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Glass Hammer - Lex Rex CD (album) cover

LEX REX

Glass Hammer

 

Symphonic Prog

3.76 | 218 ratings

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ZowieZiggy
Prog Reviewer
3 stars I really don't understand why so many progheads consider this band as the best US based one in the symphonic prog category.

To me, it has always been a YesClone in the vein of "Starcastle". No more. I admit that they also cloned ELP very much in "Chronometree". Of innovative music, there are not much to say, I'm afraid.

Even if a song as "Tales Of The Great Wars" is not bad per se, it holds all the elements (vocals, guitar, synth, off-beats) of a classic YesSong but performed by some sort of tribute band. Don't get me wrong: the song is very pleasant, musicians play very well but it is only a copy of what has been done some thirty years before this album. So, what's the fuss?

The whole of this album (over sixty five minutes!) is just a travel through the YesSounds I praise so much while played by the original and great band we all love.

Keyboards lovers will be very pleased throughout all these songs. They are declined in lots of forms: synth, mellotron, piano, moog and organ which brings a lot of variety in sounds. But these Anderson vocals oriented are just too much. He is of course not the only one to have been imitated (isn't it Peter?).

Now, to be honest, "Lex Rex" is their best effort so far. At least I consider it as such. But the epic "Further Up And Further In" features rather weak and unexpressive vocals and the instrumental parts are not really thrilling either. The sections I prefer are the short and Howesque guitar breaks.

While releasing "Lex Rex", the band could have made this very long story shorter. It would have been beneficial for the interest of this work which falls somewhat flat throughout its length.

Three stars.

ZowieZiggy | 3/5 |

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