RESISTANCE

This is going to hurt me. A lot. I love IQ. They are indisputably one of my favourite bands and make up a large part of my listening schedule. I love each and every album with Peter Nichols and even like the Menel ones. I wondered if they could produce another masterwork without the genius that is Martin Orford, but they achieved it with The Road of Bones, an album so good that even the bonus CD is better than most albums by anyone else. So when the new album was announced, my vinyl order was in immediately and, when it arrived, it was straight on to the TT. Two hours later, I was sitting in bewilderment. This was clearly IQ, but the wonderful melodies, variation of mood and the flow from part to part that was so characteristic of their music was missing. There's none of the beauty of Constellations or the drama and menace of the title track of The Road of Bones itself. The musicianship is, as ever, exceptional, and both Paul Cook and Tim Esau spread their wings more than on TROB. Neil Durant's keyboards are well played if a bit dominant; he hasn't found the consistent magic that Martin Orford had of being both bombastic yet supportive of and complementary to his bandmates. Mike Holmes, who is one of the truly great guitarists but seemed slightly subdued on TROB, stretches out with more of his characteristic solos than on TROB. Peter Nicholls has improved as a vocalist too since the early days and is now a very fine singer. However, the lyrics on this album are a bit like someone took 10000 words on a bit of paper, threw them in the air and sang them as they landed. A bit like Yes, in fact, and not like the coherent story telling on some previous tracks. The problem is none of these guys' playing: it's the material. I've listened to this album about 5 times and I really don't think I will ever listen to it again. The composition of the music is uninspired. IQ have done marvellous epics like Harvest of Souls or The Narrow Margin, but the ones on here are just nothing special. The whole first CD (or its vinyl equivalent) is just desperately substandard for IQ. Things do pick up a bit on CD2. The Great Spirit Way has its moments and Fallout is excellent, but I just wish I didn't have to wait almost 100 minutes for it. In truth I had warning that the new album might be a let down: I saw them live at The Met in Bury in 2018 and they played 2 songs from the new album they were working on, which were both instantly forgettable. I hope IQ will keep going and produce another master work. Sadly, this album is not it. 2.5 stars, which I will round up to 3 because I'd have to commit seppuku if I gave them 2. God, writing that review REALLY hurt.