THE INCONSOLABLE SECRET

Glass Hammer's eight album is a bit of a mystery. There is some great music hidden deep in these discs. However, there is alot of other things as well. First of all, this is a bit of a departure from their previous albums. There is much less symphonic and less rock; classical and folk influences really take center stage here. This is by no means a bad thing. Experimentation is always a plus for a band, especially in a progressive genre. But, for me, a lot of it goes nowhere, which really drags the second disc in particular down. The first disc is excellent symphonic rock a la the seventies. All the stuff that made the hammer great in the past is here, albeit lighter, not so much emphasis on the rock side of the equation, and still managing to squeeze a few folky/classical influence in there. The second disc starts the same, but quickly turns away from that style. It starts off very well with Lirazel, The High Place, and Morrigan's Song. These songs in particular show that GH is much more than a "regressive" rock band. Walking Towards Doom is also a very nice piece (and aptly named), with its classical behavior, uneasiness, and tense feelings. Mog Ruith is also a nice track, that desevers to be mentioned above the rest. In my opinoin, the record should have ended with one more final song. Instead, there is almost 30 minuets of filler. Music that is somewhat interesting on the first go around (if almost pure classical music is your thing [this excludes the final track]), but really falls short on repeated listens. And really that is the other major problem. The replay value of this is limited, at least as a whole. There are some tracks (mostly the ones I've mentioned) that stick in your mind, and that make you want to play them again, but sadly that doesn't happen too often.

All in all, this is a decent disk. Highs and lows abound on this record. I think its a good stepping stone to stepping out of the shadows of the seventies progressive rock scene, but there is work to do. Fans of Glass Hammer will probably find something in here to enjoy, and fans of folky, classical music will also find a few footholes, but for the rest of us it would most likely be a little more hit or miss.

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