RUSH - Permanent Waves

Rush is a band that has always played against the current of the musical industry, regardless of the period when they released their masterpieces. In 1980, punk was regressing and was to deliver its crown to the new wave (be it British and of heavy metal, or simply - new wave). As it was to be expected, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart kept their own direction, not interested in what was happening around them, coming up with Permanent Waves, a progressive album that was rather unfriendly to the fashion of the times.

The record opens with The Spirit of Radio, a track that is as simple as it is complex, especially in the variety of musical styles… from progressive to reggae, slightly touching on rock ’n’ roll in the end. Freewill moves along the same lines, with a memorable guitar riff from Lifeson. Then we have Jacob's Ladder – the heaviest song on the album, with many rhythm changes, a very technical and strong bass line, with exception keyboard parts, amazing guitars and a drum sound as only Peart knows how to produce. In a word: GRANDIOSE !!! On Entre nous, on the other hand, I am very fond of the synthesizers, combining perfectly with the airy guitar parts. Different Strings brings a melancholy that gives the song a special charm; it is one of my favorite songs from the entire band’s discography, especially due to the drum parts. The record ends with Natural Science, which, like Jacob's Ladder, is another example of progressive with heavy metal undertones.

Practically, Rush (especially with these two songs) initiated a musical style that Iron Maiden, Watchtower, Fates Warning, Queensryche or Dream Theater would later bring to a peak in the 80s. If it hadn’t been for this band, progressive metal would have certainly taken a different path. Obviously, Permanent Waves is another very significant part of rock history, especially for the times, when there was no such thing as “progressive metal”. For this reason (and not only), Rush has a place of honor among the world’s most influential bands of all times.

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