IQ “Dark Matter” - New InsideOut release coming soon: - 19 May 2004
- For a good thing you have to wait a good while: frontman Peter Nicholls and his friends of IQ have again taken their time, and with an outstandig performance they reward those lovers of classic progressive rock for the long waiting for the new studio album. And there is every reason to believe that "Dark Matter", successor of the 2001 album "The Seventh House", will soon be part of IQ's great feats. The new work sounds dark and powerful, cleverly structured, and as a kind of symbiosis of compositional finesse and masterful craftsmanship.
- You can make out the potential of "Dark Matter" for instance with its pace of narration. This reminds of the so far favourite album of many IQ fans, the 1997 double album "Subterranea". In contrast to that artistic milestone, whose story also included cover artwork, booklet design as well as stage choreography, the five "Dark Matter" chapters - with a running time of 52 minutes - fit closely together mostly because of their dark mood that conveys vulnerability. Already the menacing looking artwork puts the fans in the right mood. This mood gives the album its special appeal whose entire range reveals itself after several intensive listenings, a thing that is recommended for IQ's music anyway.
- Keyboardist Martin Orford seems to be in the top form of his life: out of flowing synth "veils", the mighty theme of the opener "Sacred Sound" comes with organ riffs which is further developed by guitar player Mike Holmes and singer Peter Nicholls in order to become an almost 12 minute long suite. After the acoustic "Red Dust Shadow" gives the listener a contemplative chance to catch his breath, "You Never Will" offers melodies which are - together with the „Subterranea" tracks "Speak My Name" or "Unsolid Ground" - amongst the most beautiful music that IQ ever created in their 23 year long history. Bassist John Jowitt and drummer Paul Cook preserve the irrestible sweetness of the chorus from a base melodious sound, they do all this with their solid bass foundation and complex rhythm work. Here you find all the distinctive trademarks of IQ combined.
- An intro improved by sampled noises as well as Nicholls alienated voice in "Born Brilliant" refer to the heydays of classic Britsh progressive rock. This song has mood layers which had lead the Genesis dream team of the Gabriel era to world fame. Finally the long staying power of the epic "The Last Human Gateway" from the 1983 debut album "Tales From the Lush Attic" gives life to the 24 minute long track "Harvest Of Souls" whose structure dynamically increases from frail beginnings to those parts when Mike Holmes' gripping guitar lines are clashing with Martin Orford's mellotron walls. And despite all dramatic input it also includes very melodic interludes.
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