CHRONOMETREE

Is Glass Hammer one of the main bands in the prog industry? The answer of course is: no. Why? Whith an album like Lex Rex, this band should have jumped right in the main leagues. Lex Rex had it's influences but Chronometree is simply pumping the fuel directly from it's influences. And this time, it's not even influences, it's plagiarism. I honestly think that Babb and Schendel gave their own fingerprint with Lex Rex and stapled it harder with Shadowlands.

In this case, this is just too much for me.

The whole plan was to sound like a cross of ELP and Yes. Well, mission accomplished. And how. This album is very well done. The compositions have NOTHING to do with the dynamic of Lex Rex or Shadowlands. This is like a whole different band. The target of tributing ELP and Yes is so well fulfilled, that it's getting annoying. Come on guys!?! The heck is that?? Yes made and album named Relayer with more slide guitar. Check. ELP uses tons of blistering Hammond lines and time breaks. Check. And..well...that's it. Honestly the music is leaving me dead cold. I have a few ELP albums and some Yes too. So? So you don't need another mix of the two. Does the world really needs so much cloning? Par Lindh Project, Triumvirat or Magenta does it better at least.

Don't get me wrong, I love Glass Hammer. I even liked the less upbeat atmosphere of certain songs. Some are really great and snappy like Eldritch Wind and Chronotheme. I won't even be nasty towards the very, very, very average singing of whatever his name's. To give you an idea you could cross Simon Le Bon (duran duran) and Ziggy Stardust (david bowie)...but do it badly. Wof indeed. The plot is fun, though a little too prog-nerd for me.

Glass Hammer is a killer band. Their 2002 line up is too good to be true. But without Flo Parrish, Susie Bogdanowicz or Walter Moore on vocals...you get an average tribute album of two of the biggest has-beens bands on the market.

Chronometree suffers of a major identity crisis, like Triumvirat or Magenta. But at least, with those two, the cloning is worth your money.

Frankly, you'd need a solar powered flashlight more than this one.

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