 17th album from US Prog band.
Format: CD / Cat No: SR3621 / Released: 27/09/2016
Track Listing: 1. The Fields We Know (7:37) / 2. Golden Days (6:20) / 3. No Man's Land (14:20) / 4. Nexus Girl (2:58) / 5. Valkyrie (5:55) / 6. Fog of War (8:24) / 7. Dead and Gone (9:56) / 8. Eucatastrophe (3:31) / 9. Rapturo (6:13)
More information: This is the nine-track follow-up to last year’s `The Breaking Of The World', and sees vocalist Susie Bogdanowicz playing her biggest role to date with the band, after fans demanded the move.
Bassist and producer Steve Babb says: “This is pure Glass Hammer. Fred Schendel and I are handling more of the vocals than we have in several years."
“But Susie is front-and-centre throughout most of the album – and our fans have not been shy in telling us that’s the way to go. Guitarist Alan Shikoh and drummer Aaron Raulson complete the Valkyrie line-up.”
Describing it as a concept album in the vein of 2002’s Lex Rex and 2005’s The Inconsolable Secret, Babb adds: “It’s the story of a soldier’s struggle to return home from the horrors of war, to the girl who loves him and must ultimately find her way to him. Of course, it goes much deeper than that – and that’s why I’ve dedicated the lyrics to those battling the long-term effects of trauma, and those who care for them. It’s a serious subject for a serious album.”
They took a fresh approach to the creative process, by rehearsing the entire album as a band for months, rather than developing the songs, recording them, and then rehearsing for shows.
Babb says: “The goal was to capture the edginess of a live concert while recording – hopefully that comes across. The burden was on Susie to bring the lyrics to life, and build an emotional crescendo for the album’s finale. Like a live show, it has to end with a bang. She delivers. The whole album builds till that final track.”
Line-up: Susie Bogdanowicz - lead & backing vocals / Alan Shikoh - electric & acoustic guitars / Fred Schendel - keyboards, lead & backing vocals / Steve Babb - bass, bass pedals, keyboards, lead & backing vocals / Aaron Raulston - drums
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