Rush, ‘Headlong Flight’ – Song Review

The newly released track from Rush's upcoming 'Clockwork Angels' record, 'Headlong Flight,' is a seven minute tour-de-force, opening, perhaps unsurprisingly but no less impressively, with an intricate bass line from vocalist-bassist Geddy Lee.

Sonically, the band sounds as though they are at the top of their game. By the time the 30 second mark of the song hits, guitarist Alex Lifeson's meaty guitar and Neil Peart's thundering drums have joined Lee.

The track continues in a relatively straight-forward manner before a time signature change kicks in around the 2:20 mark. Things slows to approximately half of the song's original tempo before jumping back to full throttle a scant 20 seconds later. The track flows extremely well, which is not always an easy feat to accomplish with all those complex changes.

At the 4:35 point of the song, Peart takes center stage with a mini drum solo of sorts, accompanying Lee's dominant bass lines while Lifeson solos over the two. As the song winds down during the final 90 seconds, one realizes Rush are the masters of making a seven minute song feel as though you've only spent three or four minutes in their company.

Few other bands can do this as effortlessly as the trio does, through a combination of time signature changes, a nice balance of verses and choruses and some veteran know-how. Clearly, Rush is showing no signs of slowing down on 'Headlong Flight.' If this is a sign of what to expect from 'Clockwork Angels,' the band's loyal fans will be a very happy bunch...

Listen to "Headlong Flight' by Rush