Canadian prog-rock duo Crown Lands released a video for its complex song “Context: Fearless Pt. 1,” a tribute to heroes Rush.

The song came together over several years and features work by three producers who previously completed studio duties with Rush. The drum track, performed on a kit once used by Neil Peart, was recorded the day after his death was announced in January 2020.

The up-and-coming band, consisting of singer and drummer Cody Bowles and guitarist Kevin Comeau, made a demo of “Context: Fearless Pt. 1” with Terry Brown, who produced Rush’s first nine albums. They later convened with Nick Raskulinecz, who coproduced the last two Rush LPs, Snakes & Arrows and Clockwork Angels. Vocal tracks were laid down with assistance from David Bottrill, who remixed Vapor Trails in 2013.

“To have grown up with nothing but the purest adoration for this band, to have finally scaled the impossible summit together and sit at the table with our heroes is a humbling surreality unlike anything else,” Bowles said in a statement. “Working with these legendary producers-now-friends is something we hold near and dear to us. If life is a wheel, please let it spin.”

Bowles noted that they and Comeau had planned to cancel their session with Raskulinecz after Peart’s death was announced, but then the producer messaged them, "You guys need to carry the torch – you need to come down here.” On their arrival, he set up a kit that Peart used while recording Snakes & Arrows, resulting in a moment Bowles called “the most spiritual experience in my life.”

Some visual nods to Rush, including an appearance by the main character in their Fly By Night epic “By-Tor and the Snow Dog,” can be seen in the below video.

 

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