Porcupine Tree

progressive rock progressive metal progressive psychedelic rock

Porcupine Tree is a british rock band formed in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England in 1987. During the course of the band's history, it has at times incorporated psychedelic rock, alternative, ambient, electronic, and, most recently, metal and post-rock into its unique style of progressive rock.

Porcupine Tree started out as a fake band, the only real member being multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson. Wilson's first two efforts, Tarquin's Seaweed Farm (1989) and The Nostalgia Factory (1990), were both released on cassette tapes. In addition to the band's trademark psychedelic sound, the... (read more) se two tapes also contained heavy ambient and pop influences. Wilson's favorite tracks were then compiled into the CD On the Sunday of Life... (1991), while the more ambient-leaning tracks were also collected in Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape (1994). The first of these two featured many new versions of songs.

Wilson then went on to release Voyage 34 (1992) and Up the Downstair (1993), which refined the sound of the previous albums and removed the pop influences. Both of these were later re-released: the first as Voyage 34: The Complete Trip (2000), which included an extra 2 remixes (a total of four), while Up the Downstair was remastered at 2005 with real drums added in place of the drum-machine beats.

The Sky Moves Sideways (1995), often considered the band's best album by long-time fans, largely utilizes the spacey nature of previous albums. By the time of Signify (1996), Wilson now had a full band at his disposal: Chris Maitland (drums), Colin Edwin (bass), and Richard Barbieri, formerly of Japan, on keys.

The band's next two albums, Stupid Dream (1999) and Lightbulb Sun (2000), saw them take on a more alternative rock-oriented sound, while still drawing influence from as far back as Up The Downstair. During this period, the band garnered increasing recognition, both in their home country and abroad. Finally, they were signed to Lava Records (a major American record label) in time for the release of In Absentia, with Gavin Harrison replacing Chris Maitland on drums. This album shows high metal influences, due in part to Wilson's work with Opeth on their album Blackwater Park. The band continued this sound for their 2005 release, Deadwing, which has the heaviest and most noticable metal influences.

In April 2007, the band released their new album "Fear of a Blank Planet," an album clearly influenced by the post-rock genre, but also sees them expanding the metal side of their music, yet still remaining true to older facets of the band's sound.

In April, 2007, the band embarked on a six-month world tour in support of “Fear of a Blank Planet,” one that included Europe, the US, Japan, and Australia. The new album was featured, and the show featured the films and projections by the band’s long-time visualist lasse hoile.

Fear of a Blank Planet was released in April for Europe and the rest of the world on Roadrunner Records and for the US on Atlantic Records. It is already the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful album of the band's career, charting high in most countries (even giving the band their first top 40 album in their home country). Porcupine Tree spent most of 2007 on tour promoting the album, and a new EP Nil Recurring containing material left over from the album writing sessions was released on the band's own label Transmission in September.

In September 2009, Porcupine Tree released their latest record 'The Incident' on Roadrunner Records. They also started touring to promote The Incident.

Updated Nov 21 2009 9:18 PM