IN ABSENTIA

Believe it or not my dad told me about Porcupine Tree initially. He read a comparison to Pink Floyd in a magazine, something like "new Pink Floyd" I was just beginning to really get into Floyd at the time; I was listening to all their albums, etc. So he showed me and suggests I check them out. I remember thinking that was cool, and Porcupine Tree was an interesting, cool name, but I was skeptical. I was very anti-modern music then, I wasn't full blown into prog yet, and I really was just into classic rock, I wasn't looking to explore any new bands. Well, my next birthday, my dad got this album for me; it was probably 2003 or 2004, maybe 6 months after he had discovered them. I'm pretty sure this was the only PT album the record store carried too. I don't think I listened to it for quite a while though. But, I remember when I finally did, I was blown away, I couldn't believe a new band like this was out there, they were/are awesome. I also remember telling friends about them, but seriously getting shrugs and chuckles at just the name of the band. I did however convince one friend of mine, Justin, to check them out and I think he bought an album too. Since then I think I've introduced PT to a few more people. This was my introduction to PT, and I've been hooked ever since, acquiring almost their entire catalog. After about six years, I'll finally be seeing them live later this month in Chicago, I cannot wait.

The album is flawless, every song is great, they all fit together and flow perfectly. PT's sound changed on this album a lot, compared to their previous work. Their music got a lot harder, borderline metal at times, but not quite, which I like. I love all the songs, the entire album. I'm not going to go into details about every song, just listen. This is a five star album and a must have for any prog collection. In Absentia is also a great introduction to PT as well.