I think I still prefer their older work more, even though I do like their more rock-oriented newer work. Like Deadwing. There are some very nice songs on that one.
But if I had to choose between In Absentia and Deadwing, I'd choose In Absentia. It all feels much more consistent, complete and more original to me.
But the one that I like the most is The Sky Moves Sideways, there is not a single part of that album that bothers me.
It is closely followed by Up The Downstair. But the Staircase Infinities EP is also one that I really like, although it isn't an album. The EP is included on a second disc in my version of the Up The Downstair album. It is a bit underrated, imo.
Especially the song 'Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape' is a song that is among my favorite Porcupine Tree songs.
Anyone else who also loves that song?

To me, it's just a shame that Steven doesn't know what to do with Porcupine Tree right now. He said in an interview, I think last month, that he doesn't know what will be of PT. Why did he lose interest all of a sudden? It's scary.

Written by BloodTears on 29.07.2012 at 20:27

To me, it's just a shame that Steven doesn't know what to do with Porcupine Tree right now. He said in an interview, I think last month, that he doesn't know what will be of PT. Why did he lose interest all of a sudden? It's scary.

Can't you tell? He is obsessed with his solo project. He released an album last year and he is already going to release a DVD of the last tour and a new album almost simultaneously. And he also found stable members to make it an actual band, so I think you could say he is overexcited with his new toy.
Once he grows tired of it, he may remember he has this old toy that a lot of people is expecting him to revisit again...

Quote:

Can't you tell? He is obsessed with his solo project. He released an album last year and he is already going to release a DVD of the last tour and a new album almost simultaneously. And he also found stable members to make it an actual band, so I think you could say he is overexcited with his new toy.
Once he grows tired of it, he may remember he has this old toy that a lot of people is expecting him to revisit again...

Well, of course he is thinking about himself, I just think that it would be unfair to lay Porcupine Tree to rest to pursue a solo career that would never happen if PT didn't exist. I'm also being selfish because I want more PT

Porcupine Tree have a great sound, debatable of how 'metal' they are though.

Written by Altberg616 on 09.08.2012 at 18:01

Porcupine Tree have a great sound, debatable of how 'metal' they are though.

Listen to Fear Of A Blank Planet and everything after and that should ease your debate.

Written by Guest on 11.08.2012 at 03:24

Listen to Fear Of A Blank Planet and everything after and that should ease your debate.

Nah, I agree with him, this band fits better in a prog rock tag. Metal is just an influence and that record is where it's most present, but it was tuned down again for The Indicent.

Having some heavy riffs and dark melodies isn't sufficient to make a band metal, I agree, they're rock. Metalstorm is awesome for having profiles of bands like Porcupine Tree and Rush who only step ever so slightly into the world of metal at times. They appeal to a lot of metalheads, that's for sure. Now that I think about it I never questioned whether or not Porcupine Tree should have been in the prog metal section. It just fits, even though they're rock. Maybe it's more of a cultural thing than a musical thing. It's like with Rush, when I went to see them there were tons of people in metal band shirts. Metal fans, except for the ones who never listen to anything except for extreme metal, tend to embrace some non-metal bands that can get heavy at times. A rock band that is just as appealing to a lot of people who listen to mostly metal is a rarity.

I think how they've been labelled on here is fair, with their transition to progressive metal with the release of Deadwing. There is a significant metal element there but still, PT are one of those nice borderline cases, which can appeal to fans of both genres, prog rock and metal. Progressive rock is what they truly are.

Written by BloodTears on 29.07.2012 at 20:27

To me, it's just a shame that Steven doesn't know what to do with Porcupine Tree right now. He said in an interview, I think last month, that he doesn't know what will be of PT. Why did he lose interest all of a sudden? It's scary.

That is a scary thought indeed. Maybe he thinks the band has run its course? I still think the band has a few more tricks up their sleeve, maybe they just don't know it yet. If Porcupine Tree ever breaks up, I hope Steven is able to release more of his solo albums at the very least.

An awesome read, just like anything with Steven Wilson: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=42991&page=1. This interview/article, besides other great information, will answer your questions about why Steven is not doing anything PT at the moment...

Written by K✞ulu on 10.10.2012 at 18:41

Steven is not doing anything PT at the moment...

Does it say when he will?

Written by tea[m]ster on 10.10.2012 at 20:25

Written by K✞ulu on 10.10.2012 at 18:41

Steven is not doing anything PT at the moment...

Does it say when he will?

No, he simply does not feel he can do anything good with PT at the moment...

I Think Steven is no more interested/inspired in writing songs in the style of PT...The Incident was a let down to me...not that inspired record.

