DARK MATTER

In truth, Dark Matter looks back on previous IQ albums pretty heavily. The construction of their songs is still mostly the same. They've got the usual solid opener and the usual extended epic song. For the most part, there is little to this record that, if you've listened to the rest of IQ's music, you haven't heard before. Nevertheless, the band is in fine form, and for a twenty year old musical act, they hold their own against the newer ranks of young and rising bands. The sort of angst and melancholy from their previous albums seems exaggerated here, with some downright whiny lyrics at points and some deeper and more meaningful ones elsewhere. So while here we have an album that doesn't really tread much new ground, it still is able to get a three star rating through the strength of that old ground it seems to be retreading.

Most of the songs here are composed very well. Sacred Sound is a longer one one the album, featuring some wonderful organ sounds and a terribly catchy vocal melody. Red Dust Shadow is a sad and melancholic song about a young boy losing his father, and it is the slowest and least exciting song here. You Never Will is a mildly whiny song with some really odd but some really fascinating drum work. Born Brilliant is probably the whiniest song here, and it is very reminiscent of something off Ever. The long epic track that probably instantly drew every prog nerd's eye, Harvest of Souls, talks of immigrants in America and how unfortunately hard that is. It starts out very much in the vein of the famed Genesis track Supper's Ready, but ends up going its own way. There is a lot of nice piano sprinkled throughout Dark Matter, and it is strongest here on the final track.

If you like IQ, chances are you'll like this one too. It's nothing terribly out of the ordinary, but it is very much so an interesting listen. Not a bad place to start for IQ, either. Recommended for all fans of neo-prog, of course. If you are looking for really complicated or forward-thinking compositions, however, you might want to look elsewhere.

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