DARK MATTER

I feel that the band got into the old shape at the end of 90's with Subterranea and Seventh House and I was out of breath at the time this album was released. IQ has always been one of the more accessible neo-prog bands, not greatly original but having enough "meat" to offer to the fans.

The album starts very strongly with the dynamic and symphonic "Sacred sound" which can indeed be taken as a sacred song for IQ fans. Orford doing great job on the Hammond-like synths and muscular bass/drums kick in at the beginning. They complex rhythm is playful and matching the melody firmly. The solemn pipe organ intermezzo is another highlight followed by the typical frenzy instrumental workout with so much of a Genesis feeling (compare with "Robbery, assault and battery").

"Red dust shadow" brings a mellow ballad where the vocal really shines especially in the higher notes. The reflective guitar and keyboards are tasteful.

The third track is a bit light on prog wizardry but let me again highlight Orford Banksy synth solo (mmmm...) and the band's gift for a melody.

"Born brilliant" didn't catch my attention so much but eagerly awaiting the 24-minute long suite and it is full of candies be it guitar/keyboard soloing, changes in the rhythm or compositionally diverse sections. All ingredients you would expect from a decent IQ suite. One common complaint I have about their dynamic instrumental parts is that they could last for longer before the singer returns to the microphone.

This is a great album of a band at full strength.