5. Porcupine Tree- Deadwing

It's been a long way for Porcupine Tree to grow into the massive band it always was destined to be. The name dates back to the early 90s when frontman Steven Wilson cut 'n pasted his songs together, combining prog-rock elements to a slightly psychedelic work, then slowly evolving towards a band set up, making Pink Floyd-style psychedelic rock, technically perfecting their sound to one of the most artistic sound and revered progressive outfits. 2003s in Absentia showed that Wilson wanted to develop a sharper edge to the music, with this album he has delivered the metal record he always wanted to make. That doesn't directly mean that the progressive elements have been shuffled aside, they are merely been made more subordinate to heavy riffs. The title track and Shallow start out with those intentions in mind and have awesome melodies. Yet it is in the quieter passages that the full band, including keyboard player Richard Barbieri, bassist Colin Edwin and drummer Gavin Harrison show all the delicacies of the band. Lazarus and the 12 minute long Arriving Somewhere But Not Here are the best songs because of the variance in dynamics. I admire them stepping into new(er) territories but have to admit that old-style Porcupine Tree still gestates the best. There's plenty of that here still and it makes for a tremendous melodic album.