Rush wrapped up its tour in support of its 2012 concept album Clockwork Angels back in early August, and now the band members are settling into a nice long hiatus, according to guitarist Alex Lifeson.

"We've committed to taking about a year off," Lifeson reveals to Billboard.  "We all agreed when we finished this tour we were going to take this time off and we weren't going to talk about band stuff or make any plans."

The 60-year-old Canadian rocker notes that, at minimum, the group's break will continue "through to the end of next summer."

Lifeson insists that fans needn't worry about the hiatus being permanent.  "We haven't stopped or quit," he says.  "Right now we're just relaxing."

Alex admits, meanwhile, that even though he and his band mates, frontman Geddy Lee and drummer Neil Peart, may be officially inactive well into 2014, they still may begin working on some new Rush material.

"[We] typically get a little bored, and so we enjoy writing and working together," he explains, "and I wouldn't doubt that some time in the new year we'll probably gravitate towards each other and start doing some writing."

Lifeson also suggests that Rush's next release could be quite different in scope from Clockwork Angels.

"The album is dying as a format," he maintains.  "We're so used to it…but will we get more mileage by doing a few new songs at a time, or do we do another album?  It's hard to say what the future holds."

With Rush on the sidelines for a while, the group's fans will have to content themselves with the various releases the band is putting out in late 2013, including the Rush: Clockwork Angels Tour DVD and companion two-CD set that hits stores on Tuesday.  The concert video and album capture the band — accompanied by a string section — performing in Dallas and Phoenix in November 2012, and feature versions of a number of Clockwork Angels tunes, as well as classics like "Tom Sawyer," "The Spirit of Radio" and "2112."

Footage from the DVD also was shown in select theaters across the U.S. on Monday as part of a one-night-only screening event.