•
Rating: The Music of the Universe. The Rush return with a new album with a singular and mysterious name: "Clockwork Angels" evokes a Blade Runner-like atmosphere, a cyberpunk atmosphere. It would be more appropriate to talk about cyberprogressive rather than cyberpunk. "Clockwork Angels" is a futuristic album: from the already known "Caravan" (the single had been released in 2010) to the concluding and dreamy "The Garden," the passionate progressive of the Rush strikes again.
Headlong Flight is one of the standout tracks. It is a journey through space, light-years away from planet Earth. That journey that man takes in his dreams. That endless journey that man, as a dreaming being, takes on a special spaceship: his desires combined with his imagination. A spaceship that almost always has to reckon with reality and is called back to planet Earth.
Another standout track is the one with the same title as the CD, "Clockwork Angels". A celestial scenario, Geddy Lee's voice seems to descend from above, blended together with Alex Lifeson's resonant and distorted guitar and Neil Peart's underlying hammering. An angelic and, indeed, mechanical choir. Or rather, electric.
Other notable tracks are "The Anarchist" and "Halo Effect". The first perfectly outlines a character coming out of some science fiction chronicle that could very well be integrated into today's society. "A missing part of me that grows around me like a cage." The second is an illusion related to this journey. Skewed perceptions, a deviated course. Man gets lost in this surreal world.
"Clockwork Angels": what man desires and the tortuous journey that man must undertake to reach the object of his desires. Between illusions, disappointments, seven cities of gold ("Seven Cities Of Gold"), reality, and fantasy. All to arrive at a hypothetical garden, different for each of us.
Meanwhile, Geddy Lee has matured his voice (less sharp than usual). The voice of Mr. Lee mixed with Lifeson's guitar (in my opinion always too underrated) and Peart's drums take on in this album an almost mystical character for a decidedly magical result.
I hope for some Italian dates for the "mechanical angels" next year, in addition to the few European ones that have already been scheduled.
A little progressive magic never hurts.
"Were those angels high above?"
Tracklist and Videos
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Glauco
No difficulties nor the passage of time can undermine true talent.
The album sounds fresh and modern yet clearly inspired by Rush's classic periods.
By FPK91
"Such a hard sound hadn’t been heard for quite some time in the discography of the trio."
‘‘Clockwork Angels’’ is an ambitious album, unique, which requires many listens to be thoroughly savored.
By andy66
There is no doubt about the energy that still assists them, they are a true miracle of nature.
Since Counterparts, Rush has decided to definitively put their feet on the ground, after having flown above everyone for years, unattainable and inimitable.
By splinter
Rush astonish once again, not wanting to make a new Snakes And Arrows, and thus they deliver an album of sincere and sharp hard rock.
This is indeed an album worthy of their name and with its own identity, certainly taking inspiration from things the band has already done but is not a clone of any other album.
