VAPOR TRAILS

I had pretty much given up on Rush, after Presto. Hold Your Fire was a flat, uninspired mess, and after that I listened to the band with far more critical ears than I ever thought I would. Presto was a modest recovery, but the songs seemed more timid overall (especially side 2), and I simply moved on to other more driving and compelling music for the next decade. Even Test For Echo didn't motivate me enough to make me pay attention. at least at the time.

But Vapor Trails has brought it all back. Finally, a Rush album that rocks harder than anything they've done since Permanent Waves, and I've been hooked. Not all the tracks here are equally solid, but none are bad, and the album as a whole is coherent and effective. And indeed, several of the songs are very, very, very good (Peaceable Kingdom, Freeze, Vapor Trail to name a few).

This album has a potency that has been missing from Rush music for a long time, and it is a welcome return. Finally, they put the "Power" back in Power Trio. I highly recommend this album, especially for fellow Rush fans who'd loved them back in the day, but felt they'd gone adrift in recent years.