Caress Of Steel

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.”