IQ – Frequency (2009)

Progressive rockers IQ return with their latest album “Frequency”. This band has released very solid albums over the years and “Frequency” is not the exception. If you are looking for a traditional progressive rock release, this album is one of the best releases of the year in the genre.

IQ’s music is very well composed and all songs fit together in the album. The band does not rely 100% on virtuosity and speed races between musicians in order to hook the listener. But don’t be fooled since the complexity behind the music is not something that any regular band can achieve. I must say that the drum track of the whole album is excellent in keeping things a bit down tempo but with great changes in pace and keeps things interesting through out the whole album.

The space sounding keyboards are one of my favorite parts of this album since provide the right atmosphere to the music during the duration of the album. There are no blazing fast parts that other releases have, but they are rather melodic and not complicated, but efficient enough to provide an nice layer to the music.

The vocals for me get tiring, but this is a peculiarity of mine. They are pretty solid for a progressive rock release and most fans of the genre will be satisfied by them. I wish that they would have experimented with other vocal styles within the songs, but this does not take anything away from this release.

In general, this album is a very solid release and a superb contribution to Progressive Rock, however it does not provide any new things or ideas. And there is nothing wrong with that since a good album means a good album.

Release: May 26, 2009

Country: UK