For the true Rush fan, this is a breath of fresh air. Too many albums had gone by that left us feeling a bit stale, not to say that they were bad, but somewhat over done. This album brought back the virtuoso back to the band that had been missing. Perhaps it was the hiatus that they took between the albums, mostly due to the need of Neil to recoup after the tragedies he suffered, but in the end, this album showed that they still had what it takes to make the music that we have wanted to hear from them for so long. Of all the songs on the album, the one that I feel stands for all of the things they want to say is "How It Is," which tells us that no matter what we may feel, that's just how it is, and how it is going to be. A perfect statement for the times.