THE INCONSOLABLE SECRET

Will Glass Hammer finally leave the ungrateful minor leagues of progressive music?

Well, if the tour is successful, I think this is it! Glass Hammer' s music proved it can rock the world and even move it. The progression of the 3 last albums: Lex Rex was great story telling and rocked harder like Triumvirat. Shadowlands was less storyteller but the songs were more crafted and somewhat love oriented, using a string section and church organ.

The Inconsolable Secret is a blend of the best of the 2 last albums. Triumvirat/ Pär Lindh lovers will find their share in the cd 1. We find here what Glass Hammer loves to do: keyboard oriented music. Hammond, mellotron, and more hammond. Honestly, I feel I hear more of the same again. I feared that when I heard Shadowlands for the first time. I shouldn't be so drastic...some new elements has been added to the blend. Schendel is giving more space to little interludes of honky tonk piano and other cool synths sounds. Glass Hammer is doing extremely well their style, I wish only more diversity in the vocal departement especially. The most talented singer is of course the jack of all trades that is Walter Moore. With such a warm and poweful voice, Babb and Schendel should back up sing and let Moore do the main stuff (personnal taste of course).

On the performance side, Babb is showing again that following his bass is a fast pace exercise. I saw him playing and he masterized the bass in his own departement. He's not playing Geddy Lee's style, though. He plays with a pick and sports a more hard rock approach...and puts his bass lower than the traditional bassman look we're used too. The main prize is (once again) honored to Fred Schendel with a panoply of synthetisers reminding the great Jurgen Fritz or Pär Lindh. Close is Matt Mendians who is constantly in movement. Not a second is wasted, his talent is putted in front throughout cd 1.

Cd 2 is dominated by the girls. Glass Hammer would not be as awesome without the support of Bogdanowicz, Paris, Snyder and Warren. The feel on the second cd is completely different, except for the 2 first songs.

When you hit the third track, you're in a completely different universe. A great magical aura is surrounding the songs. A real choir is wrapping up the song Lirazel, propulsing you a world of winter and ladies in distress, waiting for their knights to show. Lirazel actually feels like Björk's Vespertine crossed with a soundtrack of Final Fantasy. I was shocked to hear such a change of pace in a Glass Hammer album. This has nothing to do with what they gaved us before. I'm smiling about it and you will!

With the beautiful choirs, the Björk influences and the emphasis on female vocals, the interest of the Incosolable Secret lies in cd 2, you guessed it. The first cd is still good, but The Lady is truly a great record with a soul on it's own.

Could it be the prime time of 2005 ?

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