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Porcupine Tree - Nil Recurring review



Reviewer:
8.5

181 users:
8.36
Band: Porcupine Tree
Album: Nil Recurring
Style: Progressive metal, Progressive rock
Release date: September 17, 2007
A review by: Jeff


01. Nil Recurring [feat. Robert Fripp]
02. Normal
03. Cheating The Polygraph
04. What Happens Now? [feat. Ben Coleman]

Some months after the release date of the fantastic "Fear Of A Blank Planet", Steven Wilson and his band is back with a new original EP released by Peaceville Records, "Nil Recurring". This EP only features four songs but with approximately thirty minutes of music, this is obviously a must for all the people who like Porcupine Tree. Don't worry, this EP follows the road of their previous full length album so if you're still into dark melancholic progressive Rock/Metal, be sure that you'll check "Nil Recurring"!

Four songs including one instrumental, that's a bit short don't you think? Well I'm not saying that this album is useless or anything, at the opposite I'm wining because I just want more! That's the force of Steven Wilson, each new release written by this man is full of hits and super touching compositions and an EP that's not enough for the fans? Though even if "Nil Recurring" is composed of four tracks, this is a long release with more or less thirty minutes of music and the four songs all have the Porcupine Tree's touch! Groovy as hell (with a bass in front of all the compositions) but of course dark and also atmospheric, this EP is composed of all what we want to hear when we listen to Porcupine Tree. This is complex and deep with great lyrics, as always, and one more time the last compositions of Steven Wilson are long with a lot of different passages, acoustic (the end of "Normal" is just wonderful), heavy, melancholic but still really catchy. Steven Wilson is a great compositor, he just knows how to write complex dark songs which are in the end superb and that you'll sing for ever in your head.

This EP is a super piece of work. Sure the songs are good but the booklet and its artwork is fantastic and I love the classy crystal boxes that Peaceville uses to release all their new albums. With a wonderful production (yes, don't forget that Steven Wilson is also one of the best Metal producers nowadays) with great ambiances and with a perfect interpretation of all the song, this EP is more than an EP? I mean that even if we only have four songs, and despite the fact that "Normal" uses the choruses of "Sentimental" (featured on "Fear Of A Blank Planet"), we can talk about a real new release here. This is not some kind of promotional album with only average unreleased songs?

If you like Porcupine Tree and its last album, "Nil Recurring" is a must. Touching and beautiful, this release is one more time a proof of the really high quality of the British combo. I don't know what to add now actually, I just hope that you'll find the way to listen to the whole discography of the band and that you'll see them live as soon as possible. Porcupine Tree is a major Rock/Metal band, a must for all the fans of Progressive and Dark music.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 8
Production: 10

Written by Jeff | 28.02.2008




Comments

Comments: 8   Visited by: 268 users
28.02.2008 - 21:45
Damnated
Churchburner
Normal has the chorus of Sentimental because they decided in the last minute to use Sentimental on the album. these tracks were recorded the same time the album was.

this is better than the album in some way: i wasn't to fond of the first two tracks on the full-length, whereas everything is just brilliant here.

anyways, good review.

ps: this was released in the september of last year.
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Blessed is he that murders Christ in himself and in his fellow men.



Written by TheBigRossowski on 10.02.2009 at 16:01

if my wife and I can't conceive, I want a medical shipment of your sperm so our baby will be just like you.

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29.02.2008 - 00:45
Rating: 8
Spyroid
Rosetta Stoned
There's actually a lot of stuff from this album that is used on FOABP because they were written and recorded more or less at the same time. So Nil Recurring is like the leftovers from FOABP.
Never the less, this is an absolutely amazing release. I guess Porcupine Tree will keep being my absolute favourite band for a long time if they keep on this road. And the acoustic part of Normal is Awesome with a huge A!! good review!
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29.02.2008 - 10:19
Rating: 9
BloodTears
ANA-thema
Elite
This is a good review. I am curious about Nil Recurring, I dont know if i'll buy it though, at least for now. But ill get my hands on it sooner or later. Coming from them, I'm sure its all it has to be.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.

My Instagram
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29.02.2008 - 23:29
Duy Hung
Account deleted
Written by BloodTears on 29.02.2008 at 10:19

This is a good review. I am curious about Nil Recurring, I dont know if i'll buy it though, at least for now. But ill get my hands on it sooner or later. Coming from them, I'm sure its all it has to be.

Surely you should buy it , and yes, the acoustic parts in Normal are awesome. Normal is my most fav in the EP, i feel a bit pity cause in the videoclip for that song they shorten it way too much
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01.03.2008 - 09:47
Rating: 9
BloodTears
ANA-thema
Elite
Written by [user id=14272] on 29.02.2008 at 23:29

Written by BloodTears on 29.02.2008 at 10:19

This is a good review. I am curious about Nil Recurring, I dont know if i'll buy it though, at least for now. But ill get my hands on it sooner or later. Coming from them, I'm sure its all it has to be.

Surely you should buy it , and yes, the acoustic parts in Normal are awesome. Normal is my most fav in the EP, i feel a bit pity cause in the videoclip for that song they shorten it way too much

Do you have it? Lucky. Do you think I will like it? I mean, I don't usually buy EPs that basically the reason. I think it is too expensive for "just" 4 songs.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.

My Instagram
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01.03.2008 - 16:34
Duy Hung
Account deleted
Written by BloodTears on 01.03.2008 at 09:47

Written by [user id=14272] on 29.02.2008 at 23:29

Written by BloodTears on 29.02.2008 at 10:19

This is a good review. I am curious about Nil Recurring, I dont know if i'll buy it though, at least for now. But ill get my hands on it sooner or later. Coming from them, I'm sure its all it has to be.

Surely you should buy it , and yes, the acoustic parts in Normal are awesome. Normal is my most fav in the EP, i feel a bit pity cause in the videoclip for that song they shorten it way too much

Do you have it? Lucky. Do you think I will like it? I mean, I don't usually buy EPs that basically the reason. I think it is too expensive for "just" 4 songs.

i haven't had the real one, only downloaded it, i'm in a lack of money at the moment , but i think it's more than an ordinary EP, the quality of the songs is excellent as usual and the length definitely doesn't matter, at least to me So yes, i think you will like it
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02.08.2010 - 19:06
Rating: 9
BloodTears
ANA-thema
Elite
Nil Recurring grew exponentially on me. I'm even considering buying the original EP, which is not very usual because I buy mostly LPs.

But the quality of the songs stand out and its really impressive work from these guys, again. I get it now why they were so upset that this EP didnt sell very well. But I dont think it was because the people didnt enjoy the songs, more because people dont really buy a lot of CDs, let alone EPs.

Maybe its wrong to assume that these Eps are more of a group effort unlike full-albums that seem to be more of a Wilson child with final touches from the other guys, but if that's how it goes, bring it on with more EPs because this is good stuff.

Personally, I think "What happens now" is one of the best things they ever wrote. Stellar.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.

My Instagram
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25.09.2018 - 02:49
Rating: 9
MetalManic
I miss Jeff
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