Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Glass Hammer
Label: Arion
Release: 2012
Running time: 60:36
Rating: 4.5/5
American symphonic prog heads Glass Hammer have come up with their thirteenth studio album in »Perilous«, and after a long while it’s a concept record again, much like their debut »Journey of the Dunadan« (1993) and »Chronometree« (2000). Bassist Steve Babb and keyboardist Fred Schendel, the band’s chiefs and founders, have served up a seriously allegorical concept that runs through all thirteen interconnected tracks on the album. Every listener can read the story in their own way, of course, but there’s still a common thread, which is obvious from both the album title and the cover art, which hints at the unusually dark nature of the individual pieces.
Roughly speaking, the lyrics revolve around an unsettling tale of two kids who stay out playing far too long and get lost in a cemetery at night, trying to find a safe way home. On the way they try to escape various (imagined or real) creatures straight out of horror movies. The ending of their story is left open, since we don’t know whether the monsters managed to catch up with them and gobble them up, or whether they somehow made it back ‘under mommy’s wing’. Naturally, there’s plenty of hidden symbolism for life’s various obstacles again, since a concept about two lost childhood friends could be merely a metaphor for all kinds of anxious trials in real life.
The atmosphere of the individual pieces on »Perilous« is nowhere near as dark as you might expect given the cemetery concept, because Glass Hammer are still a ‘cheerful band’ under the heavy influence of their great European heroes Yes. That became even more obvious after Jon Davison, a spitting vocal image of Jon Anderson, became the new Yes singer while keeping his membership in Glass Hammer. That has surely brought a lot of new followers to a band that, despite more than twenty years of activity, is still relatively little known in Europe, since Davison is a truly superb singer, even with Anderson’s long shadow hanging over him.
The eternal optimists still swear by lush, often ethereal symphonic arrangements paired with complex guitar passages and an abundance of unconventional time changes. Guitarist Alan Shikoh played all the guitars this time (sitar too), whereas on the previous record »Cor Cordium« singer Davison played the acoustic guitar himself. Despite the technical perfection and complex rhythms, Glass Hammer have always been infectiously melodic when telling their ‘green-tongued’ tales, and that’s the case on »Perilious« too. It admittedly brings nothing particularly new for the band, but it’ll still please all the longtime fans. Schendel is thrilling at every turn with his keyboard wizardry, and as always, bassist Babb partly helps him out with the symphonic harmonies. Another Glass Hammer strength once again lies in the backing vocal lines of the band’s two bosses.
The opening track, »The Sunset Gate«, which kicks off with impressive string arrangements courtesy of The Adonia String Trio, is one of two pieces longer than seven minutes. The wildly technical instrumental opening will enchant all the music gourmets, especially fans of the classic Kansas and Gentle Giant legacy. Right from the start of the album, Glass Hammer show off their remarkable knack for building tense drama, layering one symphonic arrangement on top of another to slowly build up a majestic atmosphere. On »Beyond They Dwell« the opening drama settles down a bit and a typical cheerful Glass Hammer mood takes over, with Davison’s vocals taking the lead and injecting a hefty dose of ‘Yes serum’. Still, Alan Shikoh is a very different guitarist from Steve Howe, just as Schendel is cut from completely different cloth than Rick Wakeman, so the resemblance never gets too obvious. Many will like that the lyrics have multiple meanings, unlike in the past, when fantasy, philosophical or religious themes dominated.
Through »The Restless Ones«, where vampires, werewolves and zombies wake up, a somewhat mysterious atmosphere sets in. The multi-part symphonic arrangements are once again brilliantly combined with gorgeous vocal harmonies, which Glass Hammer have down ‘to a T’, while the ‘retro’ sound of the keyboards and sitar will take plenty of listeners back to the seventies. The Mellotron-backed ballad »They Cast Their Spell«, where Shikoh shines with a melancholic guitar solo, sounds like some kind of nightmare lullaby. »We Slept, we Dreamed« opens with a romantic, pastoral intro featuring a guest oboe. At the first transition an uplifting atmosphere takes over under the vocal baton of the ‘American Jon Anderson’, while Shikoh weaves in some cheerful but clever chords as a base, and the complex symphonic arrangements gradually push the rhythmic dynamics higher and higher from second to second.
