RUSH — Caress of Steel (review)

RUSH — Caress of Steel album cover Album · 1975 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Conor Fynes
'Caress Of Steel' - Rush (8/10)

'Caress Of Steel' has long been one of my most fond Rush releases. It was essentially the turning point for Rush leaving their generic classic rock roots behind, for greener fields. Putting 'Caress Of Steel' into context, it is without a doubt their most revolutionary and ambitious effort. While the three first songs could have easily been part of the prior album 'Fly By Night,' 'Caress Of Steel' really shines with the presence of not one, but TWO epics, 'The Necromancer' and 'The Fountain Of Lamneth.' For both of this compositions, there is a heavily Tolkien-influenced fantasy theme that abounds. 'The Necromancer' is a very dark and progressive piece. There's alot of weird effects heard here, and it adds to the atmosphere. After a monotonous bit of dialogue setting the stage, Geddy Lee's voice comes in and begins the story of the tale of 'three travellers going deep into a dark realm' (anyone else thinking of 'The Two Towers?') After a very prog section, a refreshing happy-sounding finale comes, with some nice melodic leads. It's very beautiful, and a sharp contrast to the mainly dark mood of the song.

'The Fountain Of Lamneth,' while not as strong as it's successor '2112,' is still a very good song that ages well. It tells a very different story then 'The Necromancer' although it feels like it's being told in the same mileau. An inhabitant of paradise goes on a perilous journey to find the fabled 'fountain of lamneth,' which apparently can grant him eternal life. I find the concept for this song is much more interesting than the first epic, simply because theres an aspect of complexity and psychological tension in it. Musically though, while there are alot of fantastic parts, 'The Necromancer' feels more concise as a song, although that simply may be because of the shorter song length. There are some really fantastic parts of this song, such as the acoustic 'Panacea' and the optimistic 'Bacchu's Plateau.' The most beautiful part of this song comes at the end, where the intro of the album is reprised, except with vocals. The final few closing phrases of this song are so beautiful, each time listening to it I feel like crying. There is such a power to it, and it really shows what a profound impact powerful music can have on the soul.

'Caress of Steel' is amazing, and if only the first three songs were a bit more distinguished from the album's mediocre predecessor, I'd be able to easily give this a five star rating. But seeing as I only really love two songs of the five, a four star rating it is.
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