The Classic Metal Album Reviews:
Title: 2112
Artist: Rush
Label: Mercury
Release Date: 1976

Rating: 3 Skulls
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    • Reviewed by garthg:
    Being a big fan of modern prog metal, how do I sit down and review the widely-held prog masterpiece released when I was two years old? As I was discussing this past weekend with the keeper of our Classics section, Solomon, you have basically two choices in reviewing an old album: either review it based on the merits it has carried through the years, the impact it had back in its day, or you review it as if you're sitting down today to listen to it as just another album. For this review, I chose the latter. And that gives it a much lower score.

    Let's face it, 2112 laid down some of the blueprints for some of my all-time favorite albums, like Metropolis Part II: Scenes From a Memory (hell, one of the riffs from Scenes even sounds like it was taken from 2112.) From that historical perspective, and keeping in mind the influence on so many other bands, this album should be a five skull album.

    But, I tells ya, I just can't do it. I honestly haven't listened to 2112 in years. So, to do this review, after complaining that we had no Rush on Metal Judgment, I had to stick the CD on and spin it a couple times. And that's when things went downhill. The album starts with the epic "2112 Overture." I'm a big fan of epic, grandiose metal suites. But when this one starts with a drawn out, spacey synth, you either gotta be a big fan of this heavy-handed moodiness or heavily baked. Being neither, I couldn't wait for the riffs to start. And when they do, they're worth waiting for. The guitars and drums on the album are pretty killer. That's where the reputation is still warranted. Complex song structures abound, with plenty of time changes and... well, it's Rush at the point when they became Rush. If you don't know what I'm talking about, turn on a fucking classic rock radio station and come out from under that rock you've been hiding under.

    The vocals are typical Geddy Lee. The man can have a nice singing voice, but pushes himself into an intense falsetto, sometimes sounding like he must've crapped his pants while recording, he's pushing so hard. The lyrics are another stumbling point for me these days. It's just a bit too... fairies and flowers. Which isn't what the lyrics are about here, but that's the feel. At least they're not singing about By-Tor and the Snow Dog... that's a different silly Rush song.

    In all, it's great musicianship, and anyone into prog rock or prog metal should know this album. It's a classic, no doubt. But, unfortunately, these days it just seems kinda silly.
    3 out of 5

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