THE ROAD OF BONES

It's my birthday and I'll prog if I want to!!! Anyway , got the latest IQ offering and I've spun it five times and the music is growing on me with every spin! Lets get straight to the point - the music - Typically IQ with lots of old bits of stuff floating in earshot throughout - IQ typical tempo is evident throughout! - So this CD just has to be GROOVED by all fans of the band! Track I, From the Outside in , didn't hit me straight away on first spin, but it's grown on me, lots of nice mellotron and is reminiscent of Subterranea in several parts! Also some nice organ and ambience and you get the Hackettesque ghostly guitar as well! Track II, The Road of Bones, the title track. The intro reminds me of the beginning of Fand by the Enid. Then the sumptuous bass line and again I think it's very Subterranea like. Some heavy parts, powerful mellotron chordage! Track III - Without Walls, the epic! Didn't get this on spin one, but now I think it's just about taken top spot on the CD (apart from the faded out guitar solo at the end - it's just not right for a prog band to curtail the epic with plenty of time on the CD - I think this is cut out - just as the solo gets interesting! this possibly takes off a full half star for me! This track has a lot to offer though, Genesis/Floyd/Mike Oldfield, I sort of hear it all in here! But I REALLY LOVE the return of the main melody picked out with gorgeous synth - a hair on the back of the neck raiser for me.... Track IV, Ocean, sort of a love song that reminds me of a track off Abel Ganz - Shooting Albatross, good solid prog though. Track V - Until the End. Again typical IQ with some nice church organ and some nice bass work - a bit of Wakemanesque synth work in as well! Has a very good instrumental break too. Track VI - Knucklehead. Nice mellotron and a bit Floydian, sort of sub prog-metal, and some heavy passages and an abrupt end. Track VII - 1312 Overture, Instrumental - nice tempo and not filler but a good piece in it's own right - some nice mellotron again! Track VIII - Constellations...Hmm my favourite track on spin 1, but has been caught up by the epic on spin five. Still, it's solid prog and very listenable, with a lovely synth solo and some Wind & wuthering Genesis style work in it as well. Great ambient part and really good vocal melodies. Very good track. Track IX - Fall & Rise, Ambient start, more great bass work and some ace mellotron as well. Spanish guitar, and a lead out synth solo with some nice drumming throughout. Track X - Ten Million Demons. The very catchy, Gary Numan meets prog track, I love the tempo and the catchy verse and if you like eighties synth pop , you'll like this track...even the recognisable pop fade out for a laarf... Track XI - Hardcore. The third best track in my opinion - It reminds me of Steve Hackett's "A Tower struck down" in parts, but this track has a gorgeous instrumental ending which is haunting and leads into the Dan's le Park...like guitar solo. All in all a very SOLID CD , with excellent use of mellotron all over the shop and very nice vocal harmonies...very IQ, so if you're a fan - BUY IT, but then you probably have. If you are thinking of getting into IQ, this offering would whet your appetite for more. Oh and the lyrics, refreshingly esoteric so give them your own meaning!!!