Some of the inherent musical background of Porcupine Tree goes back to Wilson's childhood, when his parents gave Christmas presents to each other.
His father received Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon whilst his mother got Donna Summer's Love to Love You Baby, both of which Wilson listened to heavily.
These albums influenced his further songwriting.
Other known influences are Camel, Karlheinz Stockhausen and ABBA.

Later in his teens, Wilson briefly became a fan of the new wave of British heavy metal, but as soon as he discovered 1970s music and progressive rock, his interest in metal diminished in favour of experimental music.
He later (in the 2000s) discovered bands in the likes of Gojira, Sunn O))), Neurosis, and Meshuggah, which restored his faith in metal music. "
For a long time, I couldn't find where all these creative musicians were going...", said Wilson, "and I found them, they were working in extreme metal."
Shortly thereafter, he went on to produce three consecutive albums by Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth, which had a considerable influence in his further songwriting.

Also, some influence from krautrock and electronic music is noticeable, since Wilson likes bands such as Can, Neu!,
Tangerine Dream, Squarepusher, and Aphex Twin and artists such as Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler among others.
Wilson has also mentioned on multiple occasions that he also admires the work of American musician Trent Reznor, the sole official member of Nine Inch Nails.
Some of the inherent musical background of Porcupine Tree goes back to Wilson's childhood, when his parents gave Christmas presents to each other. His father received Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon whilst his mother got Donna Summer's Love to Love You Baby, both of which Wilson listened to heavily. These albums influenced his further songwriting. Other known influences are Camel, Karlheinz Stockhausen and ABBA.
Later in his teens, Wilson briefly became a fan of the new wave of British heavy metal, but as soon as he discovered 1970s music and progressive rock, his interest in metal diminished in favour of experimental music. He later (in the 2000s) discovered bands in the likes of Gojira, Sunn O))), Neurosis, and Meshuggah, which restored his faith in metal music. "For a long time, I couldn't find where all these creative musicians were going...", said Wilson, "and I found them, they were working in extreme metal." Shortly thereafter, he went on to produce three consecutive albums by Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth, which had a considerable influence in his further songwriting.
Also, some influence from krautrock and electronic music is noticeable, since Wilson likes bands such as Can, Neu!, Tangerine Dream, Squarepusher, and Aphex Twin and artists such as Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler among others. Wilson has also mentioned on multiple occasions that he also admires the work of American musician Trent Reznor, the sole official member of Nine Inch Nails.
Porcupine Tree