If a sexy girl tells you she loves Rush, she is almost certainly lying. Because even though this Canadian trio started its career playing a style of music not so different from this of sex beasts Led Zeppelin, its target were never the party people.

Quite the opposite – this has always been the band for the people who would rather spend the night reading a sci-fi novel. The same people that are likely to notice that the clock on the 'Clockwork Angels' cover shows 21:12 h. This album is for them. And is unlikely to disappoint.

Similarly to the 1976 classic '2112' this is a concept album – Rush's first one in decades. 'Clockwork Angels' tells the story of a young man who relentlessly goes after his dreams in a steampunk dystopia, born in the head of Neil Peart. Juts like it is always the case with Rush however, the main attraction here is the music – heavy rock that stands in an unique middle ground between being radio friendly and extremely complex musically; between being epic in scope and painfully personal. A territory this band has been inhabiting on its own for years.

'In a world where I feel so small, I can't stop thinking big,' Geddy Lee sings in opener 'Caravan,' one of the album's harder and more rock oriented songs. And yes, Rush's ideas are as big as always. Under the surface of the song's sheer catchiness you are attacked by awesome musicianship from all three sides – Lee sticks mainly to the middle register of his voice, but his bass dances around Alex Lifeson's progressive riffs as ever before, while the band's brain Peart wraps the sound up with his gritty rhythms.

The Anarchist' is laced with some extra strings, while 'Seven Cities of Gold' is driven by a riff that echoes the band's blues-rock roots. The acoustic pieces – like 'Halo Effect' and the brilliant, beautiful closer 'The Garden' – stick out as some of the most memorable moments in the album after repeated listens.

And even though the main impression is that the album is more laid back and mellow than its predecessor 'Snakes & Arrows,' it shows no signs that the band is getting tired. 'Clockwork Angels' once again features tons of musical ideas without any of them sounding out of place, and the songs flow just as naturally and effortlessly as ever – music that has much more substance than pretension.

Missing a party or two over this seems worth it.