Jerry Godman Jan Hammer

“Valkyrie” tells the story of a soldier trapped in an endless war, and of the girl he left behind. As with most GH albums, deeper meanings abound for those who take the time to digest the lyrics which are, according to the liner notes, “dedicated to those who battle the effects of trauma, and to those who love and support them.”
What may set this 2016 release apart from previous Glass Hammer albums is the way in which the band went about recording it. According to bassist / lyricist Steve Babb, the band “went for a more live approach this time. We rehearsed the material for several months before finally recording all of the rhythm tracks as if we were playing one very big concert, which is to say, that it was mostly live. We concentrated on vocals and overdubs at the studio, but the foundation of ‘Valkyrie’ was done together in a huge , amazing acoustic space”…

Glass Hammer shoots for the stars with a new concept album, "Arise". Set against the backdrop of deep space exploration, "Arise" follows the extraordinary journey of an android dispatched by overzealous scientists to uncover the galaxy's hidden wonders. The album's lyrics, liner notes and artwork convey a tale of cosmic dread and wonder that doesn't begin with a big bang, but - according to Glass Hammer mastermind Steve Babb - definitely ends with one. He's joined by singer Hannah Pryor and guitarist Reese Boyd for Glass Hammer's twenty-first studio album. "Arise is my progressive rock spin on space rock", says Babb. "I'm still flirting with doom metal on a couple of songs, as we did on the last two albums, but there's also psych rock and even 80s influence going on in the music…

When in 2003 the 250th anniversary of the Residenz-Theater in Munich was to celebrated, it was decided to perform the same opera which was performed at the opening of the theatre in 1753: Catone in Utica by Giovanni Battista Ferrandini. That was a bold decision, as Ferrandini is not exactly a household name in our time. He isn't a completely unknown quantity, though; his lamento 'Pianto di Madonna' was once attributed to Handel. It is perhaps due to this misattribution that it was ever recorded.

Glass Hammer is a Symphonic Progressive Rock band from the United States. They formed in 1992 when multi-instrumentalists Steve Babb and Fred Schendel began to write and record Journey of the Dunadan, a concept album based on the story of Aragorn from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. To their surprise, the album sold several thousand units via the Internet, The QVC Shop-At-Home Network and phone orders, leaving Babb and Schendel convinced that the band was a project worth continuing.
Musically, they lean towards 70's driven symphonic rock, with strong keyboard orientation; specifically Hammond organs in the tradition of ELP. They have a superb melodic flow to the music they make, encapsulating real power and dynamics without ever becoming overpowering…

It takes a lot of guts to kick off this release with a cover of the Yes classic "South Side of the Sky", but leave it to Chattanooga's Glass Hammer to attempt just that on their prog rock opus Culture of Ascent. After the sprawling 2CD concept piece The Inconsolable Secret, the band decided this go-round to keep things moderately sparse with a 70-minute single CD set filled with just six tracks, but fear not, all the expected Glass Hammer elements are in place.
Their take on "South Side of the Sky" is actually quite good, as their arrangement stays fairly faithful to the original, with Susie Bogdanowicz handling the lead vocal quite well, and Jon Anderson himself putting in a guest appearance doing some vocalizations…