Alex Lifeson
Victor

The year 1996 was not exactly favorable for Rush: the latest "Test For Echo" turned out to be just a decent album, going unnoticed even among the most ardent fans of the band.

The band was weakened and distracted: what better occasion to release a solo debut?

This must have been what Alex Lifeson thought, as he released his "Victor" in the same year, recorded in just a year of sessions in his personal studio.

The lineup for this project is almost entirely Canadian and includes Bill Bell on guitar, Peter Cardinali on bass, Blake Manning on drums, and vocalist Edwin from I Mother Earth. The ensemble's performance is wisely directed by the blonde guitarist, who, as usual, delivers more than one extraordinary performance on the six-string.

Apparently, in terms of sound, “Victor” does not deviate much from the aforementioned work of the parent band, offering energetic and very "metallic" tracks with a typical ‘90s flavor. What differentiates this work from the past productions of the historic Canadian trio can be summed up in two points: 1) The mood of the work, conceptually dark and at times grotesque; 2) A distinct experimental vein that leads Lifeson, between guitar riffs, to venture into funk rhythms, psychedelic echoes, and even crossover.

And so it is that among the pieces in classic Rush style like "Promise" or "Start Today" (An excellent vocal performance by guest Lisa Dal Bello, with a spirited voice that definitely reminds us of a certain bassist we know...) we also find slower and more emotional moments like "At The End" (the atmospheres of Porcupine Tree meeting the guitar touch of Jeff Beck!) or the disturbing spoken part of the title track. The latter well summarizes the already mentioned dark tones of the work: accompanied by keyboards and saxophone, Lifeson tells us the unsettling story of a man, namely Victor, who meets the woman of his life and decides to marry her. Unfortunately, the relationship will have tragic outcomes (I won’t say more, I simply invite you to read its rather bizarre lyrics).

Other interesting moments are not lacking: there’s the relaxing instrumental "Strip and Go Naked", or the powerful "I Am The Spirit", "The Big Dance" (where Les Claypool makes an appearance on bass), another fun tribute to Beck (the album is actually full of them!) named "Shut Shuttin' Up", and the very fierce "Sending Out A Warning".

"Victor" is an eclectic and very experimental work, certainly not suited for those looking for similarities with the complex and virtuoso rock of Rush, but it could delight more savvy and open-minded listeners.