Exclusive: "Clockwork Angels" pre listening session - The first impressions of the new Rush album

Thursday, 3rd of May. 30 people, including myself, packed one of London's most famous recording studios. We weren't there to record anything or to use the massive organ that was situated at the far side of the establishment, but to have the privilege to partake in the wonderful experience of listening to Rush's highly anticipated new album, "Clockwork Angels", before anyone else.



Conversation was running wild, all topics obviously regarding the Canadian legends, such as the amount of times people have been to a Rush show or when their first Rush show was, and opinions regarding the songs that have already aired off of "Clockwork Angels".

Everyone got a little pamphlet, written by Neal Peart himself, that thoroughly described the recording process of the album we were about to listen, and as it is well known that Peart and impressive literary skills are no strangers, all conversations started to die down as everyone sunk into his words.

A few minutes later, we were informed that the full running time of the album was just over an hour and wished us a pleasant listen. Let's get started then.

The album starts off with "Caravan", defined by its sharp and rhythmic riff, its impressive bassline and distinctive time signatures, and moves on with "BU2B", which carries on with a similar attitude (heavy riff and rather catchy chorus), gives us the best of first impressions and sets a pretty good pace for what we were to expect from the rest of the album: primary focus on the rhythm section and Peart’s drumming, that is impressive as always, revolving around the heavy/modern/powerful riffs played by Alex Lifeson.

Moving on, the album's title-track, "Clockwork Angels", starts off with an ambient intro accompanied by chants nicely placed in the background, only to continue with distorted guitar melodies at a relative mid-tempo pace, and to subsequently dive into a more dynamic sequence, with Peart's drumming being an integral part of the chorus. It has to be said that the pattern followed by the song is one that Rush have not been shy to use in the past, thus it doesn't generate any general amazement. One of the main notions that comes to mind is that Geddy Lee seems to avoid higher-range vocal approaches, and prefers to stay in a lower-range comfort zone.

"Anarchist" once again seems to display Peart's technical abilities nicely, as they accompany a simple, yet interesting riff, however, unfortunately, the chorus seems to lack the factor that would make this song stand out.

Lifeson was definitely on a roll when coming up with the guitar riffs of this album, as demonstrated once more in "Carnies". Yet another modern riff, with undeniable head-banging potential, which unfortunately only leads to an average chorus. Peart’s signature drumming is yet again evident throughout the song, as his ambition to break through the norms of classic rock and into more intricate patterns is clearly obvious.

The following track, "Halo Effect", starts off with an interesting acoustic intro which slowly builds up to a more dynamic song that definitely stands out due to its impressively melodic middle section and the use of strings throughout it, whereas, "Seven Cities Of Gold"  seems to follow the general path of the album: a well defined bassline, a groovy and powerful riff, but a rather uninspired chorus...

"The Wreckers" is probably one of the most memorable tracks of the album. Sweet guitar melodies, a wonderful verse and at last, a catchy chorus! It is the perfect track to open the way for the album's arguably best song, "Headlong Fight". No wonder it was selected as the promotional single for the album, it is flawless. Modern sound, speed, impressive musicianship, irresistibly groovy basslines, tempo changes, the whole package!

"BU2B2" is a sub-two minute vocal track that is accompanied by an orchestra, that leads to "Wish Them Well", which is nothing if not a cheeky wink to their 80s past.

The album finishes off ideally with the melodic and slightly emotional, "The Garden".



To sum things up, being totally aware that a single listen can in no way be considered sufficient to fully come up with a verdict for an album, the general impression "Clockwork Angels" left me was that it is an album focusing primarily on a modern sound, powerful riffs and distinct drumming feel. It is unquestionably the logical step forward after "Snakes & Arrows", however I do believe it is a bit inferior than its predecessor. It is definitely flawless when regarding the technical abilities of the trio (which was something we wouldn't doubt in the first place), however it seems to lack the same drive and ambition in the chorus department, and Geddy's voice seems to be a bit drained at times.

In any case, for a more in depth presentation and analysis of the album ...you'll just have to wait a few days.