THE ROAD OF BONES

Few things could be as exciting to a prog rock fan, including myself, than a new IQ album, especially considering they take some time to releasing them. They're one of the few remaining prog rock acts to have truly grown and improved with each release, or at least, their last releases hit a peak of quality very close but hard to outdo of their albums "Ever", "The Seventh House", "Subterranea" and "Dark Matter". They're all great examples of the best prog, expertly mingling heartfelt emotion with a complex but eminently melodic musical sensibility. IQ is my favourite British prog band today.

Since their beginnings in the 80's they've been dubbed neo-prog for their borrowing of the prevalent symphonic and emotional tendencies of some 70's bands like Genesis. They play prog rock in a comfortable and atmospheric way. Their synth rich style generates an atmosphere that gravitates around spacey sounds as much as the symphonic, incorporating the two into long and extended backdrops before which the well defined rhythms proceed in due course. But, the most obvious is the vocal performance of Peter Nicholls. In terms of mood his unique style is difficult to describe, it's not quite downcast and not uplifting, but seems to find a stable and comforting temperament in-between.

Thus, after five years of waiting, the UK progressive rock legend, IQ, a band who have worked hard at keeping the "second wave of prog" from the early 80's alive now for over thirty years, returned with their eleventh studio album "The Road Of Bones", which was released in 2014. It's the first album to feature Neil Durant on keyboards and it marks the return of original members Paul Cook on drums and Tim Esau on bass, the latter appearing on an IQ album for the first time since 1989. So, the line up on "The Road Of Bones" is Peter Nicholls (lead and backing vocals), Mike Holmes (guitars), Neil Durant (keyboards), Tim Esau (bass guitars and bass pedals) and Paul Cook (drums and percussion).

There are two versions of the album, the single and the limited version. The single version has five tracks. "From The Outside In" is a great opener full of power. Opening with suitably spooky atmospheric synths, things soon get going with some solid pumping bass lines backed by synth flourishes and Peter's voice cutting through it all. There's more atmospherics to come, before a return to the pumping rhythms. This is a great sign of things to come. "The Road Of Bones" is the title track. It starts quiet and really builds to a climax. It has a new slow burner opening again with synths and piano. This is a particularly haunting track, and Peter's lyrics and vocals are astounding. The slow understated bass driven take us to an amazing tension all over the song. This is a wonderful track that showcases IQ's talent for building tension in their music. It's one of IQ's finest tracks, indeed. "Without Walls" is the first long track clocking it at nineteen minutes. It starts simple with piano and a drum machine, and again it builds and builds. There are some nice sections and some good soloing all over it. The first couple of minutes are very simple but during its nineteen minutes it morphs several times and ends up going all over the place quite brilliantly. This is actually quite common right across the album, which is what makes it so appealing. There's always something unexpected around the corner. "Ocean" is a pleasant song with a nice chorus. It's the shortest track on the album and one of the less energetic. But, there's power, warmth and intricacy that carries it along quite nicely to a satisfying conclusion. All in all, this is a pleasant track and a good breather between the two most epic tracks on the album. "Until The End" starts with a haunting theme that takes us to an intense musical journey. This is another stunner with plenty of atmospherics and an amazing performance by all band's members. It's another highlight, an unexpected way to close the album with a very refreshing ending, indeed.

I must admit that I bought the limited version and I really enjoyed the second disc as well. Some of the material is very strong, but it's quite evident why the tracks were left out of the album, as they don't seem to keep the composure throughout the duration, most of the time. Still, the material is better than most bands' best tracks. And that's saying a lot, indeed. IQ must be one of the best choosers of tracks for albums and many prog rock bands could learn something with them about trimming down albums. We don't need 80 minute albums if half of the music seems unfinished or raw.

Conclusion: It's hard to believe a band keeping getting better and more ambitious with each release after thirty years of career, but IQ does it. In every aspect, from the choice of sounds to the lyrics not forgetting the performances, this is a work of true masters. IQ has lost nothing with the personnel changes. In fact I think they're probably a tighter unit, both musically and as a band. As I said before, the sound quality is excellent and the playing is some of the best IQ has produced. "The Road Of Bones" first disk alone is a garden of melodic delights, unquestionably one of the best musical rides that we can get, but that wasn't enough for IQ. They had to throw a second disc. The second disk would have suited quite well on its own as the new album. Still, the first album is definitely the more cohesive listening experience.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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