Cor Cordium

It is hard to believe, but Glass Hammer have been around now for 2 decades becoming one of the elder statesman still remaining from the mid 90's progressive rock renaissance. Over the years the band's albums have all been retro in nature, but depending on the lineup, different influences have shown in the material. With the addition of vocalist Jon Davison a few years ago, Glass Hammer's music has taken on a very Yes like feel. The fact that Davison just became the new lead vocalist for Yes is probably no coincidence. The core lineup of Schendel and Babb remain as the only musicians that have played on every Glass Hammer disc. It is still essentially their band, but songwriting credits are also given to Davison and guitarist Alan Shkoh. Adding Davison and Shkoh to the writing mix has defiantly had an impact and I think lyrically this is one of the strongest albums the band has ever done. Standout tracks include "Nothing Box", "Salvation Station", and "Dear Daddy". Really, every track on the disc is strong and overall this is another fine release from Glass Hammer. If you don't mind music that is very reminiscent of Yes, you should probably really enjoy this one.

Glass Hammer's "If" was my first Glass Hammer CD, and it was quite the pleasant surprise. One, because it sounded a lot like Yes (the band), and two, because I liked it quite a bit. I admit I mostly liked it because it sounded like Anderson-led Yes, but I'm not too picky if a band sounds a lot like another band that I like...that just increases the chances I'll enjoy their music. SO, not long after Cor Cordium came out, I read some of the initial reviews which seemed to indicate that once again, Glass Hammer was shooting for and reaching a Yes-like level of song writing and performing. Based on that info, I thought I'd give this one a shot as well. Quick disclaimer though, I'm not a "party-man"...I'm kind of "independent" when it comes to my prog. Though I tend to like most of the Yes catalog, there are more than a few Yes songs I own that don't get played much. Likewise, based on a few tracks from other GH albums I've heard on YouTube, they as well have some tunes that do nothing for me. And similar to voting the issues instead of the party, I tend to endorse the music over endorsing the band. Some folks, it seems to me, don't quite get the distinction. Which leads me to mentioning the 2 tunes on this disk I'm not so crazy about: "Salvation Station" and "Dear Daddy". They both have some more-than-decent grooves and jams in places, but as a whole I just didn't get into the songs. BUT, I did get into the other 4 songs enough to easily offset that and comfortably give 4 stars for the whole disk. Positives for me: - Much more of a band vibe on this than "If"...the arrangements feel a little more improvised and loosened up. Additionally it feels like the guitarist, vocalist, and drummer felt more comfortable exploring their roles a bit. They come across more as band members than just "hired help" - They somehow, amazingly, at times, tap into that unquantifiable quality of 70's Yes that I love so much - Somewhat tying into bullet one, the guitar is MUCH more prominent on this in a good way...acoustic and electric - Has much more of a classic prog feel than even "If"...this doesn't sound like they're TRYING to sound like classic prog (mostly), it sounds like the ARE classic 70's prog. "If" sounded like a 21st century band trying to sound like Yes...this sounds like a 70's band trying to sound like Yes...which leads to one of the negatives Negatives for me: - Cor Cordium reminded me of Starcastle in few places...not that I don't like quite a few Starcastle tunes, but I'm not sure it's a good thing to sound like you're copying a band who was obviously copying another band. Of course, if 10 bands were trying to sound like Yes, it's understandable more than a few of the bands would sound like each other as well as Yes, but naturally none of them would be getting any points for originality - "Salvation Station" and "Dear Daddy"....parts of them were kind of out there...not unlike ABWH's "Teakbois". And though I had nothing against the "Dear Daddy" choice of topic, the song just didn't do much for me In summary...VERY similar to my feelings about "If", I really enjoyed "Cor Cordium", and it's mostly because Glass Hammer has so nicely nailed a very Yes-like vibe and sound. If you wish Anderson-led Yes had continued to make music in a magical 70's time bubble, then you might check out this, "Cor Cordium", or "If" because it's probably as close as you're going to get. Cheers...

I love this album! Yes should have done this album instead of Fly from Wherever they are. Have been passionate about GH from the start. I have everything except David and Goliath. I like all of their periods. I like all of their personnel changes. Love Chronometree, Inconsolable Secret, and If. Probably not as stoked as most people about Lex Rex...leaves me pretty empty (even as a staunch believer). Shadowlands is quite good except could do without a rework of Longer. Having well over 1,000 prog cds (not to mention original vinyl) I enjoy alot of variety in my prog. GH is better than 90% of the other bands going today. To all the detractors, I say GH is on a roll with its last 4 and I for one will keep buying!

