Released: 2007
Genres: Progressive Rock, Hard Rock
The Musiquarium’s Snakes & Arrows Review Score: 3.5/5
2002’s Vapor Trails was a decent album mired by over-compressed, brick-walled production, so it made sense for Rush to find a more capable producer, which they eventually found in Nick Raskulinecz, who had previously worked with bands like Foo Fighters. Fortunately, Snakes & Arrows does sound significantly better than its predecessor.
Far Cry starts the album out on a high note, and is one of the band’s best singles of the past 20 years. Armor & Sword is accentuated by that late 70s/early 80s new wave guitar sound that Alex Lifeson had mastered. Workin’ Them Angels is another great song that could have easily been a single. For those who aren’t fond of Geddy Lee’s vocals, you can always count on a great Rush instrumental, and there are three here: The Main Monkey Business, Hope and Malignant Narcissism.
Snakes & Arrows finds Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart still displaying expert musical precision on their respective instruments, and sure, Geddy Lee’s voice has aged a bit, but for being released 33 years after their debut, this is a fantastic album with lots to offer from the veteran prog rockers, who have stayed far more consistent than any of their prog rock contemporaries.
For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Rush on Discogs.
Back to the 2007 Album Guide or the Rush Reviews page.
Written by Brett Nippard.