I mean, it's hardly unusual, is it? "Porcupine Tree music" is a fairly loose frame, but Steven Wilson still releases the really wacky stuff with a solo band. And as JR concedes, they do move out of their comfort zones. The last album has some of their weirdest stuff in years, and he himself pinpoints the orchestral bit as something they never thought they could do, so it's not something I can bring myself to be bothered about. It's not a totally blank canvas, but they're surprising me an increasing amount in a lot of cool ways.
Prophets of War does have all the hallmarks of a foray outside their comfort zone that could've been truly brilliant if they'd pushed the envelope just that little bit further, though.