2112

To my ears ''Caress of Steel'' was a really hot start into more adventurous territories for Rush, unfortunately the public did not share the same opinion and the album was followed by limited sales and, thus, to small live tours.Mercury pressed the band to return with a more commercial album in the future, instead Rush seemed to believe in their own forces and returned with ''2112'', which contained another sidelong track.The album was recorded in February 1976 at the Toronto Sound Studios in Toronto and introduced for the first time Hugh Syme as a guest member on keyboards, the man who was responsible for the surreal artworks of Rush'es albums.

The eponymous track, clocking at 20 minutes, was based in a concept story set in Neil Part's mind, taking place in the year 2112 when everything is controlled by the so-called ''Priests of the Temples of Syrinx''.Musically this is a Hard Rock-oriented piece with progressive leanings, not really based on indulgent technique or virtuosic solos, but more on the beautiful atmospheric changes throughout the track.Basically it moves through the electroacoustic alternations and presents a variety of moods depending on the lyrics, offering sharp guitar riffs and intense rhythmic passages, where the LED ZEPPELIN bluesy influences are still apparent, along with dreamy acoustic lines and Lee's high-pitched voice in the forefront.Syme provides the opening synth effects on the ARP Odyssey synthesizer and the tracks flows amazingly easy despite its length.

The second side is more easy-going, typical of Rush'es style during their early years, with shorter tracks, however the songwriting remains incredibly consistent at some point.''A passage to Bangkok'' is a very dramatic Hard Rock cut with outstanding guitar work and excellent solos, while ''The twilight zone'' offers a mix of pleasant Blues Rock lines with light psychedelic tunes and good guitar melodies.''Lessons'' is rather forgettable and sounds too amateur regarding the composing level Rush had reached at the time, but the following ''Tears'' shows the more sensitive side of the group, introducing Syme's Mellotron over Lee's emotional vocals and Lifeson's ethereal acoustic guitar.The album closes with ''Something for nothing'', another track that recalls more of Rush'es first albums, being Hard Rock-oriented with guitars in the forefront and strong LED ZEPPELIN inspirations.

While the best had yet to come, ''2112'' moves the style of Rush a bit further.Keyboard introductions, a tendency towards constantly more progressive songwriting and a concept story as the centerpiece of another release.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.