A Few Words on... Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)

With Porcupine Tree on a indefinite hiatus; all eyes are on Steven Wilson's third solo outing and whether it can top the surprisingly great double album Grace for Drowning.

The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) returns to the traditional format of a single album but the music is far more pompous and bombastic than it's predecessors. Whilst a good follow-up, at times it becomes unbearably cheesy (especially opener Luminol) and, most surprising of all; it doesn't flow as well as the previous two albums.

It has it's great moments (especially the title track, The Holy Drinker and The Watchmaker) but as a follow-up to one of the better prog-rock albums of this century; it doesn't match that level of quality.

If you're a fan of Wilson's previous two albums but always thought they needed to be drenched in woodwind and saxophone; this will probably be your favourite album of his solo catalogue, but for me; it's a very good follow-up from a man that has delivered better before.

7/10

H

@Retcon_Nation