DARK MATTER

A great, great album. I reached my musical maturity on the English prog of the 70s (at that time I was in high school, than college) and loved Genesis, Camel, Renaissance, Yes, Triumverat, ELP and Tull. By the late 70's prog seemed to dissapear. While I still listened to music, there was little new music that interested me. The progressive radio station I played never played any neo and until a few years ago I never even knew neo or 70's Italian prog even existed. Then, a few years ago, I discovered Fish era Marillion, and heard about neo bands like IQ, Pendragon, etc., but never heard anything by them, and for the most part, their music wasn't sold in any record stores. A few months ago I discovered this site, and for the first time was able to hear these bands. However, until I bought Dark Matter 2 weeks ago, the only IQ I heard were the mp3s on this site. Dark Matter is a fantastic album. Yes, there are very strong Genesis influences therein, but its not derivitive. Sacred Ground is one of the best openning songs I have ever heard on an album. Red Dust Shadows is a great follow up, and You Never Will is another incredible song. Born Brillant is as true as its name to the climax and centerpiece of the album, Harvest of Souls. Many revies are comparing it to Genesis' Suppers Ready. Both are brillant songs. I think Harvest of Souls is a bit more serious, but there are some keyboard and base rifts that have their roots in Suppers Ready. Some incredible keyboard work throughout the album, but particularly in Harvest of Souls. Peter Nichols is a better singer than Peter Gabriel. This my be the first IQ album I have heard in its entirety, and it has given me a hunger for more. Maybe if I was more familiar with IQ, my rating wouldn't be so high, but since IQ is new to me, all I can say is I loved the album. In the 2 weeks I have had Dark Matter, it has hardly left my CD player. JUst an excellent album, which I highly recommend.