U.S. release date for Rush's Clockwork Angels confirmed; preorder it here!

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A U.S. release date for Rush’s long-awaited new studio album Clockwork Angels has been confirmed through Amazon: It will be available on June 12, 2012 via Roadrunner Records.

Previously, two separate Web sites confirmed a May 23rd release date in Japan through Warner Music. The project will be issued via Anthem/Universal Music in Canada.

Among the album highlights, guitarist Alex Lifeson has said, are its title track — which he described in an interview with The Morning Call as an “epic song … it’s a multi-parted piece, very dynamic. Then there’s some stuff that’s very melodic and on the softer side, on acoustic, with a strong melody. So there’s great diversity there.”

You can preorder Rush’s Clockwork Angels here …

The album, Rush’s first all-new effort since 2007’s Snakes And Arrows, was recorded in in Los Angeles with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters) and engineer Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Dream Theater). Lifeson, frontman/bassist Geddy Lee and drummer Neil Peart have been working on the project since 2009. In the meantime, they’ve released a pair of advance singles — “Caravan” and “BU2B” — as well as a new live compilation. American sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson subsequently announced that he is planning a novelization of the album.

Here’s a look back at our previous thoughts on Rush. Click through the titles for complete reviews …

RUSH – TIME MACHINE 2011: LIVE IN CLEVELAND (2011): Rush used this opportunity to, as they really have been doing each tour lately, rifle through catalog and pull out some dusty old gems (“Time Stand Still,” reggae “Working Man,” “Marathon,” “Subdivisions,” “Stick It Out” and “Leave That Thing Alone”) and even one bonafide “never been played before” fan favorite (“Presto”) but, most importantly, a run-through of their entire classic Moving Pictures album for its 30th anniversary. Some of those tunes have been played a lot (“Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight,” I’m looking at you) but others have disappeared for far, far too long. Welcome back to the stage “The Camera Eye” and “Witch Hunt.” Maybe you’ll stick around for a couple tours?

SOMETHING ELSE! FEATURED ARTIST: RUSH: When most think of Rush, it’s their instrumental virtuosity (especially drummer Neil Peart) that comes to mind first. Or the love or hatred of Geddy Lee’s vocals. Other times it’s Peart’s second role as lyricist for the band that garners attention, and it’s another love or hate area of focus: Ayn Rand, sci-fi, songs about balding, fights between dogs and, well, whatever a Bytor is, these are all common targets for those who want to throw stones. We’re here to present an argument for the defense.

RUSH – ROLL THE BONES (1991; 2011 reissue): Listeners will hear immediately that the sound is indeed lighter and quieter, and the soundstage is thinner than either previous version. But it’s all to better show off the album’s immaculate recording, which does get a bit muffled in the Atlantic pressings. This is where you can revel in the tone of Geddy’s maturing voice, or the textures of Alex Lifeson’s guitar, or the layers of keyboard washes that are now magically so much more discernible from one another. With regard to those keyboard washes, what’s funny is that once you hear them here, you can’t help but notice them in the other versions, too. It just took this delicate audiophile edition to separate them out.

Something Else!