Released: 2012

Genres: Progressive Rock, Hard Rock

The Musiquarium’s Clockwork Angels Review Score: 9 out of 10

Rush doesn’t really have any bad albums, though most fans will agree that their best work was behind them by the late eighties. There were some decent Rush albums and songs over the next couple of decades, but it wasn’t until Clockwork Angels, that Rush had released something on part with their peak material from 1976-1984.

Working with producer Nick Raskulinecz again, Clockwork Angels sounds great, and while it’s still not quite comparable to that vintage sound that Terry Brown produced (1974’s Fly By Night to 1982’s Signals), it’s probably about as good as you can get for a modern album from a legacy prog rock band.

Lead single Caravan and its b-side BU2B were teased back in 2010, two years before the album had actually released. Caravan sounded gargantuan, with its massive guitar riff and solid chorus, with BU2B being just as heavy and memorable. As a Rush fan, I was ecstatic for the album.

When Clockwork Angels did finally drop in 2012, fans were treated with the most conceptual that Rush had gotten since the seventies, with a loose concept based around a steampunk-themed world. Neil Peart began to write more down-to-earth and relatable lyrics from the eighties onwards, but it’s as if he’s revisited the fantasy books that birthed the lyrics to most of Rush’s greatest works.

The second single, Headlong Flight, did not disappoint when it released nearly two years after Caravan, with more of the inspired songwriting that birthed the preceding singles, and some of Alex Lifeson’s best guitar work in a long time. The title track evokes the new wave guitars of Hemispheres and Permanent Waves. The Anarchist starts with Neil Pearts’ drums, before chunky basslines and guitars enter. Geddy Lee’s bass riff on Seven Cities of Gold dares to be one of his best riffs yet. The Garden is a beautiful and fitting end to both the album and to the Rush canon.

Other than Geddy Lee’s aged (but still impressive) voice and the modern production, this album sounds like peak Rush and is everything a fan could ask for from the band in 2012. Clockwork Angels is a legendary finish for Canada’s greatest classic rock band.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Rush on Discogs.

Back to the 2012 Album Guide or the Rush Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard