THE SEVENTH HOUSE

I'm going to step out of line with many of the reviewers who rate Ever, Subterranea or Dark Matter as better. For me this album is the pinnacle of this type of prog rock. Almost all of the tracks are in the 10 minute mould, with exceptional lyrics, awesome plaintive vocals, gorgeous guitars and keyboards, well-produced and well-presented. Of all their albums (and I've listened to them all a lot), for me this is the one I can listen to over and over ... a brief review ..

For me, the Wrong Side Of Weird is an addictive prog rock classic, with very strong verses, choruses and middle eights, packed full of lines you just have to sing along too, backed up with fitting keyboards and guitars. Insofar as Peter Nichols lyrics are ever accessible, these are excellent "A sudden unpredictable sky contains the dawn ...". It's got everything I want from a prog track. The song finishes with the line "where do I go from here?" which is the first line of the next track, Erosion ... this starts with more classic IQ-esque plaintive vocals nd keyboards and then goes into a dark and heavy guitar based track that never loses the mood. Most listeners agree the title track the Seventh House is classic intelligent prog, and will be played live for years to come, surely, in the Paintbox (Pendragon) tradition. More strong themes and tunes in Zero Hour and Shooting Angels each clocking in at over 7 minutes, each track developing well, and leading to the finale Guiding Light. In perfect IQ tradition this starts with more haunting vocals over a piano start, leading into a heavy middle section, and then one of those powerful vocal and guitar finishes that ends other classic prog albums (Script?). I rate this song very highly and only wish it went on a bit longer! PLAY IT LOUD!

What more can I say? Not a single dull tune or theme, great strong, well-crafted songs, most of which are in the 10 minute bracket, with classic IQ keyboards and guitars, and Peter Nicholls singing at his most plaintive. All are fully developed, never seeming "bitty" or a pale imitation of their forerunners - there are inevitably one two Genesis comparisons, not least because Peter Nicholls sounds so like a Selling-England era Gabriel (but better, sorry Peter) but I view this album very much as what Genesis might have progressed to if they taken a different route, rather than as a new band trying to "copy" something from a bygone era.

I think this is a top 10 classic prog album.