Seriously, even if nothing else Rush ever played was metal enough for you, 'The Temples Of Syrinx' is undeniably heavy as fuck. Throw in their heaviest playing to date, and we have the heaviest slab of prog metal to ever exist in 1976. With mind boggling tight skillful playing and wonderfully crafted songs working smoothly together, they reach a level where even over the top showmanship cannot ruin their songs. On 2112 Rush finally reach the peak potential hinted at on previous albums.

Wow, what an interstellar leap in progress and subject matter! The trio would outdo themselves commercially on future releases, but this was the apex for Rush in terms of creativity, uniqueness, and performance. Even bands twenty years in the future would try replicating what Rush perfected here- Dream Theater on numerous attempts to capture the theatricality and technical excellence that Rush demonstrates here. How a human being can even sound like he does is beyond me, it's truly incredible.Дў112 became the blueprint for progressive rock. His voice wavers between sweetness and sheer power, like on the screams in the 'Presentation' segment of 2112. Geddy Lee's grasp on melody and his prowess as a bass player are what drives these endearing moments, even if the message behind them is haunting and distressed. The Asian-inspired riff on 'A Passage to Bangkok' is humorous, but the band proves themselves to be more than capable of expressing a more tender, forlorn side on songs like 'Tears' and the 'Soliloquy' portion of the opus. What's most provocative about this album, however, has to be the versatility that Rush displays- particularly in the B-side. His riffs have a strong groove that fits nicely with Geddy Lee's bass, and there are moments all over this thing that showcase Peart's manic and instrumentally dense drumming, even if it isn't the focus of the song (as it would be in later works). Lifeson often goes discredited as a guitarists, and his work on the prog scene of the seventies was massively influential to bands like Iron Maiden, Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, and Metallica. Starting with a three minute onslaught of riffing, Alex Lifeson runs through all of the main riffs of the song, introducing little flourishes to spice up the intro. The music itself here is sheer brilliance. He ends up committing suicide upon wondering about what life could be with things as beautiful as music and art, instead of statues of the lords reinforcing obedience.Д«ut what's most striking about this song is actually not drummer Neil Peart's genius in the lyricism. It's told from the perspective of an innocent boy (presumably by the tone) who discovers a guitar, and when he presents it to the lords in power, he is properly shunned. The song tells the story of a futuristic dystopia where intergalactic tyrants have banned all forms of creativity: no music, no art, no individuality- in favor of maximizing productivity. The album begins with a true masterpiece of a progressive rock song, the title track that's split into seven parts. In 1976, at the behest of label pressures, they delivered the most conceptually ambitious and forward-thinking album to date. Rush had one of the most memorable runs of the 1970s and the early '80s, and undoubtedly had a profound influence on many metal acts of their era and the era that followed.

Rush 2112 full album lyrics