The Road of Bones by IQ

The Road of Bones by IQ, 2014 album

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 began 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 have recently released Dominion, in March 2025

The Road of Bones is their masterpiece and a masterpiece of progressive rock, an album I consider Essential.

It has a dark, atmospheric, and complex, symphonic sound, which, also thanks to the new keyboardist Neil Durant, adds to the rich and varied sound of IQ, comparable to albums like Frequency and Subterranea, new electronic solutions and heavier riffs, for a renewal of neo-progressive of which these musicians are masters. 

The album also sees the return of the rhythm section composed of Paul Cook and Tim Esau with his decisive and incisive bass lines, on keyboards Neil Durant is able to change the sound with an exceptional performance, with atmospheric synthesizers and great solos, not to forget Michael Holmes with great Hackett-style guitar solos. Peter Nicholls' voice is powerful and intense. The production is impeccable

Although it is not a concept album, as confirmed by the band members themselves, there are recurring themes in the lyrics and music, with a deliberately dark and meditative atmosphere, exploring dark and gothic themes, slavery, mental illness, relationship breakdowns, and violence.
The title track is a "concept" within the album, and tells a fictional story from the point of view of a serial killer in which the "Road of Bones" metaphorically refers to the bones with which the killer "paves his road."

The album title is inspired by reality, the real Kolyma highway in Russia (R504), built by political prisoners during Stalin's regime, a historical fact that helped define the project's dark tone: the road was built mostly between the 1930s and 1950s, as part of the development of Siberia's mining sector and its construction is linked to a history of forced labor, brutality, and a very high human cost. It is said that the road has the nickname "road of bones" because of legends that claim it was paved with a mixture of earth, gravel, and the bones of prisoners who died during the work.

The lyrics of the song, however, are based on a more personal and psychopathic narrative. 

The original record contained 5 tracks for a duration of about 53 minutes. The limited edition reissue (the subject of this article) contains 6 bonus tracks which in my opinion are now an integral part of the original album and reach the same levels of quality and intensity, for a duration of about 50 minutes.

Three vinyls, 11 tracks, over 100 minutes of splendid progressive rock, a long suite of about 20 minutes, three tracks between 10 and 12 minutes, the remaining tracks between about 5 and 8 minutes.

The tracks from the original album.

- From the Outside In opens the album, a pressing, heavy track, with powerful bass lines, dark-toned keyboard layers, beautiful synthesizers, a Mellotron choir and fantastic organ and electronic sounds. Beautiful opening

- The Road of Bones is a track that starts slow with piano and atmospheric synthesizers with Peter Nicholls' soft voice and in a slow progression grows in intensity, the rhythm becomes pressing and the symphonic synthesizers prepare for the entrance of the guitar, aggressive and powerful. Great piece.

- Without Walls with its over 19 minutes starts with a beautiful piano melody and converges into a heavy mood with a great guitar part, in a long instrumental section with a disturbing mood. Great work on guitar and organ. Beautiful track.
- Ocean is a track characterized by a calm and enveloping ballad-style melody with a beautiful chorus, a pause after the epic previous track.

- Until the End is an epic twelve-minute track that closes the original record, which begins with a disturbing, gloomy, and tension-filled section with beautiful acoustic guitar, followed by an overall build-up with beautiful synths and organ, for an overwhelming and exciting ending to the track and the album.

The Bonus Material (in the Special Edition)

- Knucklehead is one of the heaviest tracks ever recorded by IQ up to that point, with ambient sounds and overwhelming riffs with a spectacular Mellotron. Powerful track. 

- 1312 Overture is an instrumental that starts with sampled orchestra and choir and continues with complex rhythms and great intensity with a Mellotron that creates a very disturbing atmosphere. 

- Constellations is a track characterized by complex electronic rhythms, an epic track with a great drum and Mellotron part, pressing, my favorite among the bonus tracks.

- Fall and Rise has great fretless bass and acoustic guitar parts with light and atmospheric synths.

- Ten Million Demons has a driving bass line and great psychedelic atmospheres.
- Hardcore has great synthesizers over a fast bass line that open up to a long instrumental section with excellent guitar work.

Splendid album released 5 years after the last work, Frequency, and it does not disappoint expectations, on the contrary, it exceeds them. 

A compressed and powerful sound, perhaps a bit too post-produced, sometimes you don't hear the real sound of the instruments, but given the time of release it's understandable. 

An album by a band that has always known exactly what to do and did it again on this record with excellent quality, in line with the IQ sound, a well-thought-out and greatly played album, with excellent arrangements. 

A Must.

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

Tracklist

1. From the Outside In (7:24)
2. The Road of Bones (8:32)
3. Without Walls (19:15)
4. Ocean (5:55)
5. Until the End (12:00)

Duration 53:06

Bonus Tracks Limited edition:
1. Knucklehead (8:10)
2. 1312 Overture (4:17)
3. Constellations (12:24)
4. Fall and Rise (7:10)
5. Ten Million Demons (6:10)
6. Hardcore (10:52)

Duration 49:03

LineUp

- Peter Nicholls  - lead vocals and backing vocals
- Michael Holmes  - guitar
- Tim Esau  - bass, bass pedals
- Paul Cook  - drums, percussion
- Neil Durant  - keyboards