THE INCONSOLABLE SECRET

A double-CD concept album with a Roger Dean cover - prog rock heaven! For me, Glass Hammer have been on the verge of greatness with their previous albums but were let down by poor production (e.g. Run Lisette, where the keyboards drown out the vocals), but this time they have cracked it. The production is clear and the separation between the instruments is good.

The album consists of 2 CDs, CD 1 has two long tracks, highlighting the keyboards on which the Glass Hammer sound is based. At times, the organ sound is reminiscent of ELP and sometimes the synth breaks remind me of Yes.This CD will appeal to fans of either band.

The second CD has more tracks and, after the first one or two, changes to a more orchestral, Elizabethan feel. The (slightly underused) female vocals come more to the fore here. Opinion is divided here as to which CD is the best and I guess it depends on individual taste.

The CD itself is beautifully packaged with the fold out cover and there are additional features such as a video and the full lyrics (which are a bit cringe-worthy in place) as the concept of the album is based on a epic poem by Steve Babb (one of the keyboard players).

For me, this is a future prog classic and worthy of 4 stars.