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░ ██ ██ Artist: Glass Hammer ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Untold Tales █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2018-05-05 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Sound Resources / Arion Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ This CD features rare and previously unreleased █
█ studio and live recordings spanning the 25-year █
█ history of Glass Hammer. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ ThereÆs are some bands that have been with me █
█ since I first started really getting into █
█ progressive rock music and have stood the test of █
█ time because I like their music and how they have █
█ developed over the years. However, because I am █
█ what is classed as a relatively ælate adopterÆ to █
█ the genre it also means that there is a fair █
█ amount of back catalogue stuff and undiscovered █
█ gems that I have never heard. █
█ When a band releases an album of æPreviously █
█ unreleased tracks and more..Æ it often only █
█ appeals to the completists among the fanbase and █
█ doesnÆt tend to draw in new listeners or fans who █
█ have only started to like the artists later in █
█ their career. So, what would Glass HammerÆs █
█ æUntold TalesÆ give us, I wonder? Starting with █
█ songs from 1993 and concluding with a live █
█ recording from 2017, it promised to be something a █
█ bit different from the usual archive offerings. █
█ Comprising of 13 tracks in total, including █
█ instrumentals and the aforementioned live track, █
█ æUntold TalesÆ offers the listener a sizeable █
█ chunk of never heard before Glass Hammer music. It █
█ opens with a couple of interesting instrumentals, █
█ Shadows Of The Past reworked in 2008, Fred █
█ Schendel reworking the opening track off æJourney █
█ Of The DunadanÆ using techniques unavailable on █
█ first release in 1993 and it has a suitable █
█ cinematic soundscape to its orchestral █
█ magnificence. Infusion is a piece of music █
█ originally released on the album æLove Changes û █
█ Featuring Glass HammerÆ by artist Tracy Cloud. █
█ ThereÆs a pared back, ethereal wonder to the three █
█ minute instrumental with its haunting piano, flute █
█ and keyboards and stylish bass playing. █
█ The heady Identity Principle is one of the █
█ standout tracks on the album and is pure Glass █
█ Hammer. Steve Babb literally found this song █
█ hiding on a backup drive. The band were never █
█ quite satisfied with the mix on the ending. They █
█ recorded a new performance of the ending which █
█ matches up very well. Thus, this track was █
█ recorded in the early 90Æs and just a while ago. A █
█ wonderfully involving track with great vocals from █
█ Walter Moore and an elegant guitar combining █
█ really well. It has that great Glass Hammer trait █
█ of taking you on a complex and involving musical █
█ journey, one that always holds you attention. The █
█ melodies entwine and the guitar takes on its own █
█ vocal note, to me this is one of THE great tracks █
█ from this enduring band and, as Steve himself █
█ says, itÆs a crying shame it has lain hidden for █
█ so long. Glass Hammer appeared at Progscape æ96 in █
█ Baltimore, Maryland and performed the classic █
█ Argent track Hold Your Head High. This studio █
█ version was certainly recorded around that time, █
█ probably in 1997 and is quite a bombastic version █
█ for a band noted for their Elfin lyrics and music. █
█ SteveÆs bass is driving and dynamic and Fred seems █
█ to be having ball on the keyboards, add the █
█ stylish guitar of David Carter to a powerful vocal █
█ from Walter and youÆve got a rather excellent █
█ cover version. █
█ I have to be honest, there are a couple of what █
█ IÆd call æthrowawayÆ tracks on the record and we █
█ get both in quick succession. Actually they arenÆt █
█ bad tracks but, compared to the prog-fest thatÆs █
█ going on around them, they do seem a little █
█ lacklustre. BabbÆs Bach is SteveÆs humble attempt █
█ to achieve something similar to tracks from █
█ æSwitched On BachÆ by Walter Carlos and just feels █
█ throwaway. It is immediately followed by And Then █
█ She Sighed which feels like a pastiche of any █
█ medieval tune, admittedly with excellent vocals █
█ from Laura Lindstrom Davis and a Girls Choir of █
█ Allison Savard, Kaytie Mitchell and Kendra Roden. █
█ You are brought out of any stupor by the excellent █
█ 80Æs synth-rock of Eiger Dreams, a charismatic and █
█ compelling track that bears comparison to Giorgio █
█ Moroder in my humble opinion. If you have seen the █
█ bandÆs æLive At The TivoliÆ DVD then you may █
█ recall this is the opening track. Included here is █
█ the never-before-released studio version recorded █
█ (or at least mixed) in 2008. █
█ Now onto another favourite on the album,the bandÆs █
█ cover of the Beatles track ItÆs All Too Much is █
█ great slice of prog-rock infused AOR music that █
█ has you rocking in your seat with its energy, █
█ dynamism and hooks. SteveÆs funky bass drives the █
█ track along, aided by swathes of FredÆs potent █
█ keyboards and the familiar vocals of the classy █
█ Susie Bogdanowicz. With a nod to a Steve HillageÆs █
█ version, the song was recorded during sessions for █
