Review Summary: This Album does not get nearly enough credit and is a must have for Rush fans.
We all must go through hardships in our lives. Many of us have gone through the death of a family member or a divorce. Even though life may bring painful hardships, we need to press on. You must not let yourself get saddened to the point where you can no longer function and do the things you once loved to do. This is the case of legendary drummer
Neil Peart when out of nowhere his daughters life was taken in a terrible car accident and then not one year later his own wife died of cancer. As you all know Neil was an essential member of the band
Rush .
Through the sadness of his loss Neil still decided he must move on and continue doing what he loved, making music. And after over six years of not releasing an album the members of
Rush decided they were long due for a new album. The product of this decision was called
Vapor Trails and it would be
Rushes seventeenth full length album.
After many years, it seem some bands just lose the ability to write music as great as in their early years. This however is not the case for
Rush. Anyone who has heard this album knows it’s a great progressive rock trip with some new and even heavier sound than their earlier material.
Rushes biggest instrumental standout has always been the fantastic drumming delivered by
Neil Peart. Some say that Neil has lost it over the years and is no longer the great drummer he once was. Do not listen to anyone says that. Neil is an amazing drumming and is as good as he was in 1974. Some great examples of Neil’s drumming on this album is the opening on
One little victory and throughout the entire CD he provides the perfect beat to back everything up.
Many people including myself would agree that this is most likely
Rushes hardest album. Synthesizers are not even present in any of the songs. Some of the biggest standout tracks are
Earthshine which has a great opening riff, good lyrics and also has a pretty great guitar solo. More standout tracks include
One little victory and
Ghost rider.
Rush has always been known for their helium voiced singer and bassist
Geddy Lee. And one noticeable thing about
Rushes newer releases is that Geddy’s vocals aren’t as high pitched as they once were. Although his voice may not be as high, Geddy still has a captivating voice that in some ways is even better now than it ever was. A great stand out track for vocals is
Sweet Miracle.The song has perfectly pitched vocals and it is just so impressive considering his age.
The great thing about this band is that all members are equally talented. The guitarist
Alex Lifeson is one of the greatest guitar players to ever play progressive rock. His style of playing ranges from awesome riffs to fast paced plucking. When it comes to soloing Alex is also very skilled. A great example of soloing on this album is
Ceiling unlimited. Alex is just all over this album with his guitar playing and is a definite standout.
Lyrically
Rush has always has always strived to be very meaningful. Some songs in this album have amazing lyrics such as
Ghost Rider . A passage from the song includes “Carry all those phantoms through bitter wind and stormy skies”. In the end I think a lot of the songs on this album have to do with Neil and the events that happened in his life. While some songs have amazing lyrics some are rather repetitive, an example of this is the song
Secret Touch where one of the same lines is repeated several times. Despite some lacking lyrics
Rush still manages to outdo most bands lyrically.
As well as being a talented vocalist
Geddy Lee is also a very talented Bass guitar player. One great thing about
Rushes music is that the bass always has a mind of its own and isn’t just a copy of the main riff. Bass is greatly shown all throughout this album. Songs such as
Freeze—part 3 of fear and
Secret touch have some mind blowing fast paced bass lines showing Geddy hasn’t lost his ability to play over the years.
If I were forced to chose a fillers for this album they would have to be the tracks
Secret touch and
Nocturne. Neither of these songs are really bad but they are quite repetitive and lacking compared to some of the other tracks. Besides those tracks every song on here is good. None of the songs are boring or lacking any instrumental talent. The CD is also over 70 minutes long.
This album just has a great overall sound and showcases the talent of the entire band.
Vapor Trails just proves that
Rush still has the ability to write and play amazing music. Another great thing about this CD is that it can appeal to just about anyone with the newer all around sound. If you are a fan of Rock, Progressive or even metal I suggest you buy this album. It is worth every penny.
Pros.
Great songwriting
Amazing Drumming
Solid Guitar work
Unique and skilled bass
Geddy’s vocals
Cons.
Lyrics not strongest point
Can be repetitive at times
Top 3 tracks
Earthshine
One little Victory
Ghost Rider
Final Rating 4.5/5
