Ever degli IQ

Ever by IQ, released in 1993

The origins of IQ go back to a previous band, The Lens, after whose breakup Holmes and Orford formed IQ. 

The original lineup included Peter Nicholls on vocals, Paul Cook on drums, and Tim Esau on bass, with a sound inspired by the symphonic rock of the early '70s. Their first albums Tales from the Lush Attic (1983) and The Wake (1985) are now classics, seminal albums of the neo-prog genre. 

Peter Nicholls left the band in 1985 and Paul Menel took his place. The Menel era begins with Nomzamo (1987) and Are You Sitting Comfortably? (1989), with a more pop and commercial sound.
Nicholls returned in 1993 for the album Ever and with him progressive rock also returned, which from that moment continued to release highly successful albums, including the double concept album Subterranea (1997) and Dark Matter (2004). They recently released Dominion, in March 2025

This is a beautiful reissue for the twentieth anniversary, from 2013 at 45 RPM. 

This is one of the band's most beautiful albums, which as mentioned in the biographical notes sees the return of the original singer Peter Nicholls as well as the entry of John Jowitt on bass.

The sound is dominated by exceptional performance at all levels, guitar and bass interact splendidly, the synthesizers with their symphonic rock-inspired sound are excellent, and the drums and percussion are particularly inspired, with what is perhaps one of Peter Nicholls' best vocal performances up to that point, a great return for him.

The album begins an impressive series of excellent albums, uninterrupted to this day with the release of Dominion, passing through what I consider their absolute masterpiece, The Road of Bones from 2014, which came out a full 11 years after Ever, representing the very high quality maintained over the years by this band and which will continue at the same level for another 11 years.

6 tracks for about 50 minutes and a long suite of about 14 with some absolutely excellent songs 

- The Darkest Hour, an epic track that opens the album, a masterpiece song with variations in intensity and speed and Nicholls' great voice. It goes from an energetic and fast first section to an acoustic phase with beautiful piano. Beautiful progressions, great track.

- Further Away, the suite of the album, an intense, compelling, and engaging track, with great virtuosity and spectacular instrumental moments, great keyboard by Martin Orford, exceptional guitar work by Mike Holmes and two fantastic solos by them.

For fans like me of this band, this is a Must, an album that is always a pleasure to listen to. Very refined sounds, references to the prog of Genesis and King Crimson, while maintaining originality and a distinctive style. Absolutely a must-have for lovers of the genre.

Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page

Tracklist

1. The Darkest Hour (10:52)
2. Fading Senses (6:36) :
- i. After All
- ii. Fading Senses
3. Out of Nowhere (5:10)
4. Further Away (14:30)
5. Leap of Faith (7:22)
6. Came Down (5:57)

Duration 50:27

LineUp

- Peter Nicholls - lead vocals and backing vocals
- Mike Holmes - guitar, producer
- Martin Orford - keyboards, Mellotron, synthesizers, flute, backing vocals
- John Jowitt - bass, Taurus pedals, backing vocals
- Paul Cook - drums