Glass Hammer
Three Cheers For the Broken Hearted
Arion Records
www.glasshammer.com
Glass Hammer is one of those bands that I have been of fan of since their concept CD "Lex Rex" was released in 2002. Throughout the years I have watched the band gain more and more of a cult following and I have watched their sound become more fine tuned and refined altogether. With their most recent release "Three Cheers For the Broken Hearted" the Glass Hammer gang has created a CD very different from their previous releases and it certainly has fans talking.
Known for their progressive rock sound Glass Hammer been compared to the likes of early Genesis, Yes and Kansas. They have created some of the most intricate and complex epics in recent modern progressive rock history. With the release of their most recent CD the trio known as Glass Hammer (Steve Babbs, Fred Schendel and Susie Bogdanowicz) have buried some of their progressive rock tendencies and have emerged, as their press release states, "a leaner, tighter Glass Hammer". What is most different about this CD from previous ones is the songs are paired down to a more managable three to five minutes in length. There is also a more edgy and harder rock sound with most (not all) of the vocals handled by Susie this time round. From the opening ethereal track "Come On, Come On" one would tend think this would be a softer and more adult contemporary sounding CD but that quickly changes with the second track "The Lure of Dreams". The song lyrics tend to walk the line of a darker side but eventually brought back to the light again. Which leads to another thing that is different from previous releases is blatantly apparent concept which runs through the album. However according to the band, "the new album's lyrics still carry a theme throughout."
It took me some time to mull this CD over and it took at least a half a dozen listens until I was able to come to a final conclusion. I do miss the traditional epics of the years past but I also appreciate the new direction the band is heading. As with any band; the more years you play together the more apt you are to experiment and change your sound around to match with the times. While I would consider "Three Cheers For the Broken Hearted" more "user-friendly" than previous CDs I do think it may attract new fans and appeal to longtime fans.
Overall, this is a great CD and it is one that is guaranteed to be a mile marker for the future of the band the years to come. Bravo Glass Hammer for a job well done!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 pops!
