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Dear DeBaser community members, with this first review, I present myself to you, hoping to be welcomed with goodwill: I have long been following your passionate and often amusing musical discussions "behind the scenes"... I also hope not to cause any harm by being the first to review the latest effort of one of the bands most beloved by nearly all of you and beyond... I also kindly ask you to view my personal profile listed here for "service" communications that fall outside of this review..
Therefore, it is about "Clockwork Angels" by the legendary Rush, a band that certainly needs no introduction and whose "Journey" I have been following in real-time since "Power Windows". The work, for those familiar with the Canadian trio, will sound clearly inspired by the first and second period of their productions, with "Signals" and "Moving Pictures" primarily, yet at the same time sounding fresh and modern. What stands out the most is a certain maturity in the vocal tone coloring of Geddy Lee, something probably due, besides an acquired physical "maturity", to a precise stylistic choice of voice equalization in recording. This is evident throughout the album but particularly in the splendid "The Wreckers", which stylistically recalls "Everyday Glory" as in "The Garden", which closes the album in an exemplary manner, including an unprecedented central piano insert for them performed by Jason Sniderman, bringing them, in my opinion, closer to the solo atmospheres of Peter Gabriel. In these two tracks, Lee's vocal melodies at times resemble those of Nick Barrett, guitarist-singer of the "colleague" band Pendragon, a lesser-known progressive band that, although of quality, is certainly less technical and original than the Canadian trio. Needless to say, in all tracks, the bass and keyboard parts are impeccably executed by Lee, as well as the solid and musical drumming of Mr. Peart who, for the occasion, revives the winning concept album formula abandoned with "2112" and "Hemispheres", milestones of hard rock as a whole. The story, not yet exhaustively explained by the author, tells of a boy who, through dreams, embarks on a journey that will lead him to face life's problems and matters through various characters, including the "Watchmaker", an entity that marks time and deadlines in strict schedules...(a clear metaphor of modern times...).
"Dulcis in Fundo", we come to Mr. Lifeson's guitar work, always a great arranger, returning to a task already undertaken with "Snakes and Arrows", less effect-laden and with a series of valid solos that fortunately distance him from the, in my opinion, pretentious sounds of the chaotic "Vapor Trails." As always, the rhythmic and acoustic guitars are excellent; the only note for this writer concerns the sonic and stylistic choice in some solos, such as in the aforementioned "The Garden", where, in an attempt to dirty the sound and arrangement as in his famous solos of the past, he ventures into some perhaps too dissonant chromatic passages. In addition to the already well-known and excellent "Caravan" and "BU2B", singles from the now distant 2010, the title track and "Headlong Flight" stand out, which in their seven minutes of duration contain beautiful arrangements that recall the glories of "The Camera Eye" and its surroundings. All tracks are, however, of excellent quality and without a loss of style. Special mention should be made for the orchestral work in some tracks by Canadian composer David Richard Campbell, for the co-production by Nick Rackulinecz, and for the transition to Roadrunner Records, which has excellently produced the work with a production worthy of the subject in question.
A thanks to a certain Vittorio Nanni, who, by briefly reviewing the CD on Amazon, made me discover, I hadn't noticed yet, that the hands of the splendid cover clock point to 21:12.... A special greeting to Antonio D'Este (a community member), a long-time acquaintance and fellow citizen with whom I shared some moments of my early musical experiences. Without any further digressions, this new release by "Rush" receives the maximum rating as they haven't given us such a beautiful album at least since the days of "Counterparts", proving that no difficulties nor the passage of time can undermine true talent...
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Other reviews
By Bloody Francy
"A spaceship that almost always has to reckon with reality and is called back to planet Earth."
"Geddy Lee mixed with Lifeson’s guitar and Peart’s drums take on in this album an almost mystical character for a decidedly magical result."
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.
