DOMINION

IQ's Dominion isn't just another entry in their storied discography?it's a declaration. A bold, emotionally charged, and musically expansive journey that might just be their finest hour. Or at least, their finest 53 minutes. It's rare for a band decades into their career to sound this vital, six long years after the previous album 'Resistance', but IQ have always played the long game, and with Dominion, they're playing it on their own terms.

The album opens with the monumental "The Unknown Door," and in doing so, throws down the gauntlet from the very first note. A 20-minute-plus tour de force, it might well be the band's greatest epic ever?a bold statement, but one that stands up under repeat listens. The beautiful horn intro, followed by Neville Chamberlain's unnerving war declaration speech, sets a tone of mystery and grandeur, like a curtain lifting on something vast and unknowable. After a 'rubato' vocal section, reminding me of the beginning of 'the road of Bones', the piece really lifts off at 5:00 with heavy rhythms and great guitar/synth work. Another escalation around 9:00 where the band moves into even heavier territory. Twelve minutes in, the track plunges into a breathtakingly intricate rhythmic section, a whirlwind of precision and tension that showcases the band at the height of their compositional powers. After a climax the horns return, announcing a more intimate section with vocals accompanied by accoustic guitar only, gradually building up to a more rhyhtmic section with Nicholls once again singing his favourite(?) lyric line consisting of just one word: 'Now', around 19:00 finally creating room for a wonderful symphonic and majestic ending, with a solemn, cathedral-sized church organ arriving to bring the piece to its emotionally towering conclusion, although the final seconds are again reserved for just the voice of Nicholls and the accoustic guitar of Holmes. This isn't just a song?it's a universe, and stepping through The Unknown Door changes how you hear the rest of the album.

"One of Us" follows with a more introspective, human-scale focus. Wrapped in melancholic melodies and Peter Nicholls' aching vocal delivery, it explores themes of belonging, exclusion, and quiet resilience. There's a sense of emotional gravity in its simplicity, making it one of the most quietly affecting moments on the record.

The mood turns sharper and more assertive in "No Dominion," a track that bristles with energy and defiance. As the title suggests, it plays like a direct counterpoint to the album's name?questioning power, identity, and legacy in a compact, driven burst. Neil Durant's synth textures shine here, adding a restless undercurrent that pushes the song into darker, edgier terrain without ever losing IQ's unmistakable melodic sensibility.

On "Far From Here," the band shifts into lyrical high gear, weaving wordplay and socio-political commentary into another haunting prog epic (stretching nearly 13 minutes). The standout line?"What if the right had nothing left, would the left get nothing right?"?crackles with ambiguity, wit, and relevance. Directional, ideological, and emotional meanings twist together, reflecting the confusion and contradiction of modern life. It's IQ at their smartest and most subtly confrontational.

The album closes with the sprawling, cinematic beauty of "Never Land." Part elegy, part promise, it builds slowly and confidently toward a shimmering, hopeful conclusion. It's the kind of song that doesn't just finish an album?it stays with you long after the final note. Glowing with layered instrumentation and emotional heft, it's a fitting final chapter to an album that feels like a journey, both outward and inward.

Musically, Dominion finds IQ in peak form. Mike Holmes' guitar work is expressive and precise, switching effortlessly between soaring leads and atmospheric textures. Neil Durant's keyboards are lush, intelligent, and emotionally attuned, while the rhythm section of Tim Esau and Paul Cook is as tight and inventive as ever. And at the center of it all, Peter Nicholls remains a singular presence?part narrator, part guide, always compelling.

Dominion is everything you would want from a modern progressive rock album: ambitious, intelligent, beautifully constructed, and emotionally resonant. IQ haven't just crafted a collection of songs?they've built a world. One with doors both known and unknown. And it all begins the moment you step through the first one.

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