Tuesday 10 March 2020

IQ - Subterranea (1997)


The sixth album from this British band.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of bass, drums, guitars, guitar-synths, keyboards, percussion and vocals.
A guest musician contributed with his saxophone.

This album is 102 minutes long. It is also a double CD. I guess that means a triple LP in these days where LPs is overtaking CDs as the physical medium to have.

There is a debate about this album being a concept album in the vein of Lamb Lies Down On Broadway or not being a concept album.

I cannot see this being a concept album in that vein or a concept album at all. The songs are pretty much in the same vein on these 2 CDs, but that is all.

The music is powerful and melodic neo-prog. Some of these songs are very catchy indeed. In this case, that means the band has got the song making and compositions spot on.

The songs are not long. But the band gets the best out of them and the double CD format helps. The songs glides over into each other, effortless. 

Peter Nichols vocals are great.... and ditto for the rest of the band. The band is on their top of their craft on this album and the music is great.

This is one of the masterpieces of the neo-prog scene and is an album everyone should have. A small gripe on a couple of songs that does not work.

4.5 points





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