Dark Matter

IQ | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 29, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Inside Out U.S.
• ASIN: B00029RTHG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,847 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sacred Sound

2. Red Dust Shadow

3. You Never Will

4. .Born Brilliant

5. Harvest Of Souls

Editorial Reviews

Dark Matter is the new studio album from England’s legendary IQ. With a career that spans nearly 25 years, IQ remains one of the biggest names in the world of Progressive Rock. Dark Matter marks a new beginning for IQ as this album will be their first US domestic release in nearly 20 years and it is their first for Inside Out Music America. As would be expected from the title, this is a dark, brooding album, bristling with attitude and aggression reminiscent of the band’s early days but Dark Matter also contains moments of great melodic beauty. It is pure progressive rock in all its glory with soaring guitar melodies backed up with the classic sounds of Mellotrons, Moog and Hammond organ and offset by Peter Nicholls’ ever impenetrable lyrics. The classic IQ line-up of Nicholls, Martin Orford, Mike Holmes, John Jowitt and Paul Cook remains very much intact and they are all in great form on Dark Matter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something Borrowed Something Blue, July 25, 2004

By 

M. AUSTIN (Richardson, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark Matter (Audio CD)

Fans of old Genesis (I mean OLD Genesis) rejoice. Long followed in the UK, and via imports in the US, IQ makes their first American release in over a decade with the aptly named "Dark Matter". With a set of keyboards purchased from a Tony Banks yard sale, IQ presents a rebirth, or for their fans, a continuation of the "keyboards mixed forward" feel that made household names of guys like Rick Wakeman. Lush sounds straight off your old records leap out at you, including string and flute melotrons, 70's era sound effects, Leslie organ speakers, and did I hear an ARP? The keyboards are complimented by cleanly played drums, and bass, with lyrical, multi-tracked, harmonized, high-sustain guitars soaring overhead. The rapid meter changes and transitions in feel demanded by this project are handled with aplomb. Very nicely done. A couple of songs kind of beat you over the head with repetitive odd meter, but that's a small thing. By and large, the project is very well written, played and produced with excellent musicianship on display throughout. The vocalist reminds me of a young Peter Gabriel, only less smoky and more on key. This guy has a nice set of pipes. Very enjoyable to listen to.

This is a themed project, all about the end of the world, and/or death and loss in general, and/or war and its associated tragedy. So try not to play it first thing in the morning, or just after the end of a relationship. The Lyrics take the form of broken poetry in the grand tradition of progressive rock. The brooding, ethereal, circular words only transition abruptly into straight prose at one juncture, when, during the 24 minute title song, "Harvest of Souls", they take a big sarcastic poke at the United States in plain English. After several listens, you realize that pretty much the whole 25 or so minutes is devoted to a big poke at the United States. It seems an odd move from a purely business perspective. But IQ is obviously entitled to their opinion, and I certainly support their right to dissent and to sing about it. It's what makes our two countries great. So, I'll not toss this CD in the landfill with the Dixie Chicks.

Overall, I give Harvest of Souls a solid B+. It is well played, but lacks originality. You will hear the war music from Yes's classic, The Gates of Delirium, and passages sounding just like Genesis' "Blood on the Rooftops", and tiny, much less obvious "borrowed" licks, sounds, and passages abound. IQ does not seem concerned with moving the art form forward. They could be called, "The Prog Rock Preservation Society." But if you are a fan of progressive rock, particularly, the sound pioneered by Genesis, you will get a big kick out of this one. Welcome back to America, IQ. All the best to you.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome album, August 5, 2004

By 

RJProg (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Matter (Audio CD)

This was the first IQ CD I had heard (though I have heard about 4 other songs by them previously), and all I can say is WOW. IQ is not a band that gets any airplay in the US, and even though I am a big prog listener, until a few months ago I never even heard of them even though they been around a long time. After seeing numerous great reviews of the CD on various prog sites and listening to the 30 second samples, I took the plunge, and am glad I did. Its the best new release of 2004. Every song is good, and the musicianmanship is excellent. Particularly good are Sacred Songs and Harvest of Souls. There are certainly some recognizable Genesis influences, but its not a mere rehash of Genesis either. I highly recommend this CD to any prog fan.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Prog Powerhouse, June 22, 2005

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dark Matter (Audio CD)

Twenty-five years, huh? Why haven't I heard them before? That's a common problem for many of us with willing ears but limited sources of introduction.
This is obviously my introduction to IQ, which was recommended to me on the strength of my interest in Spock's Beard, the Flower Kings, and Porcupine Tree. Since I haven't heard the band's other albums I can only concentrate fully on what's here rather than compare and contrast with previous works.
Here's what I liked after closely listening to Dark Matter a half-dozen times:
1) Sacred Sound; a hard-driving opener. Sets the tone of this prog powerhouse.
2) Red Dust Shadow; mellow yet powerful
3) You Never Will; a brutally honest self-appraisal
4) Born Brilliant; a pounding, driving anthem
and
5) Harvest of Souls; an epic journey that takes the listener all over the prog map.

Looks like I like the entire CD! Now that I have heard Dark Matter, I will take a musical journey through IQs back catalogue.
If you like progressive rock, then Dark Matter is highly recommended. Its one of the best CDs I've heard in the past year!