Bump. Anyone familiar with Steven Wilson's solo stuff? Including his new album that was released recently (The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)). I liked "Drive Home" but I've been on a Steven Wilson drought ever since The Incident. I don't know where to start with his three solo albums. I will say that I am at least intrigued with this release. "The Holy Drinker" I heard as background to television but it seemed appealing. My only queries are whether I should start with The Raven or one of the other earlier two, and what characteristics create contrast between the three albums. AND what similarites, if any, there are to Porcupine Tree in his solo stuff. Thanks to anyone that is willing to share their knowledge.

Written by Nosurper on 06.03.2013 at 03:15

Bump. Anyone familiar with Steven Wilson's solo stuff? Including his new album that was released recently (The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)). I liked "Drive Home" but I've been on a Steven Wilson drought ever since The Incident. I don't know where to start with his three solo albums. I will say that I am at least intrigued with this release. "The Holy Drinker" I heard as background to television but it seemed appealing. My only queries are whether I should start with The Raven or one of the other earlier two, and what characteristics create contrast between the three albums. AND what similarites, if any, there are to Porcupine Tree in his solo stuff. Thanks to anyone that is willing to share their knowledge.

I love his solo material, even though I've only heard 2 out of 3 of his albums (the latest 2). I need to go back and listen to his first one. I guess The Raven is definitely not a bad start, I personally heard a little bit of Grace for Drowning first, but that's just me. The Raven is definitely much more proggy than his previous two albums, which sound a bit more similar to the PT sound. I'm actually taking my girlfriend to see them live on May 10 in LA.

Written by Guest on 11.08.2012 at 03:24

Written by Altberg616 on 09.08.2012 at 18:01

Porcupine Tree have a great sound, debatable of how 'metal' they are though.

Listen to Fear Of A Blank Planet and everything after and that should ease your debate.

"Fear of a Blank Planet and everything after..."
You mean Fear of a Blank Planet and The Incident? There's only one album in that "everything after" you're talking about...

Anyway, I don't really think they're all that metal either, though you can hear some metal elements on a few In Absentia tracks, plenty of metal sounds on Fear of a Blank Planet, and a bit more metallic sounds on The Incident.

Whether or not Porcupine Tree is metal, I'm still glad they're on Metal Storm. As I think someone else has said, the real reason that they're on Metal Storm is not necessarily because they're metal, but because there's not many other rock bands that are so readily liked by so many metalheads.

Written by Nosurper on 06.03.2013 at 03:15

Bump. Anyone familiar with Steven Wilson's solo stuff? Including his new album that was released recently (The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)). I liked "Drive Home" but I've been on a Steven Wilson drought ever since The Incident. I don't know where to start with his three solo albums. I will say that I am at least intrigued with this release. "The Holy Drinker" I heard as background to television but it seemed appealing. My only queries are whether I should start with The Raven or one of the other earlier two, and what characteristics create contrast between the three albums. AND what similarites, if any, there are to Porcupine Tree in his solo stuff. Thanks to anyone that is willing to share their knowledge.

All 3 of his albums have their own identity and I think they're all exceptional albums that are on par with PT's best. The Raven might be the easiest to jump into as it's only 6 songs and less than an hour play time. I personally prefer Grace for Drowning but some people may find it to drag. (It's an hour and twenty-three minutes long) Insurgentes is also good. A good way to get into his solo work would be to watch the new dvd "Get all you deserve." He plays all his best songs and the quality is really good.

As for whether or not Steven will come back to PT, I think he will but we need to give him time. As you can tell in interviews, he's happy with his solo work and just not feeling PT right now. We don't want to rush him and have him make a more uninspired album than The Incident. (Which I liked btw)

I am having serious trouble getting into this band. I have listened to all of their most acclaimed albums repeatedly, but I just don't get it. Am I missing something, PT fans? What's so great about Porcupine Tree (apart from the name)? What am I missing? What should I even be looking for? I want to like this band, they are obviously skillful musicians, who deserve my attention, but at the moment I just don't see how anything they have done is top 50 of all time material.

Well, theres no magic answer there bud, if you dont like it, thats it...you dont like it. You cant force yourself to find an angle that will make you like this since, again, we are navigating in "personal taste" waters.

But what is so great about PT? Well, to begin with, they're one of the most important Progressive Acts to emerge from the 90's that ended up shaping a lot of what we today describe as Modern Progressive Metal. The level of musicianship is, at worst, really tight and at best, Insanelly Good (Specially after Gavin came on board).

But the number one reason why PT is so great has to be Steven Wilson. He is one of the most respected Workaholics in music nowadays and between the participations with Opeth, his work as a producer and sound engineer and his own Solo Carreer, he certainly deserved that title. Theres a reason why he is probably on the top of the Progressive World and your reason to dislike PT may very well come to that, your mind being opened to Progressive Music.

