If you’re a fan of either Porcupine Tree or Opeth, you’ve known for  years of the great musical kinship between Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt. They’ve guested, produced, or mixed on each other’s band’s albums, but only now do we get the first true collaboration between them — the self-titled debut of the Storm Corrosion project.

I’ve listened to the album several times already and it’s utterly engrossing. It sounds little like Porcupine Tree or Opeth, which is a good thing. The only time you really get a sense of the other bands is in Åkerfeldt’s guitar playing, which is reminiscent of Opeth’s more mellow moments.

Anyway, one of my favorite songs on Storm Corrosion is the first one — and lead single –“Drag Ropes.” I don’t know how to describe it other than the lost soundtrack to a great Tim Burton film, or maybe the animated “The Tale of the Three Brothers” sequence from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1. It’s atmospheric, eerie, and completely mesmerizing.

Storm Corrosion is out now on Roadrunner Records. Get it!

Also, Spotify users can hear “Drag Ropes” and other songs featured in the Listening Booth by subscribing to this playlist.