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IQ - Subterranea CD (album) cover

SUBTERRANEA

IQ

 

Neo-Prog

4.01 | 759 ratings

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SouthSideoftheSky
Special Collaborator
Symphonic Team
2 stars The narrow margin

Subterranea is not a bad album as such. So why only two stars? Well, my rating needs to be seen in the wider context of IQ's discography. This album came out just after the excellent Ever, and just before the very good The Seventh House. Subterranea is, to my mind, a lesser album. And as such, even if I find it rather enjoyable, I just cannot give it the same rating that I gave to The Seventh House (and that album, in turn, though stronger, is not deserving of the same high rating as Ever and Dark Matter). The two primary reasons I like Subterranea less than most other IQ albums is that the songs are not as strong and memorable, and that it is too long for its own good. Maybe, if it was condensed into a single disc with only the best material, it could perhaps have reached the same level of quality as The Seventh House, but even so it could never have matched IQ's best albums.

The conceptual nature of the album is not sufficient to retain the listener's full attention from start to end. At some point, I feel that it is just more of the same and it becomes a bit monotonous. Still, there is good stuff to be found here. If you are an IQ fan, and you don't have this album, by all means get it. You will almost certainly like it (as I do). But if you are new to IQ, this is definitely the wrong place to start, in my opinion. Any other post-Ever IQ album gives a better introduction to the band.

Recommended for fans and collectors, but not among the best IQ albums

SouthSideoftheSky | 2/5 |

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