This album is brilliant. Listen to the bass playing on "Circumstances". It doesn't get any better than that.

THE most pretentious rush album to date (tied with a farewell to kings), but when the music is this good, i don't really care if peart wants to write lyrics and "dionysis and the armageddon etc". Circumstances is beautiful and la villa strangiato, 10 minute instrumental apparently depicting a dream alex lifeson once had, but very cool, lovely guitar solo in 7/8 and some manic drum and basswork throughout. Peart and Lee continue to show themselves as the tightest rhythm section ever. The trees has my favourite rush lyrics ever. A damn fine album.

Clearly, Rush was it's "epic tales and screachy guitars" peak at that stage. Maybe the format of the LP was confusing (only four songs...) but it was still Rush's finest work since their debut. Geddy Lee is just mad on this album, playing hard and fast. As all of Rush's album (apart from their self-titled debut album) Hemispheres has Peart's deep and poetic lyrics, along with his amazing skills on the "skins". And as far as guitar goes, Alex is even worse than Geddy... Terry Brown did a terrific job pulling out this one, since you can feel the emotions and the playing thru the recording. Everything on it is excellent, but it's still not as accessible as Rush's later work...