Year : 2025 (Digipak Edition)
Style : Symphonic Progressive Rock , Female vocals
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 149 mb
Bio:
Glass Hammer is an American progressive rock band from Chattanooga, Tennessee. They formed in 1992 when multi-instrumentalists Steve Babb and Fred Schendel began to write and record “Journey of the Dunadan”, a concept album based on the story of Aragorn from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. To their surprise, the album sold several thousand units via the Internet, The QVC Shop-At-Home Network, and their own toll-free order number. As such, Babb and Schendel were convinced that the band was a project worth continuing. The stage was then set for a successful career that now includes numerous albums, DVDs and an enthusiastic, world-wide fan base that continues to grow at a steady rate.While many musicians have appeared on Glass Hammer albums over the years, Babb and Schendel have remained the core creative force of the band. Both play a variety of instruments, but Babb is better known as the bassist while Schendel is the primary keyboardist. And though they also sing, a number of other vocalists (most notably Michelle Young, Walter Moore, Susie Bogdanowicz, Carl Groves and Jon Davison) have also handled lead vocal duties.Lyrically, Glass Hammer is inspired mostly by their love of literature (most notably Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and John Krakauer) and Babb’s love of Victorian prose and medieval mythology. Musically, they lean towards 70′s driven symphonic rock, focusing on epic-length songs anchored by Babb’s distinctive bass guitar work and strong keyboard playing from Schendel; specifically Hammond organs in the tradition of ELP. They have a superb melodic flow to the music they make, encapsulating real power and dynamics without ever becoming overpowering. Their most apparent influences are Yes, ELP, Genesis, and, to a less noticeable extent, Camel. Fans and critics are usually quick to attest that Glass Hammer have managed to combine those influences into a unique style all their own.Critically acclaimed albums have continued to flow from the Glass Hammer studio, with the most successful and noteworthy being “Chronomtree” (2000), “Lex Rex” (2002), “The Inconsolable Secret” (2005) and “IF” (2010). Vocalists and fan-favorites Carl Groves and Susie Bogdanowicz took a temporary hiatus from the band after 2009 and vocalist Jon Davison took over as lead vocalist for three studio albums; “IF”, “Cor Cordium” and “Perilous”. Kamran Alan Shikoh joined the band at the same time taking on the role of guitarist.Both Shikoh and Davison remain in the group currently, though Davison has also assumed the role as front-man for Yes. This led to Carl Groves rejoining the Glass Hammer in 2013 for live performances and recording. Aaron Raulston joined at the same time as drummer for the group. Susie Bogdanowicz rejoined in late 2013 and is slated to appear along with Raulston, Groves and Shikoh in 2014 concerts.Glass Hammer’s “Ode To Echo” release for 2014 features performances by many of the band’s vocalists, including Bogdanowicz, Young, Moore and Davison, though Carl Groves is handling the lion’s share of the vocal duties for the band. The current official lineup for Glass Hammer is Babb, Schendel, Groves, Shikoh, Raulston, Bogdaniwcz and Davison.Other prog musicians and rock artists have made contributions to Glass Hammer projects, including Jon Anderson of Yes, Arjen Lucassen, Rich Williams and David Ragsdale of Kansas, Rob Reed of Magenta and Randy Jackson of Zebra. Glass Hammer has also appeared with The Adonia String Trio and performed two concerts (2006-2007) with 120 plus member choirs from Belmont University and Lee University.
