PRESTO

After some excellent and challenging albums from the eighties, when they fooled around dangerously with pop-prog music; releasing a fabulous work like Grace Underpressure, a almost weak Power Windows and a well balanced Hold Your Fire, there was a moment for a great change in their musical direction. This expected change came upon us, but I think it was a miss in its beginning.

Presto sounds like a return to Rush presenting the heavier sound of earlier days. Gone are dominating synthesizers, back are guitars leading role. It may represent or not an escaping from progressive sound; but it is up to our three top skilled musicians to match all we love in progressive rock, no matter what instrument or level of heaviness leads the way. We all know we can be too heavy and deeply prog, Bob Fripp showed it on Red?

So, what is wrong about this album ? The answer is; we have a bunch of too poor songs and no strong ones to elevate the overall quality. This is the missing point here, compositions does not match Rush traditional superb quality. The disappointment begins with the weak opener, becomes a little better (just a little), with Chain Lighting and The Pass, but everything else does not convince that Rush could have done something far better. Even the undeniable dominance over their instruments and the fantastic way they as ever play it makes me avoid two and a half stars, rounded to two.

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