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Rendref 
Forum Newbie 
Joined: June 13 2010 Location: Russia Status: Offline Points: 19 |
 Topic: Glass Hammer announce `Valkyrie'Posted: November 22 2016 at 02:13 |
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Thanks :)
Well, all right then. I am not Csglinux by the way, though I've read his review and comments below :) I agree with you on Edison's Children. Well, what I am gonna do... I just did not expect I would not like this album, because they had good stuff before. I'll give other albums after Lex Rex a try then.
Edited by Rendref - November 30 2016 at 06:59 |
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Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Special Collaborator 
Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 12 2011 Location: Melb, Australia Status: Offline Points: 7951 |
Posted: November 21 2016 at 06:03 |
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Oh, and I should have mentioned, do take the glowing opinions on the site and around the Prog web with a grain of salt! Most of us that love the album and the band are fawning fanboys, so OF COURSE we're going to be foaming at the mouth with excitement over an album that we find ticks a lot of the boxes that are reasons we love that group in the first place! It's not unexpected to find a wealth of positive reviews when albums come out, because those that dig them are more likely to post fawning positive rambles about them!
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Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 12 2011 Location: Melb, Australia Status: Offline Points: 7951 |
Posted: November 21 2016 at 05:57 |
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There's several reviews on here and over the web that offer plenty of different perspectives, so there's no need to start that in here again. Just click on the album listing and you'll see them all.
(At this point I'm also kind of assuming you're also the reviewer Csglinux who posted that poor review of it a few months back, because your arguments are REEEEEEEALLY similar!  If not, well at least there's another one that feels the way you do, so you're not alone in your thoughts!) But it should be said, it's not about forcing yourself to `Get It'. You can NEVER force yourself to like an album if its just not working for you, no matter how much you WANT it to. You've stated various opinions about certain elements, passages, vocals, etc that you do not like, that is WHY you do not like the album! It's like I and several others on the site and across the prog community adore the album because we find it has a ton of variety in the playing, we adore the endless glorious symphonic passages, the humble vocals, etc. Just as I could understand that others could find the album supremely uncool, bland, a throwback to vintage eras best left in the prog past, endlessly self-indulgent - whatever! You know, I thought the Edison's Children album `The Final Breath Before November' was the height of absolute tedium. Barely a 20 minute EP worth of material stretched to almost 80 minutes with the most endless dragged out ideas that renders it borderline unlistenable. Yet many others on this site and other ones loved the album, really responded to it, so what do I know? I love hearing others opinions even if they're wildly different than my own, and I certainly don't have a lower opinion of someone simply because I disagree with them. I'd probably suggest that is you're not enjoying it, spend your time on other albums that make you happier! |
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Rendref
Forum Newbie
Joined: June 13 2010 Location: Russia Status: Offline Points: 19 |
Posted: November 21 2016 at 05:36 |
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Clearly)
Yeah, but the problem is it does not feel like it is difference of opinion :) There are albums that I do not like, but I can completely understand how and why other people like them: early Porcupine Tree, new Opeth albums, Arena/Pendragon albums, and so on. Here it is just plain fact: vocals are bad and they are mixed in bad (in my defense, I am a sound engineer, so it is not just trolling).
I would appreciate if somebody could take examples from my post above and give a different perspective on them. Because, for some reasons, I really want to get this album. |
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Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 12 2011 Location: Melb, Australia Status: Offline Points: 7951 |
Posted: November 21 2016 at 05:04 |
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Ah, see, clearly the problem is you're wrong and we're not.
It's called having free will to form your own difference of opinion, mate! 
