By the 2000s, Rush had been around long enough for lifelong fans of the band to start making waves in the music industry, and it was with the coaxing and coaching of one such individual considerably younger than them that Rush discovered another gear. Nick Raskulinecz made a name for himself after working on best-selling albums by Foo Fighters and Velvet Revolver, and soon after his hiring both parties would discover just how perfect a fit he was. Raskulinecz brought his perspective as a fan to the band, insisting that it would benefit Rush more to honor its history than simply trying something boldly different for the umpteenth time. Not having a rear-view mirror had always worked to the band’s advantage, but it was time to learn it was possible to evoke certain eras of Rush’s history and still make vital, brave new music.

The end result would be the extraordinary Snakes & Arrows, which is every bit a pleasure as 2002’s Vapor Trails was trying, and indeed, Lee, Lifeson, and Peart have gushed about how pleasant an experience it was making the record with Raskulinecz. From the opening bars of “Far Cry” through its 62-minute running time, it’s an incredibly rich and vital record, whose tone echoes the brilliant use of force and texture on 2112 more than three decades before. In fact, the song is not only a brilliant choice as first single, but a fitting mission statement by the band. Atop an energetic arrangement, Peart muses in the stirring chorus, “One day I feel I’m ahead of the wheel and the next its rollin’ over me/ I can get back on.” They might have been down for a while, but buoyed by their success as a live draw and the sheer fun of the Feedback mini-album, this is a clear indication the guys are back, and mean business.

The focus might still be on Rush the power trio, but that guitar-centric sound is far more varied than anything heard on Vapor Trails, 1996’s Test For Echo, and 1993’s Counterparts. Although each member is an irreplaceable cog in the machine, Lifeson is the clear star of this show. Taking a hint from Pete Townshend and David Gilmour, his robust riffs are often underscored by acoustic guitar, which makes the songs sound less sludgy, giving the music more depth. “Armor And Sword” features a dazzling array of clean-sounding, undistorted guitars, hearkening back to Lifeson’s work in the early-1980s, while the upbeat “The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)” is highlighted by an inspired, shredding solo, which fans welcomed with open arms after the solo-deficient Vapor Trails. “Spindrift” plunges headlong into darkness, but like the more ominous moments of 2112 and A Farewell To Kings, Lifeson finds the right balance between heaviness and melody. “The Way The Wind Blows” sees him veering more towards a blues style, channeling his inner Stevie Ray Vaughan, while his playing on the underrated deep cut is more jazz-oriented. And if that wasn’t enough, he gets a solo turn on the pretty acoustic instrumental “Hope.”

Of course, the band’s real strength, the undeniable chemistry between the three, can be heard from the get-go, and especially flourishes on two more instrumentals. “Malignant Narcissism” is a joy to hear, as the band lets loose on a wicked, funk-fueled jam, while “The Main Monkey Business” is far more subtle, allowing Peart, who otherwise puts in a tremendously taut and disciplined performance on the rest of the album, more than enough room to loosen up and tinker with rhythms, indulging his fascination with African percussion to beautiful effect as the song builds and builds in intensity only to climax with a heavy rock barrage reminiscent of Rush in the mid-1970s.

Coming to a rousing conclusion with the optimistic “We Hold On,” with Lifeson fittingly steering the music skyward, Snakes & Arrows was a welcome breath of fresh air in a discography that was starting to get awfully stale. Charting in the top three in both America and Canada, fans were quick to embrace the new album, which only sustained Rush’s post-2000 run as a major concert draw, which continues to this day. With the very successful 2010 documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage and the 2010-2011 Time Machine world tour that celebrated the 30^th anniversary of Moving Pictures, it was easy to wonder if Rush was enjoying a bit of a late-career victory lap, but it so happened the boys had one more good idea up their sleeves, and it would yield one of their best albums ever.