Steven Wilson has taken aim at the state of progressive metal, saying some bands lack originality.
And he insists there are currently too may groups representing a genre he refers to as limited.
Wilson tells Metal Wani: “I feel that progressive metal is, right now, one of the most overused musical vocabularies there is. There are too many progressive metal bands. There doesn’t seem to be a week that goes by without another 10 groups coming along.”
He states he’s a fan of the genre and namechecks Meshuggah and Opeth as two of his favourites, but adds: “Those bands have been around for a long time now and I think the problem is that there comes a point where it’s difficult to make a sound using such a limited musical vocabulary which has any degree of freshness or originality to it.
“The sound of metal music now is so familiar to everyone that I think it’s lost a lot of its power and I think that’s a reason to sometimes try other things.”
Wilson will release his “interim” album 4½ on January 22 and says he’s started to give some thought to his next full-length record.
He continues: “I’ve got vague ideas that I want to do something perhaps even more contemporary – bring in some more electronic sounds, maybe some heavy guitars – and maybe focus a lot more on melody. But those are very vague and abstract ideas right now.”
As for future material under the Porcupine Tree banner, Wilson reports: “There may come a day when we get back together and make at least one more record. I’ve never ruled that out completely.”
He’ll head out on a North American tour in March.
