FREQUENCY

IQ has been at the forefront of prog rock music for more than forty years. Along with some other like minded British outfits, IQ picked up the torch and carried it proudly into the 80's and beyond, beginning with their cassette 'Seven Stories Into 98' of 1982 but only released in 1998. 'Frequency' is the ninth studio album of IQ and was released in 2009. A special edition with a bonus DVD, which is mine, was also released. This DVD contains the complete recordings of the live performed on 1 December 2007 at the Boerderij in Zoetermeer, in Holland, which is a nice addition to the album.

'Frequency' is the first album from the group recorded with the two new band's members, Andy Edwards on drums and Mark Westworth on keyboards. They substituted their two former band's members the drummer Paul Cook and the keyboardist Martin Orford. Both left the group at the same time. So, the line up of 'Frequency' is Peter Nicholls (lead and backing vocals), Mike Holmes (guitars and keyboards), Mark Westworth (backing vocals and keyboards), John Jowitt (backing vocals and bass) and Andy Edwards (drums and percussion).

'Frequency' has seven tracks. All songs were written by IQ and all lyrics were written by Peter Nicholls. The first track is the title track 'Frequency'. It's an excellent and very interesting track where IQ also manages to join to their usual trademark sound an extra dose of energy and heaviness. This is really a track perfectly divided into the antagonistic feelings, melody and aggression, old and new, which is clearly destined to become a classic IQ song. The second track 'Life Support' features Westworth's piano and a beautiful vocal performance by Nicholls. Some subtle orchestrations and a tiny bit of guitar conclude well the first part of the song. The second part of the song is for Holmes' guitar and Westworth's keyboards, very well supported by a delightful drumming by Edwards and a great bass line by Jowitt. The last final part of the song is a very ambient sounding piece of music. This is another great track, indeed. The third track 'Stronger Than Fiction' represents the second great epic of the album. This is a mid tempo song at the beginning with a melancholic singing and leading by Westworth. The second part of the song is more powerful and Nicholls' voice can be heard on both channels changing from left to right. The last part of the song is perfectly in the same vein of the best music that IQ could offer, carried of great keyboard sounds. The fourth track 'One Fatal Mistake' is the ballad on the album. The first part of the song is compared with the second track of the album and in the second part the music contains some musical elements of ambient music as well as the first notes from the next track 'Ryker Skies'. This is in general considered the weakest song on the album, and there is may be some truth in that, indeed. However, this is a very beautiful and lovely song and it's truly a pleasure to hear it. The fifth track 'Ryker Skies' is another lengthy track that gives once more the opportunity to each member shine. This is probably one of the most interesting tracks on the album that shows a different and modern edged side of the group. This is may be mainly due to the presence of the two new band's members. In reality, it's a very dark track with a very heavy keyboard work. This is really a great track with some incredible musical contributions by Westworth. The sixth track 'The Province' is the lengthiest track on the album. It starts with Holmes' strings soon followed by Westworth's keyboards. Again, we have good vocal performance by Nicholls especially in the acoustic first parts. The track changes to a more powerful piece of music featuring the music sounding between Genesis and Dream Theater. The powerful and rhythmic organ driven some musical moments which brings to my memory Tony Banks on 'The Return Of The Giant Hogweed' and 'The Musical Box' of Genesis. The seventh and last track 'Closer' is a very beautiful ballad and a very sensitive piece of music with a touch of pop music blended in all IQ musical moments. This is a very nice way to close this excellent and surprising album from IQ.

Conclusion: Since their landmark fifth studio album 'Ever' released in 1993, IQ have been producing great studio works that range from their most complex and consistent studio album to date 'Subterranea', released in 1997, their weaker but even excellent album 'The Seventh House', released in 2000 and their probably most brilliant album 'Dark Matter', released in 2004. So, until today, they are a perfect guarantee of a great quality work. And 'Frequency' isn't an exception. This is an outstanding offering by IQ and proves that with Westword and Edwards in the line up, the band is yet reaching their peak. 'Frequency' is a must for every IQ fan and is highly recommended to all fans of the melodic progressive rock, especially for fans of Genesis in the 70's. And, as I wrote above, if you have the luck of have a copy of the special edition, you have an extra DVD as a bonus. It features the wonderful full live gig in Zoetermeer, that includes two old tracks 'Awake And Nervous' and 'It All Stops Here', recent tracks from 'Subterranea' and 'The Seventh House' and two new tracks from 'Frequency', 'Frequency' and 'Crashed And Burned' ('Stronger Than Friction').

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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