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Rendref
Forum Newbie
Joined: June 13 2010 Location: Russia Status: Offline Points: 19 |
Posted: November 21 2016 at 04:28 |
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So... I listened to new album... Somebody who likes it, could you please explain to me... how do you like that? Here are my thoughts:
Awful, emotionless vocals immediately put you off. I don't even know, if they just plain emotionless or they sit so bad in the mix. First two songs leave me in strange feeling, that I just don't get something. People are talking about great vocals here, but I hear only barely understandable tasteful voices. Susie Bogdanovich does not help it all. I've read so many positive things about her performance, but hey: absolutely flat voice an no emotions whatsoever. The mixing makes words unrecognizable sometimes - why the hell do vocal sit so low in the mix? It is the most crucial part of the music. Time passes by, and after two songs I just don't care. Third song, "No Man's Land" is the longest track, it has to be awesome (by unwritten prog rules), right? Nah, we have 3 (!) minutes of simple guitar arpeggios at the beginning of the track before something interesting starts to happen. And that interesting is not bright enough, to my taste, however, it is the best portion of the track, before vocals kick in and it goes all to hell. And what is that awful heavily processed low unintelligible burping voice at the end of the song? WTF is that voice? What is it? The music at this section is just uninteresting chord progression with organ over it... and burping. Yeah, that makes a great listen,sure... Is that what I should hum like an ear-candy of this album? Another example of strangely vocals, is the washed out vocals of Susie in the "Rapturo". I don't understand neither words, no production decisions for that. If you were trying to make album with such great cover artwork awful - you've succeeded. I cannot believe such good artwork can hide such bad music. None of the vocal melodies even have some kind of enjoyable motifs, that I could hum afterwards! There is nothing for my mind to sit on here, it's just plain suffering. And it is not that I did not give the album time to grow on me - I listened to it more than 5 times in order to get things figure out and realize why I did not like the album at all. I had no success. It is still a mystery to me. The album has no memorable melodies, no inspiring motifs, no interesting structures, no pleasant vocals and no emotions. All the good instruments are there, but somehow it all just misses. It is not enough to jam on vintage instruments over some simple chord progressions and call it one of the best 2016 prog outputs. Something has to stick, to click, something has to be freaking awesome, it has to have dynamic, make my feet and hands move according to music, hum and sing along! All of the above is so obvious when I listen to this album after just released Neal Morse Band's "The Similitude of a Dream" - there I get all of the things I miss from GH release: such great, sticky melodies, awesome use of instruments, inventive solos and arrangement, great vocals (not the greatest, but all of them sound good and pleasant, and the melodies do the rest), memorable material, and music that breathes and lives. "Valkyrie" sounds like dead music with vintage instruments with absolutely terrible vocals lacking any emotions, lacking any good melodies and motifs. It is just some notes over some chords with awesome instruments. And those vocals. Somebody, please, explain to me what am I missing? How am I hearing this completely different album, that everyone is enjoying here on Progarchives and all over the internet. PS Of course, after 5 listens I can appreciate some music on this album, but it still nothing compared to what other bands do. I honestly hope other albums are better. And I hope other people participate in vocals, because it is the weakest part of the album. Positive side of this album: "Nexus Girl" is more or less interesting, compared to other tracks. And "Eucatastrophe" is pleasant sounding. The end of "Eucatastrophe" still has only organ rolls and no actual singable melody. PSS I liked "Lex Rex" and the vocal was OK, with absolutely awesome track there "Centurion" and good "Tales of the great wars" and many other pleasant, though not always super memorable songs. I even don't mind "Chromometree", though it also feel like generic prog-material with no bright melodies, but, man, at least vocals are good there - I can hear them, I am not put off by them, and I can understand the words. Edited by Rendref - November 21 2016 at 05:39 |
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Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 12 2011 Location: Melb, Australia Status: Offline Points: 7951 |
Posted: September 27 2016 at 07:12 |
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Finally a full-length track to share with listeners from the album!
My (rather overlong and overly gushing  ) review of the album can also be found here.http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=1613518 If you're already a fan of the group, chances are you are absolutely going to love this album to bits. 
