| The
Review |
I keep a list of bookmarks to all of my favorite band
websites so that I can routinely check for updates concerning
new albums, tours, and other news. It had been a while since
I last visited the Glass Hammer site, so when I clicked on
www.glasshammer.com a few weeks ago, I nearly fell off my
chair when I saw the advertisement for "Live At Belmont -
The new double DVD masterwork from Glass Hammer" staring me
in the face. As a huge Glass Hammer fan, and concert DVD connoisseur,
this completely unexpected release was like Christmas in May
for this kid.
Glass Hammer are one of the few bands that still have
me eagerly anticipating each new release, like when I used
to pace outside the local record store on the morning of each
new Rush release. As much as I miss browsing through those
great record stores of old (are there even any left?), it
is also nice to be able to simply click the "pre-order" button
on a band's website, and receive your autographed copy the
following week, like I did with this DVD.
With Live At Belmont coming on the heels of last year's
epic, two-disk masterpiece, The Inconsolable Secret, I do
not hesitate to call Glass Hammer one of the preeminent symphonic
progressive rock bands in the world today. Now, if they would
only get out and play more shows.
When I first saw the advertisement for Live At Belmont,
I must admit, I was a bit worried to see that longtime band
member Walter Moore was no longer in the mix, especially after
he had performed so brilliantly on the Lex Live DVD in 2003.
But right there on the DVD cover was a new and unfamiliar
lead vocalist and guitarist, which is not exactly just replacing
a drummer. These are both positions that can make or break
a band, especially live in concert.
It didn't take long for my worries to be laid to rest,
because Salem Hill vocalist, Carl Groves, covered the lead
vocal duties this night and did an amazing job, especially
for someone who was mostly unfamiliar with the material. You
will notice him glancing down at some lyric sheets much of
the time, but he never missed a beat, and was remarkably able
to capture the essence and nuances of each song. Salem Hill
are a fellow Chattanooga-based prog-rock band, who also opened
for Glass Hammer at this show, which kind of has me wondering
if Chattanooga, Tennessee is going to become the new Sweden
of prog-rock.
I generally prefer guitar-driven music over most other
styles, but the keyboard-dominated sounds of Glass Hammer
are still candy to my ears. With the addition of new, French-born
guitar wizard David Wallimann to the live band, it is like
they were trying to appease me personally. Wallimann's performance
reminded me of Steve Lukather in the way that he brings a
harder edge and more flash to the band's live music.
The promotion of drummer Matt Mendians to full-time status,
after their 2004 NEARfest show, has really paid off big for
the band, beginning with his stunning work on The Inconsolable
Secret and now with his performance here. The permanent addition
of a gifted young guitarist like Wallimann to the band could
have an even greater impact on Glass Hammer's sound. With
the help of these two guys, all of these live performances
easily outshined their album counterparts.
Live at Belmont was recorded at Belmont University's Massey
Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, where Glass Hammer headlined
last year's Past Watchful Dragons conference, an event that
features Inklings scholars from all over the world, and, obviously,
some great musical entertainment. Glass Hammer were the perfect
band for this event, as the themes of many of their albums
and songs are inspired by the works of C. S. Lewis, J.R.R.
Tolkien, and other similar writers.
Where the Lex Live DVD focused mostly on the Lex Rex
album, Live At Belmont concentrates mostly on The Inconsolable
Secret material. Shadowlands and Lex Rex also get a couple
of nods each, and the only repeats from Lex Live were the
songs "One King" and "When We Were Young". Although the set
list is only nine songs deep, the performance lasts over 90
minutes, thanks to a few epic-length songs - most notably
" Knight Of The North", which clocks in at over 22 minutes.
Hey, its prog-rock.
There were many highlights during this show, but my favorite
one was the incredible performance of "Run Lisette", from
the Shadowlands album. Unfortunately the massive pipe organ,
that made the studio version sound so powerful, could not
be dragged up on stage with him, but Fred Schendel did an
admirable job at reproducing that huge sound on his keyboard.
Then again, there isn't any sound this wizard hasn't mastered
on his keyboards. The added depth of the string quartet, and
the stunning vocal performance by Susie Bogdanowicz really
put this version over the top.
A few of my song choices would have been different than
what the band chose this night, but it is hard to complain
about this set list. I would have preferred to hear "So Close,
So Far" instead of "Farewell To Shadowlands", from the Shadowlands
album, although both would have been great. "One King" is
pretty much a mandatory part of any Glass Hammer set list,
but the two other Lex Rex choices, "When We Were Young" and
"Heroes And Dragons" are not two of that album's strongest
songs. I would have killed to hear "Tales of the Great Wars"
or "Cup Of Trembling" performed by this stellar lineup. The
mellow, acoustic mood of "Heroes And Dragons" also made for
a very anti-climactic encore, especially following the rousing,
150-person choir led closer, "Having Caught A Glimpse".
The overall production quality of this DVD is quite good,
and is certainly an improvement over the Lex Live DVD. Most
importantly, we get a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio track
this time around, and it is a good one. The rear-surrounds
were used extensively to project some of the crowd noise,
and some subtle instrumentation and vocals, to create a remarkably
enveloping soundstage. This was surprisingly the only audio
option available, so I'm not sure how it will sound through
a stereo-only system.
The video quality was mixed depending on which camera
was being used. There were several cameras utilized on this
shoot, providing a nice mix of angles, but at least two of
the cameras often came up very soft and blurry. This was especially
true of the camera that shot Schendel from the front at a
medium distance, and some of the longer shots of the entire
stage. The stage itself looked rather drab, as if nothing
special was done other than to set the equipment up. A plain,
mostly blue, backdrop was present the whole time, and the
light show was minimal. I kept waiting for that cool new Roger
Dean designed Glass Hammer logo to make an entrance, but it
never did.
A second disk is dedicated exclusively to extra features
which include a slideshow with commentary, video clips from
Glass Hammer's 2003 concert appearances, "Tales Of The Great
Wars" and "Lirazel" 5.1 surround mixes, rehearsal and behind-the-scenes
footage, and the Live At Belmont trailer.
Glass Hammer may not perform live that often, but when
they do, they do it right. Live At Belmont is the second outstanding
concert DVD from the band in as many years, and this pace
suits me just fine. Don't miss this one prog lovers.
Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - May 2006
www.concertdvdreviews.com
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