Storm Corrosion is the name of
the collaboration between Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt and Porcupine
Tree's Steven Wilson. The album has been around in one stage or
another for the past few years. It even had Mike Portnoy (Dream
Theater, Avenged Sevenfold) scheduled to be behind the drum kit at
one point. With Akerfeldt apparently leaving his death metal origins
in the dust (see Opeth – Heritage for details) and Wilson
pushing further and further away from the relative structure of
Porcupine Tree (see his 2011 album Grace For Drowning), what
on earth is Storm Corrosion going to sound like?
What you have is a lovingly crafted
throwback to the early 70s. It was a time when Jethro Tull and Gentle
Giant reigned supreme. King Crimson had yet to discover new wave and
Pink Floyd weren't stuck behind The Wall yet. It is even the
correct length for a classic LP, less than 50 minutes of music , as
well as having an easy to find A-side and B-side. Sonically Storm
Corrosion is pastoral, almost to the point of being quaint, but
there is no denying the dark current that runs through it. When it
threatens to explode from beneath the surface (such as the third
quarter of the title track) it could easily consume the entire
record. It is a tribute to the duo's sense of restraint that allows
the album's dark side to show itself without dominating. None of this
is at all a surprise. These two men have a well documented history
over the past decade or so, it was Wilson who encouraged Opeth to
indulge their non-death metal elements to the fullest in the early
2000s. They are kindred musical spirits who are finally given the
opportunity to unleash a full-album collaboration.
This is primarily an album focused
around voice. There are a myriad of other instruments involved but it
is in the interplay of Wilson's and Akerfeldt's voices that the true
magic happens, overshadowing everything else. In the moments where
the instrumentation really takes off (like the brain-hammering drum
solo of “Hag”) it is of course wonderful but tends to lack the
sheer magic that the pair's singing brought to the table. Storm
Corrosion is an unabashedly traditional prog rock rock album from
two well-heeled gentlemen who have been prodding at the term 'prog'
for well over a decade (closer to two decades in the case of Steven
Wilson). Singles and Top 40 charts be damned, this album is all about
the intricate compositions and the feeling of a bygone era fully
realized in the 21st century. Storm Corrosion is
unlikely to change the world but fans of the two men involved should
find plenty to be enamored with.
Rating: A-
Recommended tracks: Drag Ropes, Hag,
Lock Howl
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