Steven Wilson

Fifth solo album To The Bone found him considering his pompous teen years, his dad’s inventions, looking like a nerd, and how mainstream perceptions limited his audience

50 years on from its arrival, arguments still rage about what exactly constitutes progressive rock - but there's no quibbling about these five essential albums, surely?

Taking the same attitude to keyboards that he’d first taken to guitar, he regards his best 80s work as “synth prog” – and it’s difficult to disagree

His 1997 album Sunsets On Empire – a collaboration with Steven Wilson – remains a sunny moment in his stormy career, although one song might not be the same if it was written today

When the Porcupine Tree and Opeth leaders got together in 2012, they were prepared to defy fans. And Åkerfleldt only wanted one thing out of the collaboration: a copy of their record

He hopes to overcome the limitations of physical media and streaming, and wants other artists to join him

Their groundbreaking 1994 album has stood the test of time – but their refusal to compromise with label and management made it look as if their time was up

An archive interview with the band whose modern take on progressive rock brought the genre out of the past and gave it a future