Roll the Bones is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released September 3, 1991, on Anthem Records.

[12][19] The album displays the continued change in the group's sound which started on Presto, with a reduction in keyboards and a return to guitar-driven songs.

Lee said the change was "a backlash against the more computer-style of writing" which had dominated their sound through the 1980s, and the band now chose to use synthesizers and sequencers as an "orchestration device", rather than a key component in the songwriting.

[20] The writing sessions for Presto had involved just bass, guitar, and vocals, which contributed to the style shift, and the group continued with this approach for Roll the Bones.

[20][17] Another aspect that carried over from Presto was Lee's intention to come up with strong vocal melodies at the beginning and base the rest of the tune around it.

"[14] He recalled sitting on his cottage floor "with a pile of papers around me" of notes from the previous two years, mostly consisting of phrases written on tour or during "that dreamlike moment before sleep.

[22] Rush wanted to continue to work with Hine due to his accomplished songwriting, the feedback he gave their songs and his ability to allow the group to achieve a looser sound than previous albums.

He first learned of the instrument when the band were recording in England, and knew that bassist Percy Jones used one on Brand X albums, of which he was a big fan.

"[22] The opening verse of "Dreamline" has references to astronomy, which Peart was inspired by after bicycling a hundred miles from Cincinnati to Columbus between two gigs on the Presto tour.

Upon arrival, he watched the popular science series Nova on PBS, and a program on satellite imaging captured his imagination.

[22] "Bravado" deals with how one should not give up after failing, as opposed to ending life by suicide, which Peart had addressed in "The Pass" on Presto.

[14] They had wanted to include one on Presto, but every time Lee and Lifeson had a piece of music, Peart provided a lyric that fit well with it.

[15] "Heresy" is a more straightforward rock song with a rhythm that Lee described as a "heart beat pulse" that reflected some of Peart's lyrical ideas for it.

[20] Peart was inspired by the events surrounding the fall of Communism in eastern Europe in the early 1990s and people regaining their freedoms.

(Part IV, "Gangster of Boats" Trilogy)" became Rush's second song to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

[33] Rush toured the album between October 1991 and July 1992, covering Canada, the United States, mainland Europe and the UK.

"[35] In retrospective reviews, Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic called Roll the Bones "quite possibly Rush's darkest album" lyrically, citing "Dreamline" as one of the band's best songs of the '90s.

He added that, "though their negative subject matter can feel stifling at times, fine tracks like 'Bravado,' 'The Big Wheel,' and 'Heresy' feature wonderful melodies and arrangements.

[37] They also ranked it the 9th (out of 19) best Rush album, with Dave Swanson writing, "even though synths still clang about and a few of the experiments go too far (um, yes, that's Geddy Lee rapping on the title track), the songwriting is stupendous.

"[38] All lyrics are written by Neil Peart; all music is composed by Alex Lifeson and Geddy LeeRush Additional personnel Technical