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Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 12 2011 Location: Melb, Australia Status: Offline Points: 7951 |
Posted: September 18 2016 at 08:47 |
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New video, and the album is a little over a week away now!
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richardh
Prog Reviewer 
Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 28793 |
Posted: September 06 2016 at 06:55 |
TIS actually has a 'deluxe edition' with an extra bonus disc over the original 2 discs. The extra disc features versions of the tracks with Jon Davison on vocals so its worth getting. The particular line up at that that time also had Matt Mendians on drums. He only did the 2 albums with them (the other being Culture Of Ascent which is one of those 4 star albums you refer to) but he was their best drummer imo , not that they've had that many!
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AEProgman
Forum Senior Member 
Joined: August 11 2012 Location: Toadstool Status: Offline Points: 1789 |
Posted: September 02 2016 at 08:31 |
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Fan of these guys, I am looking forward to this one, even though there are other albums by them I still need to get (Inconsolable Secret being one of them). They keep pumping them out and at good pace and quality.
I still am waiting for that knock out 5 star album by them (to me IMHO), everything I have by them thus far have been solid 4s to upper 3s, hope this is it! Guess I need to get Inconsolable Secret next since I have a little time until this one comes out.
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rushfan4
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 22 2007 Location: Michigan, U.S. Status: Offline Points: 66472 |
Posted: September 02 2016 at 08:30 |
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Disc is ordered along with a t-shirt!
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richardh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 28793 |
Posted: September 02 2016 at 06:27 |
CD services went really over the top and suggested it was their Dark Side Of Moon I've got it on order of course and hope its at least half as good as The Inconsolable Secret (their masterwork imo). if so I will be very happy
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aglasshouse
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 27 2014 Location: riding the MOAB Status: Offline Points: 1505 |
Posted: August 27 2016 at 16:33 |
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I'm going to order it. Hopefully the autographed copies won't be too expensive but my guess is they will be.
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http://fryingpanmedia.com
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Meltdowner
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: June 25 2013 Location: Portugal Status: Offline Points: 10266 |
Posted: August 27 2016 at 13:54 |
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It seemed that epic right from the start. I can't wait to hear it
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Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 12 2011 Location: Melb, Australia Status: Offline Points: 7951 |
Posted: August 27 2016 at 13:29 |
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Ahh, I see it now too!
 Written part of a review, the band obviously took a part of it that looked nice for their promo. But I've heard the album, and my gut instinct says that it's their best to date, really an incredible disc. And I truly think what I wrote above, it wasn't some knee-jerk excited spur of the moment praise! It certainly wipes the floor with the Anderson/Stolt disc Edited by Aussie-Byrd-Brother - August 27 2016 at 13:30 |
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Meltdowner
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: June 25 2013 Location: Portugal Status: Offline Points: 10266 |
Posted: August 27 2016 at 13:26 |
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Cool, you're in the preview image
Did you write a review already? |
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Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 12 2011 Location: Melb, Australia Status: Offline Points: 7951 |
Posted: August 27 2016 at 11:53 |
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Latest trailer for the album:
and I'm keen to find out who that no doubt absurdly handsome person mentioned at the 1:12 minute mark is! Autographed copies of the album are available for pre-order from the band's webstore at the link here, as well as t-shirts, etc - http://glasshammer.com/official-store/ If you're a fan of the group, believe me, you're in for a very special treat with this album.  Edited by Aussie-Byrd-Brother - August 27 2016 at 13:19 |
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richardh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 28793 |
Posted: July 29 2016 at 06:36 |
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Man With Hat
Collaborator
Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team Joined: March 12 2005 Location: Neurotica Status: Offline Points: 166183 |
Posted: July 27 2016 at 14:17 |
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nice!
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Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
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Meltdowner
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: June 25 2013 Location: Portugal Status: Offline Points: 10266 |
Posted: July 27 2016 at 06:56 |
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Awesome!
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Glass Hammer announce `Valkyrie'
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AEProgman wrote: