HEMISPHERES

This may be my biggest testimony for how Prog rock can grow on you, and how multiple listens yield to better appreciation as well as greater understanding. This album is quite essentially the perfect example for how different music may sound on the surface in contrast to what is really underneath all those power chords.

The first song, a continuation from where the previous album left off (though it isn't so easily revealed to be so, musically), is in my opinion a staple of progressive rock. This is Rush in their progressive prime. Not only will you find undeniable instrumental skill from all three members, you will find interesting lyrics that tell a story so perfectly with the music, the two may as well be one. At first listen, "Cygnus X-1: Book II - Hemispheres" may sound simple, even repetitive at times. Here is where multiple listens is essential, because once I realized how each rhythmic section represented the story, and how that story came to be, it was so glorious and epic that Rush was instantly propelled to one of my all-time favorite bands. This song successfully combines two elements that are hardly seen together: heavy rock and mythological story-telling. A masterpiece of prog.

"Circumstances" is a catchy tune that adds flavor to the album, if only just a little. The chorus will make you sing along despite being half French and half English (well, French-Canadian anyways). Certainly an excellent Rush song for fans of any of their work, and fans of classic rock in general.

"The Trees" offers another story representing the oppression of the Maples (Canada) from the Oaks (U.S.A.), though I'm not what you would call a historian so I don't really know what their referencing. Anywayyy this song has some interesting elements about it. Musical passages that, once memorized, will rock your socks off. Not to be overlooked by any means.

"La Villa Strangiato" ends the album just as well as "Cygnus" began it. Everything that is Progressive-era Rush is in this song. Virtuous skill and flawless execution. Their longest instrumental song, this one is a rapid-fire ride that will rise and fall with exact precision. A staple for Rush-fans and Prog-fans alike, "Strangiato" will not disappoint, particularly if you enjoyed the rest of the album before it.

Overall, this album deserves five stars because it truly is flawless. Rush have created a perfectly balanced masterpiece here and I think even if you don't care for heavy sounding guitar riffs, you should give this album a chance because it is certainly more than it appears to be.