2112

After some halfhearted attempts Rush enteres the realm of progressive rock in a heavy fashion with a marvelous 20 minute epic. After this album they will improve even further, to me this album is the end of the first phase of Rush, and without a doubt the best album from those 4 early Rush albums.

Side 1 Heavy metal opening, with heavy guitars, great drumming and a strong bassline opens the show, getting more heavy as the Overture develops into The Temples Of Syrinx, which feature some great vocals from Geddy, a trully exciting piece of music. After the 7 minute opening a slow instrumental takes over with a little experimentation. After that the piece alternates from hard rock parts to slow and softer elements, heading for a great heavy metal final. The intro and the final are very easy to get into, but the parts in the middle needs some more listenings, but it really is a great piece.

Side 2 Some good songs, where Rush plays again heavy rock, as they did on the former three albums, only a bit better. Some accoustics thrown in for good measure, and a pleasant listen throughout, but like the previous albums not brilliant. best songs on side 2 are A Passage To Bangkok and Something For Nothing.

I'm inclined to give the album 4 stars, but the weaker side 2 keep me from it. I recommend this album to all because of the great intro to 2112, which is required listening for all metal fans. 3,5 stars really.