Return of Rush (Vapor Trails - Rush)

Member Name: Meikle

Product:	Vapor Trails - Rush
Date:	09/10/02 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Rush are back!, Superb music, loud and listenable, Will last for a long time

Disadvantages: Difficult for album to hold together with so many songs

They were six long years. Neil had lost his wife and daughter, Alex and Geddy had solo projects and there was no certainty that Rush would ever release a new album. When it did happen there were the worries. Could they still achieve the same technical standard? Would the songwriting take a while before they gelled again? Would the result be disappointing after such a wait?

They could, it didn't and it wasn't.

From start to finish this album is filled with energy. The music is as complex as you'd expect from Rush, but they've cut out all keyboards. Alex's guitar gives a very edgy sound to a lot of the songs and there's something that grabs you in just about every one of them. Most noticable of all, the album is loud, from start to finish. This is their heaviest album in a long, long time.

The lyrics are themed around Neil's thoughts over the last few years. There's certainly sadness in there, but also a lot of hope, a sense of getting up and getting on, looking forward to the future.

It's hard to listen to the whole album as a unit. It's very long, so doing each song justice is difficult at first. But listen to a few tracks at a time, and just about every one of them grows on you. Highlights for me are One Little Victory, Ceiling Unlimited, Noctune and Freeze. There aren't really any fillers, but The Stars Look Down doesn't appeal to me as much as the rest of the album.

It's been 4 months since Vapor Trails was released. It's still the only thing I listen to walking to the bus stop in the morning. By far the best thing I've heard in a long time.

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