The Seventh House

The Seventh House came out almost four years after IQ's previous studio album, Subterranea. In light of this CD, it appears that the critically acclaimed 1997 concept album was the band's creative peak, which does not mean The Seventh House is weak. The general feeling of the album makes it closer to 1993's Ever. Peter Nicholls' theatrical voice gains in beauty with age. The playing is unsurprisingly tight, the musical approach firmly anchored in melodic progressive rock. Highlights include "Guiding Light," "The Wrong Side of Weird," and the title track, the latter a complex and exhilarating number. On the other hand, "Erosion" and "Zero Hour" feel like they miss a dimension, even if the acoustic guitar on the latter brings in a different texture. Nicholls' lyrics continue to be highly metaphorical. They revolve around the central theme of man's belief in an afterlife, leading to interesting thoughts such as "Angels with dirty faces/Leaving their lipstick trace across the human race" ("Shooting Angels"). As is usual with IQ's music, upon the second audition listeners may feel like they have known these melodies all their lives. That has always been the strength of this group. Even though The Seventh House does not top Subterranea, nobody expected it would and fans will be satisfied with this more average offering. ~ Francois Couture