UK's Porcupine Tree are gearing up and laying down tracks for a new multi-channel release entitled "Dead Wing". It's coming at ya from Lava\Warner on March 21st. Their last album, "In Absentia", was recorded for cd and DVD-Audio by Grammy Award winning Producer Elliott Scheiner and won the "Best Mix: Non Orchestral" award at the 3rd annual Surround Music Awards ceremony. The new album will feature a guest appearance by Adrian Belew of King Crimson and David Bowie.

The final track listing for "Dead Wing" is:

1. Deadwing
2. Shallow
3. Lazarus
4. Halo
5. Arriving somewhere but not here
6. Mellotron scratch
7. Open car
8. The start of something beautiful
9. Glass arm shattering

The band will release the first single, "Shallow", to radio in mid-February. The commercially available European single will include a couple of sneaky tracks not available on the album. A special super-secret package will also come encased in a book format with expanded alternate art as well as discs of the stereo and multi-channel mixes. Fans of the band should check out www.deadwing.com ...its got some trippy graphics and audio hints concerning the new release.

For the uninitiated...Porcupine Tree is a UK progressive rock that has a sensibility towards structure and melody. Think Alice in Chains with a touch of Rush, Tool and The Mars Volta.....proternative.. Engaging to the ear and hey...your girlfriend will dig it too..

They started out as a Spinal Tap joke. Their music was never intended to be released and the band's name itself was supposed to signify some fictional unknown band that never went anywhere 'cause they were too cool for the room. As it turns out, someone in the biz got a hold of their "long lost" recording and demanded more. Skip ahead 12 albums and Porcupine Tree is still a going concern.

Check out this link to a review of Porcupine Tree's excellent DVD-Audio release, "In Absentia". It made me rush out and buy it...

Ron Wheeler

Editor www.surroundablog.com