Shadowlands [Import]

Glass Hammer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 14, 2004)
• Original Release Date: January 14, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Sound Resources / Arion Records
• ASIN: B00018J7GY
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,903 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Jon Yarger – Progressive Rock Radio Network

"Shadowlands is absolutely outstanding!"

Product Description

Shadowlands combines the legendary talents of prog-icons Steve Babb and Fred Schendel, the incredible vocals of Walter Moore and Susie Bogdanowicz, a half-million dollar pipe organ, a string section, an arsenal of analog gear, and all the magic that modern recording technology has to offer. Symphonic Progressive Rock at its finest.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Leap over Lex Rex into Greatness, February 26, 2004

By 

K. L. Woomer (San Antonio Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shadowlands (Audio CD)

I have two GH CD's. One is Lex Rex. Which I really liked a lot. I thought it was solid. Good music.

Shadowlands however, is a leap in songwriting ability. Much like Leftoverture was a leap by Kansas over their previous work Masque. The feeling is very majestic, and positive. It is not an easy thing for prog to convey without sounding cheesy, but GH does it with ease... and have done it with ease on other CD's. I must say that the production on this recording is completely superior to their last CD LEX REX, and I am not saying the production was bad on the last CD, but this one is just that much better... the sound is full and tight. Just like a good Prog band...

Every song on this CD really jumps out at you. The songs that floor me are Run Lisette and Behind the Great Beyond. The pipe organ in RL is just totally standout. It hits you right against your head in pleasentness. Anyone who likes keyboards will be treated to a REAL pipeorgan being used.

I love the way they blend in guitar and vocals. No instrument, sans pipe organ, really gets in the way of each other. Even vocals are chorused.

If you like symphonic progressive rock, in the vein of Yes and Kansas (and this CD is quite the blend of both) you will have to like this CD.

I read on the glasshammer web site that the pipe organ they found in N. Carolina is going to be on the next CD they record. So, this is a great thing for every symphonic fan of prog rock

Long live GH.

have fun

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What do you expect?, February 17, 2004

By 

Brian Cassidy (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shadowlands (Audio CD)

What I expected was another magical album from Glass Hammer and I got it. I was a little scared because Glass Hammer is a concept album band, and this is not a concept album. I'll tell you what though, you cannot even tell. Even though the songs do not follow each other, they somehow work together in perfect harmony to create yet another album that brings you to another world. Musically, Shadowlands is very similar to Lex Rex. As a matter of fact, the first song will seem like it could have been on Lex Rex, then you get hit with a real pipe organ. The vocals are great, the words are thoughtful concerning love, life, fate, and all of those things that have made Glass Hammer truely amazing. And the production is better than ever. There also is a fair amount of altering between male and female vocals, which in my opinion, compliments the album perfectly.

For those of you new to Glass Hammer, they are a keyboard based band. You will not hear much in the word of electric guitar chords. Electric guitars are used as solos, and at certain places to bring a little more power to the music. The best representation that I can give of their sound is early Genesis. They remind me of a seventies progressive rock band with modern recording equipment. This is a good thing, because their music encompasses prog in it's tuest form. They have a very unique style, and I would not recomend them to someone who thinks that modern rock is musically challenging. Expect this one, and their other material to take several listens before you can really appreciate what they have created. I would recomend this one as the first that you purchase. I think that it is a little more refined than their previous work, so is a little bit easier to listen to. Don't think though that this means that Shadowlands has lost the complexities that makes their music something that can be enjoyed for a long time. If you loved the early bands that shaped what prog is today, Shadowlands, and Glass Hammer in general is for you. Thank you for keeping prog alive Glass Hammer!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Great Modern Prog, April 9, 2004

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shadowlands (Audio CD)

Prog rock is a genre I'd pretty much left behind in the 70s, having come to prefer jazz and tango. Procol Harum is one of the few bands from the past I continued to follow though they are not a prog band in the strictest sense of the word. In the past couple of years, however, I have been introduced to a number of fine modern bands that have rekindled my interest in prog with a vengeance. Glass Hammer is one of those.
The first GH CD I bought was Lex Rex. I liked it well enough to pick up a couple of others so I could get a wider sense of what the band is about. When Shadowlands was released, I ordered it expecting great things...and great things are what I got!
In Shadowlands, Glass Hammer combines all the best impulses of 70s prog with a 21st century sensibility. This CD is truly a musical feast for the discriminating listener. I liked most of it first listen through. My favorite cuts are Run Lisette and the epic Behind the Great Beyond. The virtuosity of these guys is astonishing!
I admit I smirked when I read the first reviewer's caustic comments about the inclusion of Dan Fogelberg's "Longer". My first reaction to it was similar to his. The song is commercial and more than a little cheesy, but Glass Hammer actually did a great job reworking it and making it a song that won't make you cringe when you hear it. Even those automatically disposed to sneer at pap will have to agree on hearing Glass Hammer's rendition that they have made it very listenable.

I highly recommend Shadowlands to any serious fan of prog rock. Sadly, it will probably never get the airplay it deserves, but the prog community can help to ensure that it gets heard by buying it and playing it for as many friends as possible. With nearly an hour of more great modern prog for your listening pleasure, this gets five easy stars.