Caress Of Steel cover

Caress Of Steel

Released

The most jarring transition in their extensive catalog – even the move to radio-friendly synth-pop was more gradual – Rush’s third run towards Mordor holds up nicely in hindsight. Building on the epic battle between By-Tor and the Snow Dog from Fly By Night, they expanded their songwriting ambitions here, delivering not one but two multi-part suites. One of those is even a sequel to “By-Tor:” token Tolkien toker “The Necromancer.” Its more pastoral notes stick in the mind more than their first attempt at a side-long epic, “Fountain of Lamneth.” They’d fix that problem shortly. In the meantime, opener “Bastille Day” may be an even finer ode to the French Revolution than “Killer Queen.”

Jeff Treppel

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