With a mix of conceptual symphonic rock in the tradition of Yes and Genesis, and the equally British, early heavy metal (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath), the Canadian trio Rush brought prog rock to the New World with an enlarged and technical virtuoso sound. 2112 from 1976 is one of the highlights of the early Rush oeuvre. This is mainly due to the title piece, the futuristic rock symphony clocking
… more than twenty minutes, which (based on a libretto by drummer and regular lyricist Neil Pearth) deals with a totalitarian world of the future, from which emotion (and thus music) is banned. In the course of the story, the main character finds a guitar and begins to use it as a means of resistance. Heavy rock riffs illustrate this, supported by often deviating rhythm schemes, resulting in a grand (if not grotesque) piece of music. The American answer to Close To The Edge (Yes). The remaining five songs (previously side two) are separate from the story but effortlessly continue the atmosphere on the album, which only gets into calmer waters with Tears towards the end.more
