The Harmony Codex

Yes, I know, I’ve been living under a rock and I’ve only just recently discovered Steven Wilson.After upgrading my home cinema equipment from 7.1 to a 7.1.4 surround sound system I was looking for movies and shows that would best demonstrate and take advantage added height channels. I was pointed in the direction of ‘The Harmony Codex’ bluray and told it was an audiophile grade Dolby Atmos experience.“We shall see”, I thought. And see I did… well, hear.The Atmos mix of this album is far and away the best musical experience I’ve ever heard in my living room. Every channel has something to do, every instrument is clearly distinguishable, nothing is lost or buried in a wall of sound. Riffs, synth and effects pan across the room front to back, side to side and floor to ceiling.Whilst every track is unique and makes full use of all 11 of the speakers (and the sub) one of the best examples is Staircase, there’s so much happening all around the room, but towards the end of the track when the woman starts describing looking down over London, her voice booms from the ceiling speakers like the voice of a goddess in the heavens looking over all that is beneath. Other standout tracks for me are Impossible Tightrope and the title track The Harmony Codex, but to be honest there is so much variety on this album every track is gold in its own way.I’m sure my neighbour hates me as she’s heard nothing but this album for the past week, it’s incredible. I’ve given the 96khz PCM Stereo and 5.1 DTS Master Audio mixes a blast too, and whilst they both sound great, they just don’t compare to the phenomenal sonic experience of being immersed inside the Atmos mix. If this is the future of music, I’m in.It’s just a shame the onscreen artwork is static during the music, it would have been cool to have a little movement in it (so I don’t burn the images into my TV when I listen to the same track 3 times in a row; some of these tracks are ten minutes long). At least each track has a unique image unlike Pink Floyd’s 50th Anniversary Dark Side of the Moon bluray (also a fantastic Atmos mix) which has nothing but the iconic artwork on screen for the entire duration of the album. I get that these discs are about the audio and not visuals, but some fancy OLED TV’s may fall victim to image retention and/or screen burn so maybe dim the image or turn the screen off.Anyway, I asked for an audio experience that would cater to and show off the full potential of Atmos audio, and this bluray album certainly delivered it. If you have a 5.1 or higher surround system, do it and you ears a favour and run this album through it. Right, I’m off to explore some more Steven Wilson albums the old fashioned way (CD).

Outstanding album again. With a hint of Backfield ? If you don't know of this guy you are missing out.

I have made the mistake of predicting Steven cannot better such tracks as Refuge and Pariah, but he always does it. From the almost tear-inducing beauty of the title track, to Rock Bottom, you have the most ethereal beauty known to man, in my eyes. "Actual Brutal Facts" immediately blew me away. As a huge fan of Gothic music, this went directly to the core of everything I love about the genre. In there amongst the best Type O Negative ever created. The album starts with a couple of Steven Wilson of old, but, again, beautifully crafted. However it is when he leaves his signature sound that he really shines. Absolutely stunning guitarwork, Bass I have never heard the likes of before ("Staircase") and the tightest band I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. His talent is seemingly boundless. What an incredibkle artist he is. And what great company he keeps in Nina and the most gifted musician I have ever known, Nick Beggs. Sublime. Peerless. Coldplay seems to rate themselves alongside this band. Naaaah. Not in a million mate!

I probably bought Wilson's best album first, when I got The Raven, which is full of swelling blooms of proggy orchestral melodies. This one will take me a few listens to get used to, its different, although I am told all Wilson's albums are different in style and composition. This one does grow on you, but the melodies are far and few between. There's more than a hint of King Crimson 'Frippery' here.

I love Wilson/Porcupine Tree. The music and the sonics are truly amazing.This album moves things up a notch.I did wonder if the audiophile quality made me like it irrationally........ no.... it's musically superb too.Buy it without hesitation!!

After the first listen through, I think that it is as good, if not better, that previous - Love it.

Excellent

This is a good album, not great but quite good, Wilson has covered most of his back catalogue here from prog to electronic to pop, it needs a good listen or two to appreciate it, but once you get there it's worth it. I have also bought this on vinyl which sounds far better than the cd, but that might just be me. If your a Steven Wilson fan then buy this, if your not a fan then still buy this because its 100% better than most of the dross released today.

Only contains the bluray. Not all the extra special edition crap that most bands include to get access to their bluray 5.1 or Atmos mix of the album. I don't need or want any of that extra crap. This is what I want. Cost effective and pretty much exactly what I wanted. The only thing I'd request is that it also have a CD layer for use in my car CD player, so I don't also have to buy the cd. Not sure if this is even possible, but I've heard of things like that. Not a major desire for that addition; I'll still buy just this every time, but wouldn't hurt.

Si xcelente

Super ! C’est Steven Wilson

Excellent album, bon prix pour le blu ray... mais pourquoi Amazon me demande d'exprimer mon avis? Le dernier avis négatif que j'ai envoyé (le disque était abimé parce que trop légèrement emballé) n'a jamais été publié, alors que je l'ai envoyé 2x!

Mr Wilson har gjort en bra skiva. Både hårt och mjukt. Man hinner aldrig tröttna. Variationen på musiken gör att du vill spela den igen.