IQ: First in the Queue

Frequency

It's a bit tenuous but I do think that IQ embraced a small element of metal in their music but not being a musician I can't explain it , it just feels like it at times. Come to think of it it was there on 'Through the Corridors' with Mike Holmes brilliant fret work although that was perhaps a bit more obvious! 

Awake and Nervous

The prog metal comment is interesting. That first surfaced on Ever with the track Further Away and then they expanded more on it with The Road Of Bones imo.

Frequency is a great album and maybe I would only place Ever and The Wake above it. Certainly my favourite 'modern' IQ album although Resistance is well up there. I actually feel that Dark Matter is a bit tired and lacking any new ideas so that come well down my personal list.

Not to be ignored but unfortunately hard to get a copy of nowadays , IQ's Christmas Album 'Tales From A Dark Christmas' is an absolute gem. 

Road and Resistance are very good but imho the strong melody lines that ran through Dark and Frequency are missing and replaced with a darker heavier prog metal strain at times (not saying they are prog metal btw).

To me they are rewriting the earlier lp's and making them a bit heavier but not necessarily better. 

But....I came to IQ late....I discovered them with 7th House, Dark ,and Frequency...so that certainly could have biased my ears.

The Narrow Margin

Overture

Fading Senses

Some rave about Bones and Resistance but to me they are just rewriting earlier songs and making it 'darker'...good lp's but.... My favorites are Dark Matter and Frequency....try this and crank the volume....interesting lyrics also..

And imho this is the best song they have ever written....it has melody, great lyrics, power, production, and a great 2 minute guitar lead starting at 10:15 that for me is almost as good as anything Gilmour or Hackett did in their bands.