HOLD YOUR FIRE

1) Force Ten (7/10) A pretty subtle opener to the album, and is very generic for most of the song. It just sounds melodramatic to me, and the bass, while intriguing, never gets past one or two of the same tabs and wears out its welcome. Alex is non-existent on this song, as I can't even distinguish any guitars. The last minute thirty salvages the whole song. though, as some excellently original synths interplay with great drums and guitar. An average song until the final section.

2) Time Stand Still (2/10) Just a terrible, boring song. How can anybody choose to listen to this over, say, something off of Hemispheres is beyond me. It is just so generic and never really picks up the pace. Very poor.

3) Open Secrets (8/10) What is this, inventive guitar? I thought that the instrument called the guitar would never reach the light of day on this album. The song almost sounds parted- the first part utilizes a Floyd-esque guitar as a kind of chorus, the second part using the same Floyd style but in a different pattern. Both parts work, and the only thing keeping this song back from a higher rating is the crappy singing parts, which has too much emphasis on the voice and not enough emphasis on the band as a whole.

4) Second Nature (2/10) The only thing separating this song from any other eighties pop song is Geddy's voice, and thats it. No real energy from the band here, just going through the motions. It is simply hard to believe that Rush, masters of rock, could release something like this.

5) Prime Mover (5/10) While it is good to see some sort of rock on this, this is not the kind of rock you want from Rush. It is very pedestrian and no one instrument takes command and makes a good impression. Sometimes the entire band as a whole performing without a power instrument is good, but here it is very very bad.

6) Lock and Key (6/10) It starts off slow, but thankfully builds up speed into a decent rocker. Cool bass and percussion carry the song, and unfortunately guitars are left in the background. But very good drums.

7) Mission (5/10) A strange song that builds up to a great section from about 3:15-3:45, but after that returns to pop, but then finally ends with a good guitar solo that seems shortened. The excellent thirty seconds sounds like full on Rush, with an awesome guitar and bass solo. Excellent bit there, but otherwise just more generic music.

8) Turn the Page (5/10) An inspired performance for Rush, and those fond of the eighties music will be glad with this effort. There seems to be real creativity here, but it is not in my vein of music. A guitar solo near the end that is complemented by exciting drums is a nice bit, but that is my taste. The rest is for those who enjoy the eighties, so I would recommend this song to ye who enjoy the eighties.

9) Tai Shan (5/10) Rush's oddest song that they have ever put out. A foray in to Asian-inspired music is interesting, but is never captivating nor catchy. It is not Rush's place, and they have gone too far out of their original niche for their own good. While this has been praised by others, it is just not what Rush is to me, and is just boring music. But it is worth a listen for Rush fans, because it is important to see how experimental and inventive they got.

10) High Water (7/10) A good rocker to end out the album. Excellent snappy bass is used throughout the song and it carries the tempo. It can be fun to listen to, but there is the familiar generic sound and singing that plagues this album and the song. But its not horrible, and the guitar solo at the end is a good listen.

Total: 52/100= 5.2/10= 2.6/5

Since it is in that middle area between 2 and 3 stars, my fudge factor will lower it to a 2 simply because this, for the most part, is not Rush-like music. It is mostly synth driven pop from the eighties that is not the heavy prog that Rush fans love. A disappointing effort, and at the time of this review it is my least favorite Rush album.

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