'Snakes and Arrows' finds the band going back to basics with an album that includes elements of classic rock, prog, blues and folk and is light years away from the tuneless dirge of 'Vapor Trails'. Alex Lifeson in particular sounds completely rejuvenated and it is a joy to hear him playing guitar solos again. The album kicks off with the punchy intro of ‘Far Cry’ that initially seems like a nod towards ‘Hemispheres’ before developing into a modern rocker with an instant chorus. It’s already apparent that they have got the production sorted out this time and credit to Nick Raskulinecz (best known for his work with the Foo Fighters) for creating a sound that seems to have been inspired by the bands late 70’s era but given a contemporary polish.

Lifeson has confirmed that the musical themes for the album were written and developed using acoustic guitars whilst Peart’s lyrics were based around his personal reflections on faith. This is evidenced by ‘Armor and Sword’ which, despite some clumsy vocal moments, has some delicate chord changes that work remarkably well and this track is an excellent example of the band conveying power and emotion into six and a half minutes. ‘Workin’ Them Angles’ is reminiscent of something from ‘Presto’ and is a real melodic track with a ‘feel good’ factor to it. ‘The Larger Bowl’ is one of the more radio friendly moments and the lyric is written as a pantoum - a repeating pattern for the first and third lines and second and fourth lines of each verse, or stanza. Clever stuff, but then this is Rush.

For me, the moment that really lights up this CD is ‘The Way The Wind Blows’ which has a fantastic blues guitar intro before the song itself gets going with a poignant lyric, heavy riffs and a catchy chorus. A track that really shows off the dynamic between the three band members. No Rush album is really complete without an instrumental and for ‘Snakes and Arrows’ we get three of them. Lifeson’s delicate steel-strung acoustic number ‘Hope’ is one of most stirring moments here, bringing to mind ‘Led Zeppelin III’; Lee really hits his stride with the funky bass playing on ‘Malignant Narcissism’ and ‘The Main Monkey Business’ is a riff heavy jam that will go down a storm in the live show. As with many modern albums you can argue that this one is a couple of songs too long and ‘Good News First’ and ‘We Hold On’ don’t really grab me as much as some of the earlier tracks; in true Rush style they have put the throwaway moments at the end of the album.

It might not be the greatest album Rush have ever made but 'Snakes and Arrows' is certainly their best in well over a decade; and at this stage of their careers you can't really ask for much more than that. Welcome Back.