• Reissue
• Single sleeve with two-sided insert
• Records packed in PVC sleeves
  
  

Rush released Vapor Trails in 2002 as a stripped-down return to the band's instrumental prowess after a decade marked by tragedy and introspection. Recorded across 2001 at Reaction Studios in Toronto, the album marked Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart's first full collaboration since 1997's Test for Echo, arriving as a raw, guitar-driven reassertion of their progressive rock foundation. Within the Rush catalog, Vapor Trails stands as a deliberate rejection of synth-heavy production in favor of organic, high-gain rock architecture—a recalibration that proved vital to the band's artistic renewal in the 2000s.

This 2013 remix iteration clarifies what the original mastering obscured: the propulsive urgency of "One Little Victory," the melodic restraint and dynamic shifts of "Ceiling Unlimited," and the menacing groove underpinning "Ghost Rider" now occupy distinct spaces in the mix. Peart's lyrical terrain spans resilience and mortality across standout cuts like "Peaceable Kingdom" and "The Stars Look Down," while "How It Is…" showcases the band's ability to sustain tension through minimalist arrangement. The record's atmospheric density—aggressive but never cluttered—rewards repeated listening, revealing compositional details buried in the original's compressed presentation.

This vinyl reissue presents the remixed stereo mix across two 180-gram LPs, restoring presence to Lifeson's guitar work and Lee's vocal articulation that digital compression had diminished. The gatefold packaging includes a double-sided insert with restored artwork and full production credits, while the vinyl's expanded dynamic range captures the room ambience and instrument separation that justify revisiting this essential Rush statement for both longtime collectors and those discovering the band's 2000s resurgence.

Tracklist:

A1. One Little Victory (5:07)
A2. Ceiling Unlimited (5:26)
A3. Ghost Rider (5:39)
B1. Peaceable Kingdom (5:22)
B2. The Stars Look Down (4:28)
B3. How It Is (4:03)
B4. Vapor Trail (4:55)
C1. Secret Touch (6:33)
C2. Earthshine (5:33)
C3. Sweet Miracle (3:40)
D1. Nocturne (4:49)
D2. Freeze - Part IV Of "Fear" (6:16)
D3. Out Of The Cradle (5:03)