EVER

For some reason, even though I generally dislike "neo" bands (such as Jadis, Pendragon, and Arena), I generally like IQ. I can't really explain why. The first album I heard was their debut, and it was a decent (if badly recorded) immitation of early Gensis. Very naive sounding, but lots of energy. I loved the next album (and still do), The Wake. Then, I picked up this album. It finally seemed like the band had their own sound. The first track captivatied me, being a nice blend of complexity, melody, and energy. It is fairly upbeat and was a great "we're back!" sort of song (though they had not really gone away, just a different singer for two albums, and from what I understand, a different, poppier style). Fading Senses is a decent track, though the two sections seem like two different songs to me. Out of Nowhere has a promising intro...........then turns into a cheesy typical "neo" type song. I usually skip this one. Further Away is a good song, with several varied sections and a definite Genesis feel about it, though darker than any Genesis. This is a style they would carry on to great effect in future albums. The final two songs are less interesting, with the last track being the most boring IQ song I think I've ever heard.

So a good album, and a signal of the style they would use on all following album (through Dark Matter at least, which is their most recent album at time of writing). I subtract two stars for the sub par songs mentioned above. A solid 3 for me.