Porcupine Tree

Big in the UK, these guys have been around since 1987, but I wasn't aware of them until maybe 2005 or so. Although I'm not very experienced in their older stuff, I really find a breath of fresh air in some of their newer things. Some songs are a little too Christian Progressive Rock/Metal for me, but I can really hear a lot of good musicianship in others. Somewhat resembling Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree has commendable drumming, as well as a great guitar and bass. Although the lyrics are a littleee corny sometimes, the voice is good and he keyboards and other synths are supreme. Influences from Pink Floyd, D.T. (as I mentioned)and Sigur Ros blend with kind of a "no decade and every decade" sound to create the progressive experimental style.
Whenever I listen to Porcupine Tree I get a rush of nostalgia of summer nights with friends, so I think that is a large component of why I keep them hanging around on my ipod, but they do have a different feel. It's something I kind of used to laugh at, the dramatic metal parts, but I've actually come to really appreciate it! I can hear a lot going on, and really...as lame as it is, a lot of these songs are kind of beautiful. I like them because it's a step out of what I was used to. I only have various songs, not any entire albums, but from what I've heard In Absentia and Deadwing are both good'ns. My favorite song is probably "Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled".

I tried to somehow embed a song on here for you to listen to, but nothing seems to work so the best I can do is give you a link...

Listen to "Arriving Somewhere" HERE