2112

Being a little dissapointed with their highly acclaimed Moving Pictures, I decided to go back on Rush discography, starting by this album. I came to the conclusion that Rush are in their best when their ROCK. In fact, this album is an amazing trip of adrenaline, power and rock, that puts me very high. It blows my head apart everytime I listen to it because it rocks so hard, damn, I need more of this! Another thing is that Rush play with so much passion! At first, I didn't like very much Geddy's voice, and I even came to think that it ruined the music. But after some time, I realised it suits the music perfectly and makes the whole experience even more intense with the high pitched vocals. Also, the guitar work is outstanding, stunning riffs here and there, and well thought solos. Lee's Rickenbacker has THE perfect tone for rock music and makes a very, very solid base with the proffesor Peart who is as impeccable live as in studio.

Going to the tracks, the 20 minute opener epic "2112" is a masterpiece itself. Going down to the parts, The Overture and The Temples Of Syrinx are perfect and when the killer riff comes in I feel I'm in heaven. Geddy sings with so much passion on the chorus! The rest of the epic goes up and down, with some gentle acoustic guitar parts, soft segments to contrast with the ROCKER, loud parts. Ahhhhhh, so much power! Memorable parts here and there, and the three guitar solos, specially the first one, are to be remembered. Epic Hard Prog masterpiece. I'm glad I discovered this. Then goes "A Passage To Bangkok" a catchy, song with a nice main riff and a very well thought chorus, very enjoyable. "The Twilight Zone" is next. This one goes down a little bit and has an spacy feel attached to it, relaxing overall. In the exact moment when you may want the rock back, there comes "Lessons", which starts with happy acoustic guitar and a country feel, and then explodes, again, with Geddy suiting the music perfectly with his voice. Intense. This is intense! The ending guitar solo is mindblowing. To calm down things a bit, "Tears", the obligatory ballad, goes, which, while not being outstanding as the other ones, is still enjoyable. To finish things up, the rocker side of Rush comes back again with "Something For Nothing". More complex than the other short songs, and flows very natural, as a rock trip with constant headbanging, specially on the chorus. Intense again. Then I think I want more, but I realise the album has finished.

I think I leave my head at another place after listening to this recording. The only weaker track is the ballad "Tears". The rest is Hard Prog masterliness, and 2112 is now among my favorite songs ever. This rocks. This rocks hard. And anyone who likes this side of music ought to hear it.

Rating: 4.8/5