Consuming the Tangible

It’s impossible to talk about Crown Lands without spotting the Rush elephant in the room. See it there, behind the couch with the battered 2112 blanket over the tear in the fabric? I kid, but why complain? Rush themselves dig the band, and on their first proper offering for new label InsideOut, Apocalypse (we’re skipping the instrumental Ritual albums released last year, for good reason), it’s muted down in favor of a generous dose of Led Zeppelin, White Stripes, and uh…okay, ’80s Rush.

Opening tone-setter “Proclamation” partly sates my initial dismissal, since it also sets up a recurring motif that occupies the entirety of Apocalypse‘s second side: the 19-minute title track. But I still get annoyed by it because it prevents me from skipping right to “Foot Soldiers of the Syndicate.” It’s pure ’70s Rush meets White Stripes in that ridiculous chorus I sing every single time. There’s a proper pre-chorus, and all the trimmings I grew up on, with some real grit and dirty crunch thanks to the stunning production by David Bottrill and Nick Raskulinecz, working again with the band after 2023’s way more Rush-inspired Fearless (an album I love).

The rest of the album weaves between those two poles, with “Through The Looking Glass” carrying a processed sound that splits the difference between Zeppelin’s In Through The Out Door and mid-’80s L.A. metal, dripping with reverb and chorus for maximum chime. “Blackstar” doubles down on that ’80s vibe, and it’s here I catch a lot of Geddy’s bass style in multi-instrumentalist Kevin Comeau’s playing, with Bottrill knowing exactly what to do with that sound. “The Fall” gets a little Cult mixed in with a Blondie melody I should hate but can’t resist, and that just might be a testament to Cody Bowles’ vocals. I know there are a lot of people who can’t stand it, but hearing him channel Geddy Lee, Robert Plant, and Debbie Harry on one album? Dude, c’mon…so good.

“Revenants I” is hushed, again showcasing Bowles’ vocal performance with a wonderfully muted acoustic accompaniment, fleshed out with synths and layers that gently wash. I would have been content with more of this, but we have to get to the title track, the thing all the prog heads and online nerds have been gushing about. Kudos to the band for leading with this as their first single (catch the video here), but if I’m honest with myself, it’s smaller than the hype suggests. Could this have worked better as four or five songs making up a suite instead? I can think of a band that went that route…

I kid (slightly), but there’s a small part of me that would have loved to see this open the record. Start here, end with “Revenants I.” Sure, you may have to change some titles around — that 13-part structure ain’t helping anyone, friend — but I kinda love how this reversal flows.

I can do that, see, because with vinyl all you have to do is start on the other side…

Which is where I’ll see you.