Editing Porcupine Tree (section)

====''In Absentia''====
In February 2002, Porcupine Tree's first line-up change occurred when drummer Chris Maitland was dismissed after eight years with the band. The band welcomed drummer and longtime acquaintance Gavin Harrison as his replacement. In March 2002, a [[box set]] of the band's early work was released, ''[[Stars Die: The Delerium Years 1991–1997]]'', and the band commenced recording their first major label album, drawing from a pool of thirty new songs written by Wilson in the previous two years. Recording sessions took place at [[Avatar Studios]] in New York<ref name="Free Williamsburg">{{cite web|url=http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/september_2002/porcupine.html|title=Porcupine Tree interview|date=September 2002|publisher=Free Williamsburg|first=Alexander|last=Laurence|access-date=13 April 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504013339/http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/september_2002/porcupine.html|archive-date=4 May 2008}}</ref> and London, with veteran audio engineer [[Paul Northfield]] and string arranger Dave Gregory also playing major roles in the making of the record. The album was mixed in Los Angeles in May with [[Tim Palmer (record producer)|Tim Palmer]].

The resulting album, ''[[In Absentia]]'', was released by [[Lava Records]] in September 2002. The band also released a [[Surround sound|5.1 surround-sound]] version of the album, mixed by [[Grammy Award]]-winning producer [[Elliot Scheiner]]. The surround-sound version of the album won the award for best 5.1 mix at the 2004 Surround Sound Music awards in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highfidelityreview.com/news/news.asp?newsnumber=10783423 |title=2004 Surround Music Award Winners and Exclusive Report |access-date=5 September 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050315232926/http://www.highfidelityreview.com/news/news.asp?newsnumber=10783423 |archive-date=15 March 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Porcupine Tree @ Poznan, Poland 2007 10 - John Wesley.jpg|left|thumb|231x231px|Touring guitarist and backing vocalist John Wesley performing with the band in Poland, 2007]]
To promote the album, the band undertook four tours of Europe and North America, including one with acclaimed Swedish [[heavy metal music|metal]] band [[Opeth]]. On tour, the new line-up of the band was further augmented by additional touring vocalist/guitarist [[John Wesley (guitarist)|John Wesley]]. During these tours, the visual element of the band's performance was taken to new heights with the involvement of filmmaker and photographer [[Lasse Hoile]], who had created the cover art for ''In Absentia'' and now went on to create a dark and [[Surrealism|surreal]] visual to Porcupine Tree's music. The long promotional campaign for ''In Absentia'' ended on 30 November 2003, as the band played a homecoming show to a sold-out [[London Astoria]].<ref name="Porcupine Tree Gig"/>

{{listen
 | filename     = Porcupine Tree-Blackest Eyes.ogg
 | title        = "Blackest Eyes"
 | description  = from ''In Absentia''. Again, the style of the band changed notably, besides guitars were tuned down. The song features a heavy riff, acoustic passages, and a catchy, flown chorus.
 | format       = ogg
 | filename2    = Porcupine Tree-Lazarus.ogg
 | title2       = "Lazarus"
 | description2 = from ''Deadwing'', is a ballad that was chosen for the European single. It features some voice harmonies by [[Mikael Åkerfeldt]] from [[Opeth]]. The whole song develops over a minimalist piano melody.
 | format2      = ogg
}}

During 2003, Porcupine Tree set up their own label, Transmission, with an online store hosted by Burning Shed record label. The first release on the Transmission label was a studio session recorded for [[XM Satellite Radio|XM Radio]] in Washington, DC, followed in 2004 by a recording from Polish radio in 2001. The band used the label to issue supplemental content, such as EPs, demos, and live recordings. Additionally, a reissue/remaster campaign also began in 2003, with many of the early albums expanded to double CDs. These reissues included re-recorded/remixed double-CD versions of the ''Up the Downstair'', ''The Sky Moves Sideways'', and ''Signify'' albums, and the reissue of ''Stupid Dream'' and ''Lightbulb Sun'', both consisting of a CD with a new stereo mix of the album plus a [[DVD-Audio]] with a 5.1 surround mix.