CARESS OF STEEL

The progressive era of Rush could have very well started with this album. Of course, that is up for debate but I truly believe the golden age of these Canadian musicians began with their third offering, "Caress of Steel." A mixture of hard rock a la Led Zeppelin with their fantasy-like, Tolkien-esque sound combine to produce a very solid release. I consider it to be a key turning point in their career as they started to develop into one of the more famous bands in the genre, making more complex compositions as displayed in "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth". However, as important as "Caress of Steel" was to Rush's development, there still are minor flaws that made me consider it unfit for five stars.

"Bastille Day" is straightforward rocker, but not quite to the likes of their first album. This song is more in the prog realm, although not entirely. Still pretty good. "I Think I'm Going Bald" is the weakest track in "Caress of Steel", in my opinion. It's humorous and catchy but other than that, there is not much going on. "Lakeside Park" is easily the best of the shorter songs. Pensive lyrics and a "dreamy" atmosphere makes the song one of the best, if not the best, song on the album. We now make our way to the 2 epics.

"The Necromancer" begins with a deep voice, a narrator of sorts. The song is dark, overall, featuring Lifeson's trademark guitar and the great rhythm section of Lee and Peart. "The Fountain of Lamneth" is also in the same vein as "The Necromancer", only longer. We encounter a cimmerian and gloomy atmosphere with "The Fountain...", with the shrieks and wails of Geddy leading the way. It tends to get slightly uninteresting as the song progresses, but overall, a great 20 minute closer to the album that paved the way for Rush's success.

I would recommend this album to anyone curious to explore Rush and those who have an interest in raw, aggressive prog . I would also suggest to go chronologically from there, so one can experience the development of such an acclaimed band as this one.

An excellent addition, indeed.

1. "Bastille Day" - 8/10

2. "I Think I'm Going Bald" - 7.5/10

3. "Lakeside Park" - 8.5/10

4. "The Necromancer" - 8/10

5. "The Fountain of Lamneth" - 8.5/10

40.5/5 = 81% = 4(-) stars