Rush Clockwork Angels

In the wake of the trenchant documentary film Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage, it's likely that even more eyes and ears than usual will be focused on the next Rush release. For their 19th studio album, the long-lived Canadian rockers who put the "power" in "power trio" have once again engaged the services of producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters), who also oversaw the band's previous outing, 2007's Snakes & Arrows. While a certain segment of Rush's vast fanbase may be disappointed to hear guitarist Alex Lifeson deny any intentions of a classic-style concept album, there are likely many more Rush obsessives who will be heartened at the hard-hitting, riff-based approach the band takes on a number of Clockwork Angels' tracks.

Abstract by Jim Allen