In Absentia (Remastered)

Porcupine Tree

Released on 24/09/2002 by Kscope
Main artists: Porcupine Tree
Genre: Rock

Available in

24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo

Unlimited Streaming

Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps

Start my trial period and start listening to this album

Enjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription

Digital Download

Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.

Despite already existing for exactly 15 years, Porcupine Tree released its best album yet with In Absentia, or at least one of its most notable. Stepping away from their perhaps over-used psychedelic experimentation, the band decided to adopt a beefed up heavy/prog rock approach, combining influences from Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath with Queensrÿche and Dream Theater. This could have been down to the change of drummers from Chris Maitland to Gavin Harrison, but the singer and main songwriter Steven Wilson was also a catalyst for this change. This stylistic shift is explained by his newfound familiarity with the book that would go on to inspire Jonas Åkerlund’s shocking film Lords of Chaos, dedicated to the somewhat extreme Scandinavian black metal scene. His outlook after that would be forever altered, and the album cover would just have to be scary, without forgetting the three main themes: serial killers, the loss of youthful innocence, and a criticism of the modern world.

However In Absentia isn’t the soundtrack to a slasher film, but rather an album that tries to understand why certain individuals go through with the awful things they do. Lips Of Ashes tells the story of a guy madly in love with someone – but the feeling isn’t mutual – so he kills the object of his attention so that they belong to him forever, whereas The Creator Has a Mastertape is the story of a father who tortures his son and records it so he can listen on repeat… But while the album kicks off with a guitar-heavy introduction (Blackest Eyes), the rest is a lot more accessible, wavering between ballads and soaring melodies. Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Marillion and even U2 are just a few of the names that come to mind when listening. A long 68-minute album that ends with a beautiful piano-voice combination Collapse the Light Into the Earth. © Christian Eudeline/Qobuz

More info

In Absentia (Remastered)

Porcupine Tree

You are currently listening to samples.

Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.

Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.

From €13,50/month

Blackest Eyes (Remastered)