HEMISPHERES

The last Rush album to feature a sidelong epic, and also the last Rush album to feature Geddy's abrasive screaming, which would, I sometimes think unfortunately, be replaced by his more matured controlled voice. Lyrically Hemispheres picks up where Cygnus X-1 Book 1 left off although musically it sounds little like its predecessor. The interplay between Geddy and Alex on this track is nothing short of beautiful. With Alex providing some of the best riffs heard since 2112. However, Neil Peart really grabs my ears and refuses to let go. He propels us though the epic at mock speed and really never lets up. Busy greatly understates his playing here which constitutes a song by itself.

Circumstances often receives heat as the weakest song on the album, and even as a weaker one in the Rush catalogue. I don't see why this is so. This highly technical, mathematical piece is propelled by Geddy's driving bass, a great example of Rush's ability to write shorter pieces of music.

The Trees starts out with some light wind chimes and acoustic strumming to put you in the mood until Alex's electric guitar roars and brings us into this rather upbeat social commentary.

The instrumental La Villa Strangiato closes out the album as a rather self-indulgent piece which nonetheless fails to bore at any point. The band's interplay and cohesiveness is really showcased in their instrumental tracks and this here is no different. Alex performs a particularly beautiful guitar solo in this piece that ranks among his best

Hemispheres is the best album in the second chapter of Rush, nearly all Zeppelin influence is gone, but synthesizers have yet to overpower Rush's music. Hemispheres shows a band at its zenith and is an essential album for any prog collection.