Glass Hammer - Valkyrie

[Glass Hammer]

A new album in the works!

http://teamrock.com/news/2016-06-17/...ie-bogdanowicz

[Jondon4]

Sounds interesting. Happy to hear of Susie's increased role but it begs the question, "What happened to Carl?"

[Progatron]

Auto-buy. Love the hammer!

[moecurlythanu]

I'm all about more Susie in GH. Will definitely pre-order this.

[Gizmotron]

I am always up for another Glass Hammer CD!

[JKL2000]

Sounds interesting. Happy to hear of Susie's increased role but it begs the question, "What happened to Carl?"

Carl's always coming and going...

[Rick]

Sounds interesting. Happy to hear of Susie's increased role but it begs the question, "What happened to Carl?"

yeah, will miss Carl here. actually, the only Glass Hammer album I have is Culture of Ascent that Carl is the main vocalist. for some reason, the album clicked with me. i think the heavy Yes influence is why other releases have not hooked me in. just not a big Yes fan.

that being said, i am listening to some samples from Breaking of the World. sounds pretty good..

but, i approach each Hammer release with interest. would like to hear some new samples.

[Yodelgoat]

Excellent. Another great band still releasing material to an ever disinterested world. I'll buy three just to make up for the indifference of the general public. (and to give to my kids because they love prog, but it has to be spoon fed to them).

You have to admire these guys for their patience and heart. Such great stuff.

[ca1ore]

GH has always be a 'revolving door' when it comes to the lead (male) vocalist. With one exception, I've liked them all. Looking forward to this one. Auto buy.

[BarryLI]

Autobuy for me, as ever.

[dropforge]

Please Hammer don't hurt 'em!

[rickawakeman]

Always look forward to a GH release. Have been fortunate enough to have seen GH twice (Nearfest, Bearsville for "Breaking of the World" mini-tour a couple years back) and they are among my favorite American symph bands.

[progmeister]

Autobuy for me, as ever.

ditto

[Soc Prof]

I'm hoping it has the version with Elmer Fudd singing "Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit..." Oh, sorry, that's "Flight of the Valkyries." My bad.

[selmer]

One of the GH guys sang the lead on one of the recent albums. Would like to hear the other founding member as a lead vocalist on this one as well.

[Yodelgoat]

So is the band no longer working with Jon Davidson?

[ThomasKDye]

Just don't change it at the last minute to "Gravitas."

[JKL2000]

So is the band no longer working with Jon Davidson?

Good question! (Davison)

[moecurlythanu]

So is the band no longer working with Jon Davidson?

We can only hope.

[Yodelgoat]

Sorry, I missed the guys name. I hadnt heard anything about him for so long I forgot his last name.

Am I a bad person for this?

I liked some of his GH work, but Ive liked just about anything GH has released, and his contributions are not the highlight of the music. He's not bad, but he is no Jon Andersen (see how I did that - again?)

[selmer]

I liked Groves on Culture Of Ascent but was not a fan of his work on these recent ones. I liked Davison better, thought that his range was wider and more subtle.

If this next one will go back to its roots, meaning - the founding members get to sing lead too - I'm all for it. A change is welcome after the Groves/Davison stint.

[JAMOOL]

the dude I always liked as a lead singer in GH was Walter Moore. he doesn't appear a whole lot but he does bring the fire. oh well.

either way I'm sure the Hammer will make it work, they always do. if this is indeed on the scope of the Inconsolable Secret (as the members of GH have alluded to) then this is big news indeed.

[bondegezou]

So is the band no longer working with Jon Davidson?

He became too busy with Yes. He wasn't on the last album, and was only one of several vocalists on the one before that.

Henry

[Progatron]

The Fields We Know
Golden Days
No Man's Land
Nexus Girl
Valkyrie
Fog Of War
Dead And Gone
Eucatastrophe
Rapturo

Glass Hammer have exclusively revealed details of 18th studio album Valkyrie to Prog.

The nine-track follow-up to last year’s The Breaking Of The World is to be released on September 27, and sees vocalist Susie Bogdanowicz playing her biggest role to date with the band, after fans demanded the move.

Bassist and producer Steve Babb tells Prog: “This is pure Glass Hammer. Fred Schendel and I are handling more of the vocals than we have in several years.

“But Susie is front-and-centre throughout most of the album – and our fans have not been shy in telling us that’s the way to go. Guitarist Alan Shikoh and drummer Aaron Raulson complete the Valkyrie lineup.”

Describing it as a concept album in the vein of 2002’s Lex Rex and 2005’s The Inconsolable Secret, Babb adds: “It’s the story of a soldier’s struggle to return home from the horrors of war, to the girl who loves him and must ultimately find her way to him.

“Of course, it goes much deeper than that – and that’s why I’ve dedicated the lyrics to those battling the long-term effects of trauma, and those who care for them.

“It’s a serious subject for a serious album.”

They took a fresh approach to the creative process, by rehearsing the entire album as a band for months, rather than developing the songs, recording them, and then rehearsing for shows.

Babb says: “The goal was to capture the edginess of a live concert while recording – hopefully that comes across.

“The burden was on Susie to bring the lyrics to life, and build an emotional crescendo for the album’s finale. Like a live show, it has to end with a bang.

“She delivers. The whole album builds till that final track and then – we’ll see you soon and I hope you’ll agree: it’s an epic finish.”

Pre-orders for autographed copies begin on August 30 via Glass Hammer’s website.


... I will be first in line!!

[dgtlman]

He became too busy with Yes. He wasn't on the last album, and was only one of several vocalists on the one before that.

Henry

Which is a good thing IMO. Although JD is a great fit for Yes, I do not think he worked particularly well with GH music... it made them sound too "Yessy".