█ æThree Cheers For The Broken HeartedÆ in 2009. It █
█ was used as an encore piece for a few live shows, █
█ but never released. Here Steve and Fred replaced a █
█ pipe organ with a Hammond organ and the bass line █
█ with something a little more fitting than Steve █
█ had originally done. A track that I can only █
█ really describe as æGlass Hammer do SabbathÆ, █
█ Troll is dark and deliciously dangerous. Steve █
█ describes it as: █
█ ôPartly about recording a track with a █
█ super-fuzzed-out bass guitar. It was also partly █
█ about letting off some steam regarding the trolls █
█ who inhabited certain progressive rock internet █
█ forumsàö █
█ It features some incredibly angry guitar and █
█ keyboard playing and some amazing harmonica from █
█ Tim Starnes and is as far away from a typical █
█ Glass Hammer track as you could possibly get, I █
█ love it! SteveÆs final words on the song: █
█ ôWe have discussed recording more music in this █
█ vein, if only we thought our fans would let us get █
█ away with it!ö █
█ A Grain Of Sand brings you back down to earthy █
█ with its airy and laid back simplicity. Three █
█ minutes of delicate piano and Kamran Alan ShikohÆs █
█ graceful acoustic guitar layered with the █
█ minimalist hues of FredÆs keyboards. Recorded in █
█ 2010 as a possible track for æIFÆ, you can █
█ certainly hear strains of If The Stars if you are █
█ paying attention. Jon DavisonÆs vocal track was █
█ lifted straight from that song as a matter of █
█ fact. The next song is another powerful and █
█ dominant piece of progressive rock. Cool Air is an █
█ enigmatic and serious track which seems to have █
█ some real tension bubbling underneath. Steve █
█ explains: █
█ ôEver the Lovecraft fan, I readily agreed to work █
█ on this track for its ultimate inclusion on a █
█ Colossus (Finland) Lovecraft-themed album. We █
█ chose the tale Cool Air, one of the more gruesome █
█ stories and one I thought we might easily set to █
█ music and lyric. Recorded in 2012, my son, who was █
█ only ten at the time, joined me in the studio for █
█ a sound effects session. Fred wrote the music and █
█ I wrote the lyrics, with much help from the █
█ original text of the story, of course!ö █
█ I wasnÆt a big fan of the vocals when I first █
█ heard it but repeated listens have shown me that █
█ they fit this dark and eerie tale perfectly. █
█ Disturbing and sinister in parts, it creeps under █
█ your skin and becomes quite addictive, like a █
█ horror film that you canÆt take your eyes off. █
█ Doctor Who for the more cerebral of us perhaps? █
█ The Impulsive Type is a more straightforward rock █
█ infused track and reminds me of Frost* or even █
█ Rush with itÆs catchy chorus, edgy, staccato █
█ guitars, stylish rhythm section and Carl Groves █
█ polished vocal performance. Was that Rush I said? █
█ well Steve explains all: █
█ ôIn 2014 Dave Kerzner of Sonic Reality asked us to █
█ perform a track with Neal Peart. WhatÆs that you █
█ say? Well, actually it was a request to write a █
█ song on top of NealÆs drum tracks that were █
█ recorded during the making of Sonic RealityÆs █
█ ôNeal Peart Drumsö sample library. The tracks you █
█ hear are live drum tracks however, not the █
█ samples. Was it possible to write a song over █
█ NealÆs tracks without it sounding Rush-influenced? █
█ No. Enjoy!ö █
█ The album closes with a fantastic live rendition █
█ of No Mans Land (from the 2016 album æValkyrieÆ) █
█ recorded at The Camp House in May 2017. A fan █
█ favourite from its first release, it is utterly █
█ involving and enthralling as a live track and █
█ finishes this stellar collection on quite a high. █
█ Another archive release for those completist fans █
█ then? Absolutely not!! æUntold TalesÆ is an █
█ excellent collection of rarities that has lots of █
█ appeal, both to the dedicated Glass Hammer fan and █
█ those new to this exceptional outfit, a group of █
█ musicians who are definitely one of the best █
█ progressive rock bands around today. █
█ █
█ Line-up: █
█ Steve Babb - keyboards, bass, percussion, vocals █
█ Fred Schendel - keyboards, guitars, drums, █
█ percussion, vocals █
█ Kamran Alan Shikoh - guitars (10-13) █
█ Aaron Raulston - drums (13) █
█ Susie Bogdanowicz - vocals (8, 13) █
█ Walter Moore - vocals, drums (3, 4) █
█ Jon Davison (Yes) - vocals (11), backing vocals █
█ (10) █
█ Carl Groves (Salem Hill) - vocals (12) █
█ Laura Lindstrom - vocals (6) █
█ David Wallimann - guitars (7) █
█ Matt Mendians - drums (7) █
█ David Carter - guitars (4) █
█ Randall Williams - drums (11) █
█ Neil Peart - drums (12) █
█ Tim Starnes - harmonica (9) █
█ Jon Michael Babb - sound effects (11) █
█ Allison Savard, Kaytie Mitchell, Kendra Roden - █
█ girls choir (6) █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Shadows of the Past 2008 2:25 ░
░ 2. Infusion 3:16 ░
░ 3. Identity Principle 12:38 ░
░ 4. Hold Your Head Up 4:17 ░
░ 5. Babb's Bach 3:18 ░
░ 6. And Then She Sighed 1:59 ░
░ 7. Eiger Dreams 2:23 ░
░ 8. It's All Too Much 4:36 ░
░ 9. Troll 5:03 ░
░ 10. A Grain of Sand 2:58 ░
░ 11. Cool Air 9:44 ░
░ 12. The Impulsive Type 4:38 ░
░ 13. No Man's Land Live 14:44 ░
░ 71:59 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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