Post Description

Glass Hammer - One

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.

While many musicians have appeared on Glass Hammer albums over the years, Babb and Schendel have remained the core of the band. Both play a variety of instruments, but Babb mainly concentrates on bass guitar and keyboards while Schendel plays keyboards, various guitars and drums until the addition of live drummer Matt Mendians to the studio recording band in 2004. They also sing, although a number of other vocalists have also handled lead vocal duties including Michelle Young, Walter Moore, Carl Groves, Susie Bogdanowicz and Jon Davison. Worthy of mention, Yes vocalist Jon Anderson provided backup vocals on two songs from 2007's Culture of Ascent.

Lyrically, Glass Hammer is inspired mostly by their love of literature (most notably Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and John Krakauer) and Babb's love of Victorian prose and medieval mythology. 

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. Their most apparent influences are Yes, ELP, Genesis, and, to a less noticeable extent, Camel. While Glass Hammer have, for the most part, combined those influences into a characteristic style of their own, they made much more direct references to the aforementioned bands on their 2000 album Chronometree and the 2010 release If. Without a doubt, GH remain one of the most popular groups in the progressive rock genre. All the albums are very conceptual, and there is great musicianship overall. 

Current band members include co-founders Steve Babb (bass guitar and keyboards), Fred Schendel (keyboards and guitar) along with Alan Shikoh (guitar) and lead vocalist Jon Davison. 

Studio Album, released in 2010

Songs / Tracks Listing 
1. Ex Oblivione (6:32)
2. Hypnos (3:49)
3. The Nameless City (2:52)
4. The Fortress Unvanquished (4:49)
5. The Glittering Gate (4:28)
6. The Shunned Hills (3:03)
7. A Glimpse From the Watch Tower (3:56)
8. Chased By Things (2:11)
9. The Whisperer in the Dark (4:56)
10. The Book of Wonder (3:51)
11. A Lurking Fear (4:43)
12. Dreams in the Witch-House (3:35)
13. Beyond the Fields We Know (2:34)
14. Beyond the Wall of Sleep (2:46)
15. A Night At The Inn (2:36)
16. To Journey Onward (3:49)

Line-up / Musicians 
- Fred Schendel / keyboards
- Steve Babb / keyboards 

INFORMATION:
"One" represents the first recorded collaboration by GH co-founders Steve Babb and Fred Schendel. These instrumental synth-scapes were originally released on cassette in 1991 and 1992, and have been kept in the vault since the release of "Journey of the Dunadan" in 1993.