IQ are certainly among the cornerstones of Neo Prog, deserving in the 1980s and beyond of having brought new interest to Prog and having written its indelible pages. The new album, entitled “Dominion,” was released on March 28, 2025 via Giant Electric Pea Ltd, and contains five tracks in the form of a concept album. No time is wasted and the band opens with the epic suite “The Unknown Door,” over 22 minutes long. The track opens with a vocal sample announcing World War II, in a prolonged intro that culminates in an elaborate and very intense Progressive Rock. The band’s sound succeeds in bringing classic atmospheres into a fresh and modern context, taking advantage of the track’s long duration to explore new Prog sounds without ever losing its own personal style. Excellent songwriting allows them to develop the central theme with tempo changes and refined instrumental textures that are full of high-level cues. Warm and expressive vocal parts interpret the lyrics with pathos and accompany us in this long and epic piece of pure Progressive Rock. After the opening suite, the band instead offers the album’s shortest passage “One of Us,” a delicate piece with dreamy arpeggios and a gentle vocal. An acoustic track that gently accompanies us towards the following. “No Dominion” is a kind of tilt-track that takes us back to the symphonic Progressive Rock sounds, with pompous keyboard textures. The synth is the protagonist with a brief intervention in the opening, and then the intense vocals come in for the first verses. In a weave that combines traditional sounds with a modern touch, the band develops a track with keyboards in evidence. The intensity is always high, developing the piece in a crescendo that culminates with a guitar solo that accompanies us towards the finale. A sound that reminds us of a music box opens “Far from Here,” which is joined by a warm and expressive vocal, characterizing the intro of this 12-plus minute track. As the theme of the piece evolves, the band develops a solid and elaborate Prog sound with continuous tempo changes and long instrumental textures that enhance the band’s compositional and performing technique. The album termian with “Never Land” which is characterized by a first part with vocals and electronic keyboard sounds. The intensity increases as the minutes go by and the track evolves by incorporating elements of Neo Prog always projected toward the future. The band definitely leaves us wanting to listen to this work again in the future. For those who love this genre, the band needs no introduction and confirms once again that they are one of the capisalds of modern Progressive and beyond. A mature album because it resce to depart from the labels of 80s bands and Neo Prog, proposing a modern and original sound. In addition to the outstanding opening epic suite, the album is completed by four other intense and well-developed tracks, making this work a true masterpiece of recent years.
Tracklist
01. The Unknown Door (22:33)
02. One of Us (3:10)
03. No Dominion (6:25)
04. Far from Here (12:44)
05. Never Land (8:16)
Lineup
Peter Nicholls / Lead & Backing Vocals
Michael Holmes / Guitars, Producer
Neil Durant / Keyboards
Tim Esau / Bass, Bass Pedals
Paul Cook / Drums, Percussion
