously talented. And Chris Maitland, PT's ex-drummer who left after Lightbulb Sun is a monster. But Gavin's whole appeal to me is that he's just so incredibly tasteful and subtle. He doesn't always try to go for the most complex beat. I think he is definitely
the most talented drummer around right now. Mike Portnoy can't touch Gavin IMO; why do you think O.S.I. replaced Portnoy with Harrison?
