Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Glass Hammer
Label: Arion
Release: 2016
Length: 65:18
Rating: 4.5/5
American prog-rock revivalists Glass Hammer are one of the few bands that, despite being hyper-productive (they put out a new studio album almost every year), still surprise with quality work. They’ve been on the scene since 1992 and have released no fewer than sixteen studio albums in that time, yet apart from singer Michelle Young they haven’t swapped out a single band member over such a long stretch, which is highly commendable and a real rarity these days. All of this is pretty surprising, as is the fact that they hail from Tennessee, which, much like Kansas, is one of the last places in the US where you’d expect top-notch prog-rock creativity but only if you haven’t ‘had any dealings’ with Glass Hammer yet. After their previous album, »The Breaking of the World« (2015), Glass Hammer return with »Valkyrie« a new and very interesting effort that will delight above all those who swear by symphonic progressive rock with crystal-clear production, grandiose symphonic arrangements, top-flight technical chops and just the right dose of looking back to the past.
Longtime vocalists Jon Davison (Yes) and Carl Graves have ‘frozen’ their Glass Hammer ‘membership cards’ indefinitely, as there’s no trace of their singing on »Valkyrie« at all, while lead vocals have been taken over by Susie Bogdanowicz, who has been back in the role of lead female voice since 2013. That makes »Valkyrie« a more ‘feminine’ album again, at least as far as the lead vocals go, and in its own way the change is quite welcome, especially given the conceptual nature of the record. The concept itself is typically ‘American’: it’s about a weary soldier who finally returns home after surviving the horrors of war, where his fiancée is already waiting for him impatiently. She then has to work pretty hard to win back the affection of a fiancé who’s been left estranged by his war trauma. And of course there’s the typical ‘American’ happy ending, when it’s time to bring out the tissues.
Now, if the concept of »Valkyrie« sits somewhere around the level of a Hollywood B-movie, the musical side of the album at least turns out far more interesting, and, given what most people would expect from Glass Hammer, almost refreshing. Despite its predominantly symphonic nature, with noticeable ‘old-school’ influences from Yes, ELP, Genesis and Renaissance, »Valkyrie« is a pretty eclectic piece of work. Among other things, it stands out for its many interesting twists, clever time changes and a variety of stylistic ‘spices’ from jazz fusion, heavy rock, electronic music and pop, so there aren’t any long, dull stretches on it. At times the mood may get a little too sentimental, but that at least makes the imagery of the concept mentioned above come across more convincingly.
A few vocal contributions also come from the two original members, multi-instrumentalists Fred Schendel (mostly on keyboards) and Steve Babb (mostly on bass guitar), who first ‘show off’ on the opening »The Fields We Know«, but both are pretty average singers and know it quite well, so they hand the main mic over to their friend Susie at just the right moment. She first shines on the track »Golden Days«, which is practically a prototype of a characteristic Glass Hammer composition, with seductive symphonic arrangements, smart guitar variations and rich vocal harmonies, while the electronic-tinged instrumental »Nexus Girl« is certainly among the less typical numbers.
The remaining two members of the band, guitar virtuoso Kamran Alan Shikoh and drummer Aaron Raustlon, mainly make sure that most of the album is played ‘with balls’, which shows best on the ambitious 14-minute epic »No Man’s Land«, with its numerous instrumental interludes and tons of room for fiery soloing. Despite the considerable rhythmic complexity, the album is far from demanding to listen to, thanks to its lovely, melodic arrangements and beautiful vocal harmonies. Glass Hammer are mostly big positivists, but there are also plenty of dark and melancholic moments on »Valkyrie«, such as the nine-minute epic »Dead And Gone«. It opens as a pretty teary ballad, but over time turns much more eclectic, with plenty of interesting instrumental passages that will thrill even the more demanding symphonic-prog gourmets.
With »Valkyrie«, a thoroughly enjoyable concept effort, Glass Hammer have once again shown how modern symphonic progressive rock should sound. You could say it’s one of their more inspired efforts of the past few years, even without Davison and/or Graves, who were largely responsible for the popularity of one of America’s better prog-rock bands growing quite a bit over the years among fans of experimental music. The main ‘star’ of »Valkyrie« is without a doubt Susie, whose singing gives the album that certain soul which the two band bosses, Schendel and Babb, with their limited vocal abilities, simply couldn’t have delivered. »Valykrie« will probably appeal most to those who swear by crystal-clear production and who weren’t fully convinced by the newly reawakened Renaissance and their new creations, or who expected a bit too much from them.
Line-up
Susie Bogdanowicz – lead vocals
Alan Shikoh – guitar, electric sitar
Steve Babb – bass guitar, keyboards, lead vocals
Fred Schendel – keyboards, guitar, lead vocals
Aaron Raulston – drums
Production
Fred Schendel and Steve Babb
Track list
1. The Fields We Know (7:37)
2. Golden Days (6:20)
3. No Man’s Land (14:20)
4. Nexus Girl (2:58)
5. Valkyrie (5:55)
6. Fog Of War (8:24)
7. Dead And Gone (9:56)
8. Eucatastrophe (3:31)
9. Rapturo (6:13)