I had heard some of Glass Hammers work and, while it owed some amount of debt to Yes, it went suffiecently beyond Yes that I thought what the heck, might as well buy one of their CDs. Cor Cordium was the wrong choice. The CD feels like little more than a derivative of Yes' Tales of Topographic Oceans. Harsh? Not if, as a long-time prog-rock fan, you had to endure Starcastle in the '70s (to their credit, Starcastle eventually moved beyond a Yes clone to make some good music in their own right). I know Glass Hammer makes some good music, but I did not find it on Cor Cordium.

Good, but nothing exciting

This is the first Glass Hammer CD that I've bought, and I'm glad I did. Mostly it was the reviews on here that got me to try them and I will be getting "IF" soon. Do they sound like Yes? Yes, they do and they also sound like some other progressive rock bands of the past. There is nothing wrong with paying homage to the original masters of the genre. It would be hard to play progressive rock without sounding like other prog bands. Just like blues bands sound like other blues bands and jazz bands sound like other jazz bands. "Nothing Box" is the opener and from the Hammond organ and guitar intro this song sets the tone for the CD. The vocals are very good and I like the way the song flows. At times it sounds like Starcastle but with better vocals, keyboards and guitar. I really like this one. 5 stars "One Heart" features some wonderful guitar work and reminds me of Relayer era Yes crossed with Rabin era Yes. A very interesting combination of styles. Once again the vocals are very good and well produced. 5 stars "Salvation Station" is the weakest song on this collection with weak lyrics but a great bass line. The middle instrumental part features a great bass line and solid keyboard work. 3 1/2 stars as the middle part saves it. "Dear Daddy" is a good song but just seems to be lacking a certain something that would make it a great song. It seems to be one that Jon Davidson had a big part in writing. They remind of Jon and Vangelis on this one. 3 1/2 stars "To Someone" is an 18 minute epic and it doesn't disappoint. They sound like Glass Hammer here with solid guitar from Alan Shikoh, tremendous bass lines being put down by Steve Babb, keyboard playing by Fred Schendel that imitates no one, and great work on the drums by Randall Williams. The lyrics leave something to be desired but he sings them well. 5 stars. "She, a Lonely Tower" closes the album and it is an 11 minute song that features Jon on vocals and Alan on guitar. Again it reminds me more of Starcastle than Yes, but a lot of that has to with the way the Hammond organ and bass are tuned. 4 stars. Summary: This is an very good progressive rock album and I'm glad I bought it. These guys are excellent musicians and Jon Davidson's great vocals really adds to the overall sound, much like the other Jon did while a member of Yes. All in all, I would recommend this to fans of progressive rock. 4 stars and good addition to any music lovers collection.

If like me, you think that YES made the best music of all time in the 70's you are in for a treat. These guys have somehow captured that magical sound. I was vaguely aware of them, but had no idea they had morphed into a band that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath. I also hear bits of Gentle Giant and Keith Emerson here and there. It's as if YES continued to make great music after Going for the One instead of trying to go the Prog/Pop route. You should also check out Lex Rex and If by Glass Hammer, the best YES albums that YES never got around to doing. These guys are simply incredible and deserve wide spread recognition. I would give them six stars if I could.

