Released: 2013

Genres: Progressive Rock, Symphonic Prog

The Musiquarium’s The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) Review Score: 9 out of 10

Steven Wilson has never been one to shy away from wearing his influences on his sleeve. Early Porcupine albums sounded a lot like the spacier side of Pink Floyd, albeit with some elements of the then zeitgeist, but you could tell they were his guiding light. In contrast, this album truly feels like a long lost great prog album of the early seventies, with better production, while also avoiding the worst excesses of that period.

The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) embraces the best of bands like King Crimson more than Pink Floyd, right down to its album cover, which draws parallels with In the Court of the Crimson King, along with its jazz fusion influence. Luminol and The Holy Drinker are two of Wilson’s heaviest and most intense solo songs, with twisting time signatures and tempo changes. The rest of the songs (Drive Home, The Pin Drop, The Watchmaker and the title track) fall more into ballad territory, but like classic prog ballads, such as King Crimson’s Epitaph, they are still captivating, and not cheesy or melodramatic.

The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) is the most definitive Steven Wilson solo album yet, and the closest one to rivalling any of Porcupine Tree’s greatest albums.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Steven Wilson on Discogs.

Back to the 2013 Album Guide or the Steven Wilson Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard