IQ
Dark Matter

Anyone who claims progressive is dead does so without having listened to recent works of the genre and without knowing that even in recent times the genre has offered us real gems. In 2004, IQ gifted us this "Dark Matter" which, if it isn't a masterpiece, then what is?

This is certainly a different album from those previously made by the British group in past years. The group seems, at least for the moment, to distance themselves from neo-progressive sounds and attempt more classic and vintage paths. If before they were accustomed to offering a sound that, besides being sophisticated and pompous, could also be catchy, with singable choruses and favor dreamy and dense atmospheres, now a change is noticeable! IQ has decided to take a leap into the past, into the '70s, the best times of progressive, re-exploring the most classic elements without, however, forgetting what they have done before. The old sounds of organ and mellotron, beloved by prog greats, are emerging again, and even the songwriting seems more inspired and less direct; on a sound level, one can notice a more pronounced sound experimentation and there seem to be no traces of too "easy" melodies. An album certainly not easy to listen to, sometimes even with dark tones, but also dynamic and tending to reject overly linear and relaxed structures, even in the shorter tracks. This dynamic nature is precisely what makes the album pleasant and interesting up to the last note. A listener involved in the musical journey will hardly find the album repetitive and boring, made up of few repeated standards, and those who might have felt a sense of prolixity in "Subterranea" and "The Seventh House" (also excellent albums, among the best) won't feel it with this work, I think. Each song, in fact, seems different from all others and has its own identity with few elements in common with the others, and I believe this is a plus since such varied albums have always particularly attracted me, even though many call them "bricks"!

There are only 5 tracks for a total duration of about 52 minutes, but the saying "few but good" fits perfectly here! It's better to focus on a few well-structured tracks, perhaps with some suites within, rather than putting out 13 tracks of which 4 or 5 seem to be fillers. The opener, "Sacred Sound", is truly fantastic; 11 really intense minutes as have not been seen for a while! It begins with a very ambient keyboard that gives way to really well-executed organ passages and is supported by rather bold rhythms; the beautiful slow part featuring the organ at the center of never-before-seen introspective atmospheres, and a more atmospheric final part with great guitar and keyboard passages before returning to the initial melody. Track no. 2 "Red Dust Shadow" has a flavor halfway between Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree: led by a delicate acoustic guitar and light keyboards and...also appears the sound of an old mellotron. Beautiful as well is "You Never Will", slightly more accessible, opened by a lovely ticking clock and supported by sunny keyboards and a truly well-marked rhythm; lovely moments of pause entrusted to the keyboards as well as the central keyboard solo. "Born Brilliant" is perhaps the darkest sounding track: for those who have played it, the initial sounds might easily remind them of some moments from the Oddworld games (like the level loading or when Abe visits the slaughterhouses or factories..., come on, tell me it doesn't) and yet they do not exclude almost space-like atmospheres! And then the suite "Harvest Of Souls", with its 24 and a half minutes, truly seems like a journey to the past! Everything one can find in a classic prog-rock suite... is there; tempo changes, this time even sudden ones, glimpses of technique always, however, with much elegance, delicate and symphonic parts (splendid acoustic intro), etc...

An album practically without flaws, equipped with decidedly high-level production, I don't know if it's their best album or not, but that doesn't matter to me. A must-listen for its magnificence, focusing solely on the listening and forgetting everything else!