THE ROAD OF BONES

I am writing about the single CD edition of "The Road of Bones". The album starts with a very strong "From the outside in". I especially like the dark sounds of the synthesizer. They work together very well with the rather heavy guitar riffs. The vocals are very typical for IQ. Furthermore there are some nice synthesizer sounds in second part of the song. It is a great way to start the album! The second, song which is the title track of the album, is also a very strong piece. It starts very atmospheric, after about two and half minutes the drums set in and there is another nice synthesizer sound. I especially like the ending of the song with some great string arrangement. Peter's voice is great in this song! The next song "Without walls" is in my opinion the best song of the album. The beginning reminds me of Genesis during the "Duke" era. At about 3.30 a great guitar riff sets in and elevates the song on another level and we get some great organ sounds, too! I also like the Genesis and Yes references and the fantastic solos in the second part of this fantastic peace. To me this is one of the best songs IQ have ever recorded. An instant classic! "Ocean" sounds a bit like a Marillion song from the beginning of the 90s. I have to admit I think "Ocean" is the weakest song on the album. The melody just doesn't grab me. But I am sure that other listeners might think differently about this song. "Until the end" also starts in a very moody way. After about the minutes we hear great organ parts that again reminds one of Genesis and we have a great Tony Banks' style keyboard solo! It is a great song, but I think it is not as strong as "Without walls" which to me has the stronger melodies. All in all I think it is a worthy addition to the catalogue of this great band. To be honest I didn't like their previous album "Frequency" very much. The songs weren't very convincing. The "Road of Bones" has the better pieces. But I still think it is not as strong as "Dark Matter" or "Subterranea".