CLOCKWORK ANGELS

This CD starts with the first 2 singles; "Caravan" and "BU2B", who are two strong tracks. Then the title track "Clockkwork Angels" is even better with his catchy melody. Then it's followed by some tracks that shows some interesting moments, but the songwriting is not as strong as the first three tracks.We have to wait for the song "The Wreckers" to see some more inspiring music, where the band is more focused on developing their ideas, instead of following their instincts. "Headlong Flight" is the third single and is another heavy song that is very enjoyable. "Wish them Well" is the weakest tracks of the CD. And the standout track is at the end, with "The Garden", showing the band going in a different direction, with a powerful ballad with classical arrangements, a nice piano break that is the entry to the beautiful Alex's guitar solo. The lyrics are really perfect here, matching the music very well, to release all the emotions.

The musicianship on this CD is flawless, no surprise coming from this old band. But i really think that Geddy Lee is stealing the show with his bass sound throughout this CD. His sound was high in the mix , so we can appreciate all the nuances of his playing. As for the influences of the music with previous material, all this being purely accidental, and subjective, i would say that this is a logic evolution of Snakes and Arrows in terms of music style, but very different on the composition level. But it's obvious that the band sound is closer to their hard rock style of Fly By Night and 2112, then the sound of their progressive era after those 2 CDS. The band is now making heavy prog that as more to do with hard rock then prog, which is like they were returning to their roots since the "Counterparts"'s CD

In conclusion, Clockwork Angels is a little stronger then Snakes and Arrows, but there also some inconsistency in the quality level of compositions in the middle of the CD. It's a solid work, but this is not your classic "Moving Pictures".

3.8 STARS