Rush – Clockwork Angels Review

This is a rock album that has some tendencies towards the bands past, but pushes forward in a brave new direction for appropriate for the present day Rush.  There is a loose concept to this album that binds the songs lyrically, but they are all generally up temp and exciting throughout. 

The amount of consistency and solid musicianship on Clockwork Angels is what makes it such a solid listen.  There is a very crunchy sound to the band’s riffs that makes them sound more inspired than what I’ve heard from other recent material from the band.  Geddy Lee’s vocals aren’t particularly obtrusive on here either, but rather are slightly overshadowed by the instrumental material, which is very appropriate for the tone of Clockwork Angels regardless.  There are some progressive tendencies here, but the songs are generally of a more simple structure than the band material from the seventies.  There is also a general heaviness to this work that makes it stand out with power and presence.  Some of the highlight cuts on here include the title track, “The Anarchist” and the closer “The Garden”, but there are many strong moments throughout. 

As a rock album in 2012, I couldn’t have asked for anything better considering the general lack of interesting material in that genre in the present days, but it’s still falls a little short of classics like 2112, Hemispheres and A Farewell to Kings by my estimation.  For fans of this legendary Canadian band, this is a no-brainer purchase, however.