The instrumental »The Years Were Sped« features a wonderfully pleasant interplay between acoustic guitar and piano, and with its ethereal arrangements it will surely please all fans of Steve Hackett and classic Genesis. »Our Foe Revealed« has a superb piano intro that heralds a complex, sprawling piece with sly time changes, and the members of Glass Hammer casually keep a strong melodic component going the whole time. Babb’s rattling bass lines, heavily influenced by Chris Squire (Yes), play an important role here too, while the Mellotron waves and mini Moog wizardry at times recall the golden days of some prog legends like ELP, Genesis and King Crimson. »Toward Home We Fled« for a change features plenty of jazzy rhythmic segments, while Schendel’s keyboard improvisations will hit the spot for all fans of classic symphonic prog keyboard wizards. Davison is once again in his ‘Yes-like’ element, with wonderful support from the backing vocal harmonies, so that in the end they manage to fill the tank with a maximum dose of ethereal atmosphere.
The short instrumental »As The Sun Dipped Down« will please all King Crimson fans with its ambient nature, while »The Wolf Gave Chase«, another short instrumental with a stormy yet pompous character where scattered keyboard improvisations reign, will go down well especially with worshippers of ELP and Kansas. »We Fell At Last« is really just a short acoustic guitar solo from Shikoh. »In That Lonely Place« is an interesting experiment, as this time guest singer Amber Fults takes the lead vocals. Davison joins her on certain verses, this time for a change venturing into somewhat lower registers than usual, before turning back into the ‘American Jon Anderson’, which is both his main flaw and his main strength. The closing track, »Where Sorrow Died and Came No More«, is among the most complex achievements on »Perilous«. The band mostly impresses here with vivid, pompous instrumental sections, while Davison’s positivist vocal performance delivers the final epic triumph that no honest Glass Hammer album can do without.
Glass Hammer, eternal believers in the triumph of ‘good’, have made an album in »Perilous« that’s interesting and varied enough that, even though they put out records almost every year, you can’t accuse them of being generic, while the allegorical, anxious concept comes to life nicely through the individual compositions. So »Perilous« brings nothing particularly new. Glass Hammer remain recognizable but not predictable, so it’s great that this record is once again quite different from its predecessor. Ever since Davison became their lead singer, plenty of critics have accused them of sounding overly ‘Yes-like’, and even if that’s partly true, there are very few kindred American prog revivalists today who sound this heartfelt when presenting their music. And of all the comparable modern American symphonic prog bands, they undoubtedly sound the most European.
Lineup
Fred Schendel – keyboards, steel guitar, backing vocals
Steve Babb – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Kamran Alan Shikoh – electric, classical and acoustic guitar
Jon Davison (Yes) – vocals
GUEST MUSICIANS:
The Adonia String Trio:
Rebecca James – violin
Susan Hawkins-Whitacre – viola
Rachel Breckman – cello
Randall Williams – drums
Amber Fults – vocals (In That Lonely Place)
The McCallie School Guitar Choir – guitars
The Chattanooga Girls Choir – vocals
Latin Choir – vocals
Carey Shinbaum – oboe
Tim Wardle – additional backing vocals
Production
Steve Babb
Track list
1. The Sunset Gate (7:37)
2. Beyond They Dwell (4:00)
3. The Restless Ones (3:36)
4. They Cast Their Spell (3:21)
5. We Slept, We Dreamed (7:41)
6. The Years Were Sped (2:57)
7. Our Foe Revealed (6:27)
8. Toward Home We Fled (6:47)
9. As the Sun Dipped Low (1:32)
10. The Wolf Gave Chase (1:59)
11. We Fell At Last (1:56)
12. In That Lonely Place (6:10)
13. Where Sorrows Died and Came No More (6:34)
