In 2012, one of the most hotly anticipated collaboration projects in the progressive sphere came to fruition (no, I am not talking about Squackett). Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt had been working together for a decade and Opeth had plunged headfirst into ‘true prog’ the previous year with Heritage, so it’s no surprise that fans were clamouring to hear what the two legendary frontmen created together.
I was there too, live on the scene, hoping to be one of the first to witness an all-out prog fest. What I discovered instead was surprising, unexpected, perplexing and ultimately just a little disappointing. I gave the album a respectable 7.5/10 (lower than all my peers, as usual), and proceeded to simply never listen to it again.
All these years later, a reissue was announced (I still wonder if it’s strictly necessary to reissue albums so soon after they’re released) and, as I was already reviewing Opeth’s The Last Will and Testament, I decided it was high time I gave Storm Corrosion a reappraisal.
Sometimes, you will come back to a piece of art that you previously didn’t care for and find that you suddenly love it, or at least that your opinion has shifted vastly over time. This is not one of those times; in fact I agree wholeheartedly with my dozen-years-younger self, although I feel he was, if anything, too forgiving of how frustrating listening to this record can be.
I’m not sure if our reader demographic would be familiar with the term “blue balling”, but Messrs Wilson and Åkerfeldt sure love to bait their audience into expecting a thrashy prog-metal sesh (which would be commonplace on their solo or band albums) but then never actually delivering. Wilson, in particular, is known for contrasting quiet sections with loud, dynamic parts (just think of the intro to Raider II); Opeth does the same thing as well. I think it’s safe to say fans were expecting some of those signature prog workouts from these two.
And yet, on nearly every song, the musicians build on a quiet theme, swell to the point where you expect the song to burst, then gently deflate again. Take the ten-minute opener Drag Ropes – of which you can now hear the live and demo versions on this reissue. A solid four minutes is devoted to collecting decent themes and putting them together, slowly building the dynamics. At the half-way mark, a more rhythmic section begins with Wilson repeating the mantra “And the truth can now be told on manifold”, while Gavin Harrison taps away furiously at the hi-hat. It all seems to signal the beginning of something larger, but the atmosphere is simply left to evaporate a minute or two later.
In order to get ahead of these complaints, Wilson has said that he did not want to create a prog-metal supergroup with Åkerfeldt and instead create a more experimental album that would certainly be different to what fans would expect. That’s all well and dandy, but then why did they have to write music that sounds so much like what they normally write, except with the prog-metal workouts excised? Why write music that would be so much more satisfying with those bits included? The only way it makes sense to me is if they were actively trying to troll their audience by blue balling them, in which case, fair play.
To me, this is not really an experimental album, more of a lobotomised Steven Wilson album. I cannot fault the music that’s present; there are great, sombre themes that are well-written and well-produced. You wouldn’t expect any less of Wilson. But you should expect more. Although the songs are pleasant to the ear, they can be excruciatingly unsatisfying and you’ll probably find yourself scrabbling for your copy of Grace for Drowning or The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) for some quick prog relief.
TRACK LISTING
01. Drag Ropes (9:52)
02. Storm Corrosion (10:09)
03. Hag (6:28)
04. Happy (4:53)
05. Lock Howl (6:09)
06. Ljudet Innan (10:19)
~ Bonus tracks
07. Drag Ropes (Demo) (9:50)
08. Hag (Demo) (8:32)
09. Drag Ropes (Live at Royal Albert Hall 2015) (10:19)
Total Time – 76:31
Note: This is the Spotify tracklisting. The CD and Vinyl editions only feature the live performance as a bonus track.
MUSICIANS
Mikael Åkerfeldt – Vocals, Guitars
Steven Wilson – Vocals, Keyboards, String Arrangements (1)
~ With:
Gavin Harrison – Drums, Percussion
Ben Castle – Woodwind
The London Session Orchestra – Orchestral Performance (1,2 & 5)
Dave Stewart – Conductor
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Kscope
Catalogue#: KSCOPE3015 (CD) | KSCOPE3016 (Blu-ray) | KSCOPE1234 (Black Vinyl) | KSCOPE1240 (Orange/Purple Vinyl)
Country of Origin: UK/Sweden
Date of Release: 27th September 2024
LINKS
Storm Corrosion – Kscope Info | Facebook | YouTube
Steven Wilson – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram
Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram