RESISTANCE

I have been a long time IQ fan, and what strikes me most is the constant quality of their output. This is an unsurpassed aspect of their output, no other prog band of their genearation has managed to maintain this level of quality throughout their career (Marillion, Pendragon, Jadis etc. all have some 'duds' in their discography). Even the two more 'commercial' albums of the eighties (with Paul Menel on vocals) maintain this high quality standard.

So on to their latest offering: Resistance. A double album maintaining the same high quality as referred to above. The Road of Bones (their previous record) was also released as a double cd, but they labelled the 2nd cd as a 'bonus'. Not that it mattered, as the bonus was of the same high standard as the main feature. On Resistance, IQ stay true to their signature sound that was ultimately developed on the Road of Bones. Few surprises are added to the mix (the rather 'heavy' opener 'a Missile' or the slow burning 'Fire and Security'). Excessive experimentation is not on the menu here. What we do get is IQ at their finest; dark, emotive, lush progressive rock. Highlights are the (almost mandatory?) epics ('The Great Spirit Away', 'Fall Out'), the above mentioned 'a Missile', 'Shallow Bay', 'For Another Lifetime'. But, it needs to be said; it's hard to point highlights for this brilliant record. There's no filler to be found on this long record (1 hour, 49 minutes long to be exact).

Highly recommended!