May 14, 2002 - Vapor Trails

Two weeks after my last release and a long six years since their last album "Test For Echo", Rush released their seventeenth album "Vapor Trails" on May 14, 2002. The reason for the long hiatus was Neil Peart lost both his daughter and his wife in the span of a year and the band went on an indefinite hiatus, possibly to never return. After many years Peart decided to rejoin the band and this is their first album back together. It's also the first album since 1975 to contain no keyboards! This is a pretty big change after Rush's last several albums, but one I like for sure! Let's finally check out some new Rush!

The album kicks off with it's lead single "One Little Victory" and Peart starts us off with a nice fast drum beat before Alex Lifeson comes in with some cool fast guitars. Geddy Lee adds some pretty cool bass to the background and it's so refreshing to have Rush back! The verse has a groovier main riff with Geddy singing nicely overtop a pretty catchy main riff. Geddy can still go pretty high and with no keyboards this is a lot more like the Rush I wanna hear! They don't stray too far from the main drag, but it's a pretty cool main drag and I was content the whole way through, headbanging to some cool upbeat stuff! Up next is "Ceiling Unlimited" and they dive right into a cool riff with Lifeson leading the way with some cool guitar, Peart adding some solid drums and Geddy once again playing some awesome bass that shines through out of the background at times. When the guitar quiets down at parts you can really focus on the fantastic rhythm section as Geddy and Neil both play lots of cool stuff throughout the whole song. Geddy's verse is solid but the chorus is fairly simple and pop-y. They turn up the heaviness midway through a long instrumental part with some cool heavy guitars, some more great bass and lots of cool drum fills by Peart. Overall it's a pretty solid song, just a bit of a bland chorus. Track 3 is "Ghost Rider" and it's got a slow pace with Geddy playing some interesting bass while Lifeson plays some light lead guitar overtop. Geddy sings a nice high verse and the lyrics of this song are all about Neil's long motorcycle trip he took after the horrible tragedies in his life. The song is unfortunately not all that exciting, don't get me wrong, it's still good, but it's pretty basic for Rush and there was a perfect opportunity for a solo of some kinf, and they just seemed to lazily drift through it. The next track is "Peaceable Kingdom" and Geddy plays some slow bass while Lifeson plays some fast guitar and it works out to be a pretty catchy combination for the main riff. Geddy sings a solid fast verse to match the mood and Lifeson's guitar sounds pretty good. Geddy's bass in the chorus is absolutely amazing, what a catchy and sweet little bass line that drives this pretty cool chorus. I really like the grooviness and smoothness of this one, it's a pretty sweet jam! Track 5 is "The Stars Look Down" and Lifeson leads the way with a pretty catchy and cool guitar riff while Geddy backs him with a similarly cool bass line. After a couple rounds they loudly and nicely jam out a new part, but instead of setting the stage for a solo, they just return to the chorus and then predictably jam things out. A decent song for sure, just not an amazing one. Up next is "How It Is" and it starts quietly before they settle into a fast-paced and pretty cool main riff with some catchy drums by Peart and some more great bass by Geddy in the background. The chorus is quieter but still decently catchy and all the songs on this album seem to be fitting the same mold: definitely some above-average rock, and if you compare it to their 90s stuff it sounds pretty solid, but it's still nowhere close to the awesomeness of their old stuff. Track 7 is "Vapor Trail" and Lifeson plays another catchy and cool guitar riff and Geddy and Neil nicely build around it with Geddy singing a solid, typical verse. Peart's drums are really cool in the chorus and then things drop right off for an epic segue as Geddy sings the name of the song then they reset and do it all again. This song is a little repetitive as they don't stray far from the main riff, but it's a solid enough main riff that it's still a good song. The next track is the album's only other single "Secret Touch" and Lifeson's got another pretty cool guitar riff as Geddy catchily sings "a way out is a a way in". Then they snap into a heavier riff that is also pretty cool and things are headbangingly good! This song is a little over six and a half minutes and there were no dull parts at all, including a pretty sweet instrumental part in the middle with all three guys showing off at times. Possibly my favourite song on the album! Track 9 is "Earthshine" and it's got a bouncing main riff that isn't all that flashy honestly, but it's got some solid drums and some smooth light singing by Geddy. The chorus is decent and I think the drums are the highlight once again. At over five and a half minutes I thought this song was too long and towards the end things started to drag a little, which is definitely abnormal so far, which I guess is a good thing! Up next is "Sweet Miracle" and Lifeson leads another pretty catchy and smooth main riff with some more typically good bass by Geddy backing him. Geddy sings a fittingly smooth verse and this song sounds like it easily could've been a single to me. They don't stray far from the main drag which makes things a little bland by the end, but it was still a decent tune. Track 11 is "Nocturne" and Peart starts us off with a cool drum beat that Geddy and Alex nicely build around. Geddy leads a solid verse overtop and things get much more distorted and cool as they segue into a loud and solid chorus. I'm a little disappointed with the lack of solos and spicing things up on this album, but it's another solid song for sure, just not a great one. The next track is "Freeze" and Geddy plays a fast and pretty wicked bass line, Lifeson adds some cool in-and-out guitar and Geddy sings a solid verse in this very interesting and cool main riff. The chorus is a little lighter and less exciting, but things are rolling very smoothly. This song is a little long at almost six and a half minutes and is also missing a spicy solo, but as per the usual for this album things are good, just not amazing. The album wraps up with "Out Of The Cradle" and it checks all the boxes with a catchy drum beat, some cool bass, some catchy guitar and a solid verse. Lifeson's light but super fast guitar in the chorus sounds pretty cool and Geddy's chorus is good as well. After a couple rounds though they continue to miss obvious opportunities for greatness and just jam out the main riff. A pretty fitting way to finish things off.

That is the end of "Vapor Trails" and I thought it was a solid return for Rush after six years away. As I said multiple times already, this album had lots of good songs, but not really any great ones. I think it shoots right past everything after and including "Hold Your Fire", but I don't think it's better than "Signals" so 12th out of 17 will have to do. Still, it's their best album since 1985! I look forward to more Rush in the future!