Indeed, Rush's ability to never downplay their ability to stay relevant and never re-hash old material remains apparent across the freshness of Clockwork Angels along with being able to uphold the spirit of older classics. Halo Effect transcends into the kind of stomping rhythms that have made Hemispheres and Moving Pictures such undisputed classics, while the crunching riffage and rumbling basslines and smooth-and-simultaneously jarring vocal calls of Geddy Lee on BU2B has a reminiscence to their more modern contemporaries in Mastodon or Isis.
Needless to say, with the general prog fanbase not exactly being the youngest and trendiest of audiences, there's always going to be a demand for undisputed classics and Clockwork Angels is no 2112 or Hemispheres but at the same time, it serves as a tremendous display of Lifeson, Lee and Peart doing what they do best and demonstrating their musical virtuosity, especially with the album being an improvement upon 2007's Snakes & Arrows and a greater attempt to really absorb listeners within a warmer production that really invites listeners to the class of Seven Cities of Gold and the melancholic grandeur that closes the album on The Garden.
So, with much wonder and beauty on offer across, Clockwork Angels makes itself not a classic Rush album but an undeniably solid release that proves that the Canadian trio are still capable of launching listeners into a world of total wonder and immersion that leaves a lasting impact that proves not only how talented Rush are at creating layered otherworldly soundscapes but have the musical ability to just rock the fuck out! It's rare that a band reaches their nineteenth album these days and you never know how many more albums they have in them, but if that does happen, they can certainly go out on a high note.
Rush's Clockwork Angels is out now via Roadrunner. The band will tour the UK in May 2013.
