Band: Rush
Release: Clockwork Angels
Release Date: 02/07/12
Before this review begins, I think it’s extremely important to remind everyone that Rush have been around since 1968. 1968. That’s seven years before Iron Maiden. That’s one year before Black Sabbath. You know what else was happening then? The Vietnam War. ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Planet of the Apes’ had just hit theatres. Eurovision was held in The Royal Albert Hall. Andy Warhol got shot. The last steam-powered train service ended in Britain. And in Toronto, Canada, the definitive progressive rock band came into the world like nervous children clutching guitars and amp-lead umbilical cords, ready to plug straight into our brain space and squat in our ears for years to come.
They are pioneers even today and that is perfectly obvious in the explosive release that is ‘Clockwork Angels’. With prog rock and metal (thankfully) becoming a more established fixture of the alternative realms by the day it seems that Rush have reappeared to remind everyone that this is their playground, and they’re just letting everyone else borrow the toys. ‘Caravan’ is packed full of ominous chords and atmosphere, teasing out the eventual descent into riff and synth interplay that brings in Geddy Lee‘s unmistakable vocals. The greatest thing is that through ‘BU2B’ and title track ‘Clockwork Angels’ this pace never slows, nor does it become forced.
They have all the passion of a band fresh on the scene with all the wisdom and technical skill that can only come with years of recording and touring. With an average track time of seven minutes, each track is a fully functioning, independent work of genius that just so happens to go extremely well with the rest of the music on the record. ‘The Anarchist’ and ‘Carnies’ are further examples of Rush‘s evolution into the perfect band. There’s something here for everyone as they run the full progressive spectrum of hard rock to anthemic choruses to sparking synth and indulgently dominant bass patterns. It all just works, and though putting together an album of this magnitude can’t be seen as an easy task, they definitely make it look that way. ‘Wish Them Well’ brings it out on a powerful note that’s almost a flashback to 80s power metal ballads.
In short, a masterpiece, and one that proves once and for all that a 42 year old band is still very much capable of showing the youngsters how it’s done. Let’s hope that in another ten years, we’ll still be marvelling over the band’s limitless energy, and begging to find out where they keep their mystical fountain of musical youth.
10/10
Reviewer: Laurence Stark
