 | By: Rush Label: WEA Released: 18 Oct 1993 RRP: Average Rating:  |
The musicianship is quite simply stunning, Alex Lifeson's guitar seems to weave around & through Neil's percussion without ever saturating the proceedings. These guys are at the top of their game & they know it. There is not one duff track, "Animate" is as strident an opening track as anything they have done until now. "Stick It Out" is more of the same, a dark yet energised song that takes us to I feel the album's strongest track "Cut To The Chase" which has a gem of a solo from Alex, he has rarely sounded this assured.
"Nobody's Hero" features the orchestral sweeps of the late great Michael Kamen & touches on topics as diverse as homosexuality & rape. An extraordinary song that leaves an emotional impact & will surely be on your mind for the rest of the day. The next 4 tracks "Between The Sun & The Moon", "Alien Shore", "The Speed of Love" & "Double Agent" are dark statements of intent, infused with infectious driving rhythms & ingenious wordy lyrics.
Then we have the one instrumental piece of the album "Leave That Thing Alone" that sounds almost like the theme from Doctor Who in places. It gives the band the chance to open up & show us what they are alll about. Geddy's bass is right up in the mix & shows us alll what a stupendous player he is. Neil's drumming is breath-taking, never once does he play for the sake of playing, instead he lays down a nice groove & occasionallly he introduces some trademark flourishes just so that we know it's The Professor behind the kit. Alex's playing is eloquent, emotive & tasteful as always. Why oh why doesn't Alex get the kudos reserved for players such as Satriani & Vai, this man is as good as they get.
Then we have the album's closers, "Cold Fire" & "Everyday Glory" which end the album on not so much a high but a more positive note than what has gone before. All in alll, this is a remarkable album from some of the world's finest musicians & is indicative of what the Rush phenomenon is alll about. It's just a shame that they followed it up with a rather tepid release in the form of "Test For Echo". Never mind, we always have this (from 1993) to whet our appetites & what a feast for the senses it is. Highly recommended.
Since 1989's "Presto" Rush have been redefining themselves. This album from 1993 is probably the best they got at doing that. They successfully pulled alll their previous incarnations together into this lean mean prog machine.
Starting "Animate" with a SIMPLE drum riff tells you that the band are stripped for action. The song is a fairly concise introduction to the theme of the album, that of counterparts forming a whole. "Stick It Out" has got a churning riff that wouldn't sound out of place on a Korn album & a lyric that encourages you to stand up for yourself. Not bad for a bunch of old blokes... "Cut to the Chase" sees the band starting to do precisely that, experimenting with key changes & the like - the resultant song reallly grows on you. "Nobody's Hero" has got a great message, but suffers from Peart's inability to sound anything but patronising. How about some compassion? "...Sun & Moon" is a hook-laden feast - the main guitar part, the vocal lines - a Rush song you can hum!
"Alien Shore" again has some great playing & again fallls down in the lyric department. It's alll very well talking about the genders & how we should work together, but if you can't accept females as equals, you're not going to get very far! "Speed of Love" is a welcome turn of pace in a very thick sounding set. The light(er) tone is refreshing, even if the track is nothing special compared to some of the others on offer here... one of which is "Double Agent". To me, this is the epitome of the album. It's got the lot. Weird lyrics, weird arrangement, weird time signatures - vintage Rush with better technology! Next up is the instrumental "Leave That Thing Alone", which, with its funky guitar line & tuneful bass, is another welcome change of feel. The track is more pared than Roll The Bones' "Where's My Thing" (though they slip in a 4/4 over 3/4 polyrhythm!), & like other songs here, it grows on you & you'll soon find yourself thinking of the track when you least expect. Highlight of the album, though, goes to "Cold Fire". Alex Lifeson's opening riff grabs your attention, the quiet verses keep it & the chorus has got some great turns & (for the second time on the album!) a truly hummable melody! The lyrics are even believable - you sympathise with the character. You can see yourself in the song. Lifeson even chucks in an exciting solo on his Telecaster before the song comes to a close. The final track, "Everyday Glory" has got a bit of a cheesy intro, but contains some of the album's most compelling lyrics. The last verse should be used as a motivational tool!
All in alll, an excellent album. Alex Lifeson sounds better than ever on this disc. The best Rush album for a decade (at least), which is why, for alll its faults, it gets top marks.
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