THE SEVENTH HOUSE

Most IQ fans seem to be thoroughly enamored with 'Subterranea,' and far be it from me to argue with them. However, despite the difficulty of finding IQ albums in the States, I have now heard all of their titles (with the exception of the forth-coming 'Dark Matter'), and without a doubt, I feel that 'The Seventh House' is their strongest. My biggest problem with 'Subterranea' is how long winded it gets (especially the "The Narrow Margin" at the end). Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy listening to the album on occasion, but it takes some effort to keep my attention focused on the music. While this may seem like a sacrilege, it may help to explain that 'The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' also didn't impress me much. Long story short-I'm not a big fan of super-high concept prog rock operas. To me, 'The Seventh House' is a clean and concise, yet amazingly artistic album. The guitar line at the beginning of the title track always sends shivers down my spine and I love audible impact of the whole band kicking in a few minutes later. There is an aggressive edge to this album that comes out in songs like "Erosion" and "Shooting Angels" that really grabs my attention and keeps me interested. When I first heard IQ, Peter Nicholls' voice got on my nerves (I started with 'Tales From The Lush Attic' when Nicholls sounded like a whiny version of Peter Gabriel), but twenty-plus years later, his voice has matured into something expressive and downright amazing. I love the fact that "Guiding Light" wraps this album up with some impressive, soaring instrumentation and then reprises several of the melodic themes from the rest of the record. Not only is this my favorite IQ album so far, but it is one of my favorite albums of all time.