It's like all Rush records post Presto imho. Technically good playing, but overall suffers from a feeling of we've been here before. Perhaps this is not such a bad thing or surprising given how long the band have been making records. Take a look at the song structures from the recent albums and then listen to the instrumentation. It all plays well, but what I don't hear is a band progressing any longer. I have been listening to Rush since I picked up Hemispheres when it was new, so this is a long time. During my high school years I studied the guitar and played in a band that gigged a bit and we never failed to cover a Rush song from that era because I loved how Alex and the boys mixed things up. Rush albums up to Hold Your Fire were all progressing towards a new sound and pushing the envelope in terms of what the group could write and record. Starting with their eighties material the band began simplifying their song structures but this was counterbalanced by their expanding sound, which was great. The zenith of this era for Rush is Power Windows. Fantastic album and tour. As of late, however, from Roll the Bones - Vapor Trails, the songs all start to blend together and Neil Peart's lyrics have stagnated somewhat. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy it's not all Ayn Rand inspired any longer or centered on the concerns of adolescents trying to find their way in the world, but I don't quite relate to what he is penning in the same way I once did. Read the lyrics for Permanent Waves, Signals or Grace Under Pressure and then compare to any recent record going back to Presto. Things are not as fresh as they once were and some of the same songs keep showing up on the latter albums, only slightly altered. What happened to Alex's acoustic guitar? This all being said Rush still kicks major ass live, as much as they did the first time I saw them on the Moving Pics tour, at least they did on the 30th Anniversary Tour last time out. And there are times I enjoy the latter albums because I like the way they sound and so when I am in the mood it's all good. I should also add that Rush still beats the living shit out of most bands out there and how many bands are making their best new material thirty + plus years into their career? In the world of rock and metal, that'd be a big fat zero, so I am just offering a little perspective from a dude who has been listening to the band for a very long time.