Taking in 'Fear of a Blank Planet'

Last Thursday night, Aliza and I had the pleasure of hearing Porcupine Tree's epic new album 'Fear of a Blank Planet' (Atlantic/ April 24) in a stunning 5.1 surround mix at Legacy Studios, on NYC's famous 'Music Row'. We were joined by some of our friends from Guitar One, Metal Edge, AOL cityguide, the newly-launched Drumhead magazine, OK! Magazine and of course, Mike Mettler and Ken Richardson from Sound & Vision, seen here with Porcupine Tree mastermind Steven Wilson.

The music is brilliant. Modeled, as Steven said, on those "great old rock LPs from the 70s," it blends myriad styles, tempos, riffs, and melodies into a single 51-minute rock opus whose six tracks transition seamlessly from one to the next. Everybody in the studio gave rapt attention to the music from start to finish, and afterwards, Wilson was gracious enough to answer a few questions from the audience.

Wilson will tour with Porcupine Tree later this spring, but until then, fans can check out his shows with his other band, Blackfield, set to begin March 10 in support of their new album Blackfield II (Atlantic/We Put Out Records/ March 6)