In Absentia
by Porcupine Tree

It’s hard for me to land on this album. It really feels like it could go either way. At times, I find it genuinely strong, solid, and thoughtfully put together. Other times, it feels borderline cheesy and very predictable. Somehow, it manages to be both at once.

Everything is well done. Well played, well written, well produced. But at the same time, nothing here feels truly new. You can clearly hear specific influences on certain tracks: The Police, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, U2. The production is very efficient and polished, but it occasionally slips into something a bit too slick or corny. Then a few minutes later, that feeling fades and I catch myself thinking it actually sounds really good.

The lyrics follow the same pattern. Sometimes they are genuinely interesting, sometimes they feel awkward or a bit uncomfortable in a bad way. In the end, it becomes an album that works best when you don’t pay too much attention to the words.

The final track sums up the album’s internal contradiction perfectly. It starts strong and hits with real emotional weight, but as it goes on, it gradually starts to feel cheesy. By the end, you are no longer sure if you actually like it, if it is cheesy, or if it is original at all. Everything stays slightly unresolved.

Still, it’s an easy listen overall, and I’m curious to hear their other albums to better understand what this band is really about.

From VictorVale 03/23/2023 23:42 | #295357

Insano! Puta rock!

Such a masterpiece!

This album is packed full of energy and passion and it is so good at hyping me up and lifting my spirits. It is progressive and builds fantastic tension before culminating in some epic climaxes that really stick with you and make you look back on the music fondly. This is best evidenced on tracks 1,2,4 and 10 all of which are my favourites due to their infectious riffs and great choruses. Instrumentally, the album is wonderful as well with the guitar, played by Steven Wilson, being a high point and really commanding the album throughout. While the rest of the instrumentation is very good and essential to the atmosphere it is the guitar that elevates it to new heights. However, the record isn't flawless and does struggle with pacing and it can feel slow at times. It is far to long as well and could do with some trimming around the edges as there are definitely some unnecessary moments. A few tracks feel a bit weaker compared to the rest and don't build up as much tension. Overall, a fantastic early record for this group that is a demonstration of the brilliance that is to come in the future.

Incredible album. Porcupine Tree are surprisingly not that well known, but people who have listened to their work rate them very highly. One of my favourite bands and if you are in to alternative rock/prog like Pink Floyd and Radiohead I strongly recommend giving these guys a go. This is a very diverse album. You've got the calm of .3, Heartattack In A Lay-By and Collapse The Light Into Earth - and the heavy rock of The Creator Has A Mastertape and the very dark Bundy-inspired Blackest Eyes.

My highlights on this album are The Sound of Muzak (one of my favourite songs ever), The Creator Has A Mastertape and the beautiful Trains.

From rockbluesfolkjaz 11/20/2021 19:14 | #276478

It's not their best album by any means, but it's up there in excellence and melody. Love it, especially "Trains," "Blackest Eye," and "Prodigal."

I think this has to be my favourite Porcupine Tree album. I do love Voyage 34 which is a very different experience (particularly after a few beers) but this tops it! The opening riff on track 1 is a stonker! 'Trains' is a class track. 'Heartattack in a Layby' is ethereal. 'Strip the Soul' complex.

From jeremy9 10/23/2019 07:08 | #244027

One of my favourite progressive album in XXI century

Very happy to have personally discovered this band/Steven Wilson just fairly recently thanks to this website. Not very happy that it took this long and I'm quite disappointed that no one had turned me on to them before.

From Brad1770 05/02/2018 12:20 | #214022

Try as I might I just couldn't get into 2000's 'Lightbulb Sun' bar 1 or 2 tracks . Unperturbed I've had a crack at 2002's 'In Absentia' and I'm pleased to report I enjoyed this quite a bit even if it did sadly remind me of Dream Theatre in parts

I definitely appreciated the more uptempo moments in "Trains" , "Wedding Nails" , "The Creator Has a Mastertape" and "Strip The Soul". Having said that slow piano closer "Collapse The Light Into Earth" is just about the album highlight ending things on an absolute high

Unfortunately its far from a perfect album with Prog Tracks "Lips Of Ashes" , "Gravity Eyelids" and "Prodigal" lacking punch and could easily have been left off

Neo-Prog at its finest

65 Out Of 100