Snakes & Arrows

Snakes & Arrows is the eighteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on May 1, 2007 by Anthem Records. After their R30: 30th Anniversary Tour ended in October 2004, the band took a one-year break; during the break, they agreed to start work on a follow-up in January 2006. The album was recorded in five weeks with co-producer Nick Raskulinecz, a fan of the group who was praised by each member for his approach and technique. It contains three instrumental tracks, the most on any Rush album. Snakes & Arrows was released on CD and a limited edition double LP (5,000 copies) and Music Video Interactive format (25,000 copies). It peaked at No. 3 in Canada and the United States and in September 2007, was certified gold in Canada. Rush were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Malignant Narcissism". Snakes & Arrows was named one of Classic Rock's ten essential progressive rock albums of the decade. It was reissued and remastered in 2013 as a part of The Studio Albums 1989–2007 box set. In 2016, it was reissued after being remastered by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios following a direct approach by Rush to remaster their entire back catalogue. The songs "Far Cry" and "Workin' Them Angels" would later appear on Rush's compilation album Retrospective 3 (2009).