I guess one of the things I cannot figure out about Glass hammer is Steve Babb's and Schendel's fixation on Yes. Whether on purpose or not one just has to look at the facts: One of their earlier projects "Chronometree" was about listening to "Close to the Edge", then they actually have Jon Anderson do some vocals (although very minor) on "A Culture of Ascent" then they go and hire Jon Davison be their new vocalist. (Vocally nearly a Jon Anderson clone, even spells his name the same way) Jon Anderson doesn't have a band right now. Just hire him! It is like they want to be compared to Yes. Thing is, they don't need it. They had a great sound with Susie Bogdanowicz as their vocalist for years and the work they turned out was fantastic. I still miss her. They invited direct comparisons to Yes with Jon Davison. With that beef off my shoulders I still give Cor Cordium a solid 4 stars. It IS a good album. Their instrumentation is different enough from Yes to still give them a somewhat different sound. Fred Schendel has his own unique keyboard style and sound and Steve Babb does not seem to wish to mimic Chris Squire on bass. The musicianship is brilliant throughout and the songs are all stellar. There is honestly not a looser on the CD. Salvation Station, in my opinion, may be the weakest when compared to the other songs but it is still not a bad piece. (although I seem to be alone in this opinion. I agree that is "catchy" but to me, still a bit weak.) Glass Hammer still has a great symphonic prog sound and one never gets anything less than stellar musicianship and song writing from Babbs and Schendel. All of the songs have a lot of depth and are quite complex in their structure. Repeated listens back to back has yet to get old for me. Good prog songs always tend to reveal something new with each listening and the same is true of the songs on Cor Cordium. Too many similarities to their last CD "If" is not a bad thing. Definitely an extension of "If" it is really not an "if 2" (as even they state). It is simply another CD using the same line up. Good stuff. I don't think anyone could possibly be disappointed in this CD.

Déjà 12ème album studio pour ces vieux routiers de la prog américaine, estampillé 70's à forte connotation yessienne surtout depuis le milieu des années 2000 et la parution de l'excellent Shadowlands . C'est sans doute la très belle pochette digne du meilleur Roger Dean (illustrateur attitré des glorieux modèles YES) qui m'a attiré sur cet opus, me laissant espérer le meilleur. Au final, une certaine déception... Après une ouverture prometteuse, à rebondissement, avec moult soli guitare/claviers très emersoniens (l'autre influence évidente du leader claviériste Fred Schendel) où est également mis à l'honneur le nouveau chanteur (depuis le précédent album), véritable clone vocal de Jon Anderson, le soufflé retombe. Le morceau 2, plus court, m'évoque fortement par son inspiration et ses arrangements le YES période "Union", c'est-à-dire pas terrible. La suite alterne parties chantées assez mièvres et soli divers intéressants mais pas toujours à propos, comme déconnectés, nuisant à la cohérence des titres. le problème semble venir des compositions, pas assez fortes à mon goût, sans ligne mélodique claire et souvent trop longues au regard d'un contenu finalement assez pauvre. Le titre 5, morceau de bravoure de 18 min, en est l'illustration parfaite, tant on ne sait où il veut en venir. Ironie du sort, dans le même temps, YES (les vrais!) sans leur chanteur emblématique, nous surprennent avec un superbe album Fly From Here , sans doute leur meilleur depuis 15 ans et que je recommande plus que chaudement aux amateurs du genre. Souhaitons que nos gars de Glass Hammer sauront retrouver l'inspiration de leurs meilleurs productions des années 2000 ("Chronometree", "Shadowlands", "The Inconsolable Secret").

いやー、すげーです。ジョン・デイヴィソン。この人イエスの伝説のボーカリストである ジョン・アンダーソンの生き霊なんだよきっと。そんぐらい似てます。ボーカリストとして 正規の訓練は受けていない人らしいから、真似して歌っている内に、癖が移っちゃったん だろうなぁ。イエスのフォロアーは沢山いたけど大抵はボーカルに難があった。このバンド は、その点は大丈夫です。というか本家イエスのボーカルに代役で参加したぐらい。 他のメンバーもかなりがんばっていると思う。超絶テクニックで変拍子、高速プレイ。という 展開には中々ならないけど、リズムセクションが安定しているから安心して聴けます。 それにクリス・スクワイヤ風ベースとかキングクリムゾンのロバート・フィリップ風ギター とかELPのキース・エマーソン風キーボードとか。ドラムは普通かな。いわゆる黄金期の プログレッシブロックと呼ばれた音楽のおいしいとこ取りのアルバムに仕上がっています。

very good album from the prog rockers from the other side of the pond

Grand fan de Yes, c'est le 4ème album de Glass hammer que j'écoute, encore un bon cru, de belles mélodies, de belles compositions musicales, j'adore ...

来日したイエスのボーカルがメンバーと言うことなので買いました．内容はイエスにとても良く似たプログレッシブロック．特に良くも悪くもない４０年前の音楽です．と言うことでだいたい内容の分かる人はアルバムを買わずにロジャーディーンのジャケットだけ見て楽しんでもらえば充分だと思います．