review by thomas

Hey, this is excellent music; not really what you expected from a band that tortured you with slim accessible synth pop or with those sing-a-long mass anthems later on. Queen II is divided into “Side White” and “Side Black”, where the former is the first side containing some lovely semi-acoustic songs but also heavy pomp and prog in Brian May’s “Father to Son” and Roger Taylor’s “Loser in the End”. The vocal harmonies (a Queen trademark) are an ingredient on every song and show a strong Uriah Heep influence.

The second side is full of songs mostly written by Freddie Mercury (as opposed to the first side's dominance by May) and the pomp-prog is even stronger here: “Ogre Battle”, “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke” and “March of the Black Queen” all have their time and key changes and even some harpsichord from Mercury. But what they have the most though is vocal harmonies that would make Uriah Heep jealous.

This pomp rock in full glory with prog, heavy metal and even glam influences and they finish it off with the hit single “Seven Seas of Rhye” a rather short song build upon a piano accord. They also throw in some calmer songs on this side too, “Funny How Love is” which get rather boring on repetitious listening but also the lovely one minute “Nevermore” with just piano and Freddie’s singing plus some harmony singing. I like this album very much, well I like their early stuff (before 1976) and “Queen II” comes out as their best album. Hard rock surely can’t get any more pompous than this but hardly any better either.