Okay, as a little bit peeve of mine, it's annoying me that people are saying PT is rock, not metal, because if you're going to say metal isn't rock, than prog isn't rock either. They are clearly a prog band, more progressive rock than progressive metal, but clearly based in prog, not general rock. Anyway, I agree Lazarus is really good, one of my favorite songs ever.

I don't think their songs are cohesive enough to gain the popularity needed to become a Rush or Dream Theater of the genre. They have really good music for the most part, but I found myself only gravitating towards "Fear Of A Blank Planet".

Written by Jordan_Heliosaga on 29.09.2014 at 03:18

I don't think their songs are cohesive enough to gain the popularity needed to become a Rush or Dream Theater of the genre. They have really good music for the most part, but I found myself only gravitating towards "Fear Of A Blank Planet".

They were exactly that, the Rush of the 2000's when It came to Progressive Music.

Written by raveneffect on 19.06.2014 at 16:21

Well, theres no magic answer there bud, if you dont like it, thats it...you dont like it. You cant force yourself to find an angle that will make you like this since, again, we are navigating in "personal taste" waters.

But what is so great about PT? Well, to begin with, they're one of the most important Progressive Acts to emerge from the 90's that ended up shaping a lot of what we today describe as Modern Progressive Metal. The level of musicianship is, at worst, really tight and at best, Insanelly Good (Specially after Gavin came on board).

But the number one reason why PT is so great has to be Steven Wilson. He is one of the most respected Workaholics in music nowadays and between the participations with Opeth, his work as a producer and sound engineer and his own Solo Carreer, he certainly deserved that title. Theres a reason why he is probably on the top of the Progressive World and your reason to dislike PT may very well come to that, your mind being opened to Progressive Music.

I wish to thank You for your reply. The fact that I got such a nice reply, convinced me (among other things) that PT deserved my full attention. I did my best, listened to a ton of their stuff and also to Steven Wilson's solo albums and I... I got into them! It happened, their music "clicked" and I fell in love. Thanks for replying and long live SW and Co!!!

So I just picked up In Absentia at a local record store. I've always been a big Opeth fan and I knew of Steve Wilson and his various work on their albums, so I figured I'd try out Porcupine Tree. It's definitely pretty awesome stuff, and up there with my favorite progressive albums. Can anyone tell me what would be a good album to check out next? I'm gravitating toward Fear of a Blank Planet based on the love this site has given it.

Written by Necrodamus on 04.01.2015 at 12:08

So I just picked up In Absentia at a local record store. I've always been a big Opeth fan and I knew of Steve Wilson and his various work on their albums, so I figured I'd try out Porcupine Tree. It's definitely pretty awesome stuff, and up there with my favorite progressive albums. Can anyone tell me what would be a good album to check out next? I'm gravitating toward Fear of a Blank Planet based on the love this site has given it.

Their sound gets heavier and the songwriting less effective from In Absentia on. In my opinion, Fear of a Blank Planet is soulless garbage. I would say Lightbulb Sun and Stupid Dream are closest to In Absentia in style, and way superior to the later albums. In Absentia, though, hit a middle ground between the noisier rock of Deadwing and FoaBP, and the softer prog of their previous albums.

But yeah, definitely Lightbulb Sun next.

I don't know, if he comes to PT from the Opeth angle, I would recommend Deadwing next.

Written by Necrodamus on 04.01.2015 at 12:08

So I just picked up In Absentia at a local record store. I've always been a big Opeth fan and I knew of Steve Wilson and his various work on their albums, so I figured I'd try out Porcupine Tree. It's definitely pretty awesome stuff, and up there with my favorite progressive albums. Can anyone tell me what would be a good album to check out next? I'm gravitating toward Fear of a Blank Planet based on the love this site has given it.

If you liked In Absentia, you should definitely try Deadwing, which is similar in its style. You'll probably like that and then you will probably love Fear Of A Blank Planet which is heavier and probably their heaviest album. That seems to be a popular album because it made a lot of metallers discover PT, at least the people I talked to had that experience. And then they found out about the rest, which is even better although it doesn't actually get much better than In Absentia for me

I actually picked up Fear of a Blank Planet. It's quite a listen, I'll give it that. Still need to give it a few more listens before I decide if it's better than In Absentia which I think is a near perfect album. I think Deadwing is where I'll go next.

Written by Necrodamus on 10.01.2015 at 10:42

I actually picked up Fear of a Blank Planet. It's quite a listen, I'll give it that. Still need to give it a few more listens before I decide if it's better than In Absentia which I think is a near perfect album. I think Deadwing is where I'll go next.

In Absentia, Deadwing, and Fear of the Blank Planet saw Porcupine Tree perfecting their brand of riffy, beautiful, yet convoluted and heavy prog, with the FOTBP being the pinnacle of this ascent. I encourage you explore both this album and Deadwing, and they will give you many memorable listens.