"Nick Raskulinecz was a Rush freak when he was playing bass and guitar in local Knox rock bands circa 1990...imagine the excitement for Raskulinecz—now a well-regarded record producer living in L.A.—when the band’s management called last year and offered him the chance to produce the venerable outfit’s 19th studio album. Raskulinecz accepted, needless to say, and spent five weeks living and working with the trio in a remote woodland studio on a mountaintop in upstate New York...'It was a dream come true, because they were one of my favorite bands since I started listening to music when I was 10 years old...Suddenly, I was sitting in Geddy Lee’s kitchen, Alex Lifeson is there drinking coffee, and we’re talking about preproduction. I think they needed someone to kind of come in and kick them in the ***, and I was able to do that. We had a great time, and I think we made their best record in 15 years...For a few weeks, I was basically the fourth member of Rush,' Raskulinecz says of his production method. 'I become part of it. I have to really be able to get inside the songs; when I make a record, I can’t just be casual about it.' He adds that the upcoming release will have 'the sound and vibe of an old Rush record'—i.e. one of those gloriously overwrought sci-fi prog-metal epics he grew up with, albums like 2112 and Hemispheres and Permanent Waves." - Nick Raskulinecz, Knoxville's MetroPulse.com, Jan. 10, 2007
