ARISE

The band Glass Hammer, led by bassist/guitarist Steve Babb and his fine crew, have generated a very nice new CD! I am particularly impressed with vocalist Hanna Pryor, who shines throughout!

The music has an interesting blend of western and Middle Eastern sounds, particularly poignant at this stage of history, considering the clash of those worlds. Steve's bass playing as always is excellent, and they use classic prog sounds such as heavy wah-wah guitar and Mellotron strings!!

This is a very nice effort, and I congratulate Steve and his band for producing a very taught, emotionally uplifting body of music.

According to the database this is the 22nd studio album by this symphonic prog band hailing from Tennessee. Formed in 1992, I first became aware of them with the release of their fourth album Chronomotree in 2000. This was recommended to me as an ELP/Yes style album and certainly keyboardist Fred Schendel provides plenty of Keith Emerson/Rick Wakeman style licks. They stuck reasonably firmly to this approach over the next 10 years that arguably reached its zenith with the so called 'Jon Davidson' trilogy (If, Cor Cordium and Perilous). Chris Squire got to hear about a vocalist that could reasonably replace Jon Anderson in Yes so Davison departed after 2014's Ode To Echo album where by this time he was sharing vocal duties with the returning Carl Groves. From then on GH became a much more fluid line up with different guitarists and drummers, not to mention various lead singers although they remained remarkably consistent in output.

The current lineup of Steve Babb (vocals, keyboards, guitars), Fred Schendel (drums and guitars on one track) Randall Williams (drums) and Hannah Prior is perhaps their most stable for a while. What's readily noticeable is the lack of traditional keyboards in the mode of Emerson and Wakeman that was so recognizable on many of their albums. Instead, this is replaced by electronic sounds that help create a more atmospheric feel. The general style is now even heavier than recent albums, very guitar dominated especially Steve Babb's muscular bass who is undoubtedly one of the best players of that instrument around.

The concept? Certainly, deliberately very space rock influenced and partially a homage to early Floyd and similar early seventies psyche bands. The album finishes strongly with a few longer tracks (Arise 11.44 minutes and The Return of Deadalus 16.51 minutes). Overall, it comes in at a nice meaty 59.38 minutes. I purchased the MP3 album but I gather this has some very nice artwork and a lovely insert booklet explaining the concept if you get the CD version. If you like their recent albums, you will like this. If you think this is another Yes/ELP clone band and got off the 'bus' around 2014 then hop back on the bus and give this a chance!

GLASS HAMMER group founded in 1992; known for composing on the Lord of the Rings book and hosting Jon ANDERSON who brought me to them; a sound on YES, ELP and GENESIS initially for the sound of the keyboards and a symphonic rock assigned to the specific musical flow; their 22nd album is about the exploration of deep space by an android, so we are therefore going for space rock, doom metal and psych-rock from the 70s to today, a beautiful progressive range which is evolving.

"Launch of the Deadalus" rhythmic intro, spatial neo prog on a Dantesque final organ leading to "Wolf 359" starting title on a heady heavy riff; Hannah deploys her voice eyeing that of MOSTLY AUTUMN, merging with almost all prog groups with a female voice; the final orchestral side between symphony and grandiloquent melody, music seeking to "talk to the gods of Olympus" with a supercharged keyboard confirms the metallic desire. "Arion (18 Delphini b)" more psychedelic track with vocoder voice, dynamic for rock enthusiasm and forward bass reminiscent of RUSH. "Mare Sirenum" the marine interlude, instrumental becoming crystalline, hypnotic; a grandiose psyche rise which makes a magnificent progressive nod to the electronic music of TANGERINE DREAM, sublime. "Lost" follows, a long, captivating intro of almost two minutes before Hannah takes the reins on a piano and new wave scents; the emphasis on a SPARKS, a MI-SEX, half dancing, half contemplative and a timeless melody to finish electro dub. "Rift at WASP-12" its catchy heavy sound; between the film and the psyche, on a languorous and surly MOTORPSYCHO, a sign of the prog oxymoron; an overboosted stoner, on a MONSTER MAGNET. A GLASSHAMMER in fact squeaky and twirling but effective.

"Proxima Centauri B" drives the point home, heavy bass, scratchy wah-wah riff, heavy drums looking towards BLACK SABBATH; rhythmic before a soaring break which disconcerts thanks to the sovereign Hammond, the bass keeping its place; Hannah screams more and more and gives pep. "Arise" first of two long pieces; spacey and oriental air on TANGERINE DREAM from the start; a musical bluff with this organ from ancient times and a title which refers to the sound of yesteryear and an air mixing Chrissie HYNDE with Anneke from GATHERING; Steve shows here even more his love of sophisticated, dithyrambic, colorful music, with a final soaring chord where the Mellotron comes to light. "The Return of Deadalus" for the beef, the crazy improv that we no longer expected in 2023; a good old instrumental gig from a bygone era surfing between psychedelic rock, bluesy rock and hard 70s madness; an end-of-album gift with still the old greasy sound of MOTORPSYCHO, yes GLASSHAMMER transcends itself; flights of keyboards from the time when the organ gave prog its letters of nobility; Steve's bass, always heavy and powerful, and the guitar which twice releases a solo that will make you swoon: Hannah arrives at the end to remind us that her voice is also important; final which leaves you perplexed, stunned favoring astral travel quite simply; an astonishing and explosive mix, heavy worthy of DEEP PURPLE.

GLASSHAMMER hit hard, very hard; heavy prog as we like it with vintage sounds, a sound that gradually changes confirming their musical evolution; a concept album about space exploration that is bound to send you very far away for an hour; strong and soaring recording, perfect progressive osmosis of prog sounds and an obligatory album of the month in view of this musical deluge.(4.5)