Album:
Right from their first release in 1993, Glass Hammer showed a predilection for creating albums that were either based on or inspired by literary works like those from C.S. Lewis or J.R.R Tolkien. Soon they began to create their own stories and build concept albums around them. Classic Glass Hammer albums like Lex Rex, The Inconsolable Secret, and Perilous were all based on original stories.But like Forest Gump might say, Glass Hammer is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get. Their sound has morphed and changed over the years as the stories they wanted to tell required new ways of doing that. Also, for years the only constant members were multi-instrumentalists Steve Babb and Fred Schendel so new personnel can also mean a new overall sound. In 2020 Babb created a fantasy novel called Skallagrim and a trilogy of albums to go along with it (Dreaming City, Skallagrim: Into the Breach, and At the Gate). In order to represent the sword-wielding hero, the sound of Glass Hammer changed from classic Yes-styled prog to metal. This new style of music persisted on into their 2023 release, Arise.For their latest release, Rogue, by my count their 22nd studio album of new material, Babb has created a story about a man who sets out on a journey spurred on by regret and a desire to find his lost love. To support the story, Babb returned to a “classic Glass Hammer style.” While Fred Schendel appears on two tracks, he seems content to be one of many players in this Babb-produced album. Other players include UK guitarist Oliver Day, Dutch singer Thomas Jakob and American singer Olivia Tharpe.But despite all the changes, Glass Hammer once again delivers. The opener, “What If,” gives a good indication of what we’ll get for the rest of the album. While all the players are excellent, this is not about instrumental virtuosity. Different instruments vie for the melody here and there but never in a “look at me!” sort of way. The opening riff in this song, for example, is traded back and forth until the singer begins, curiously, with the word “farewell!” This song sets the stage for the journey the protagonist is to embark on.In “The Road South” Oliver Day’s lap steel guitar is featured as part of the extended introduction. The guitar does a wonderful job of evoking the sadness of the man leaving his home in the story. In “Tomorrow” the man encounters his first hardship and looks to heaven and the promise that “tomorrow, all will be fine.” A Synth plays a nice counter-melody call and response with singer Thomas Jakob throughout.In “Pretty Ghost” we finally get to hear from Olivia Tharpe as she gives voice to the man’s memories of a woman he left many years ago. Babb nicely captures how good intentions aren’t enough when Tharpe sings, “Someday became today. Then, suddenly became yesterday. There’s nothing left but faded memories.” The song is surprisingly upbeat despite the lyrics containing such regret. The song ends unexpectedly with Tharpe singing “Then she goes, slips away, slips away. Don’t go!”As quickly as “Pretty Ghost” ends, we find ourselves in the song “Sunshine” opening with the words, “don’t let her go.” Once again lap steel, this time played by Fred Schendel, is featured. In the song, it is the memory of his old love that brings light to his mind but that light is tinged with sadness. Babb does a fine job communicating the mixed feelings of this song in both the writing and playing.In “I Will Follow” the man sets his heart and his feet on the path forward. Both Jakob and Tharpe alternate vocals in this up-tempo song. Keys play an important part in propelling this song forward. With the exception of a couple of synth solos, Babb plays all the keyboard parts on this album. As mentioned earlier, this is nothing flashy, but it gets the job done.As the story is drawing to a close, the man reflects on his life in gratitude in “The Wonder of it All”. This leads to the instrumental “One Last Sunrise,” and the mostly instrumental ten-minute “Terminal Lucidity,” one of the album’s highlights. The man has a vision at the end of his life, a vision of someone there to greet him, God. “All Good Things” completes the saga as the man recognizes that he is in a place of eternal rest, a place where “Love reigns forevermore.”Rogue sits nicely alongside other Glass Hammer classics like “On to Evermore,” “Chronometree,” and “If” in both overall sound and the grand scope of the music and the text. It’s remarkable that more than thirty years on, Babb and his colleagues continue to turn out thoughtful, creative albums. Rogue is an album that is deserving of a close listen and time spent with the lyrics and the accompanying story that goes along with it.
Line Up:
Steve Babb / keyboards, bass, vocals
Thomas Jakob / vocals
Olivia Tharpe / vocals
Oliver Day / guitars
Ariel Perchuck / keyboards
Evgeni Obruchkov / drums
+ guests:
Fred Schendel / drums
Reese Boyd / guitars
David Wallimann / guitars
Tracklist:
01. What If
02. The Road South
03. Tomorrow
04. Pretty Ghost
05. Sunshine
06. I Will Follow
07. The Wonder Of It All
08. One Last Sunrise
09. Terminal Lucidity
10. All Good Things
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