Lex Rex

Artist: Glass Hammer
Label: Sound Resources
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 769051141123
EAN: 0769051141123
ASIN: B00006RZ5A

Release Date: 2002-09-30

Lex Rex

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Tracks:

Good Evening
Tales Of The Great Wars
One King
Further Up And Further In
Intermission
Music For Four Hands (And Temporal Anomaly)
A Cup Of Trembling
Centurion
When We Were Young
Goodnight
Heroes and Dragons

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Shadowlands
The Inconsolable Secret
Chronometree
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Album Description

Screaming Hammond and Moog solos by America's greatest progressive-rock keyboardist - soaring steel guitar leads, lush beds of Mellotrons, mandolins and acoustic guitars, sweet soprano's, vocals rich with complex harmonies and counterpoint, that signature crunching bass guitar, swirling analog synth leads awash in echo, the grandeur and pomp of the pipe organ - all that and more on Glass Hammer's seventh release, "Lex Rex". Fans have come to expect the unexpected from GH, but "Lex Rex" dishes up the very best that the progressive rock genre has to offer. "Through the years we've experimented with a number of styles and sounds," says GH bassist \ keyboardist Steve Babb. "But I think this is the sound we've been searching for all along. We've certainly never felt this good about a finished album before." "Maybe I'm prejudiced, but Fred Schendel is a monster on the Hammond, and a modern, progressive rock icon in the truest sense," continues Steve. "And he really gets to show off on LEX - REX, even more so than on Chronometree." But Glass Hammer's seventh album is loaded with killer chops and vocals by some of prog's most talented performers. Somnambulist's Charlie Shelton and European guitarist Bjorn Lynne both make contributions, as do the usual GH cast of female vocalists. Regulars Walter Moore and David Carter also make appearances.

Customer Reviews:

Glass Hammer - Solid Concept Album.......2007-04-19

Glass Hammer gets back on track with "Lex Rex", another concept album that pays tribute to classic progressive rock. Babb And Schendel are the only ones listed as official band members, but usual Glass Hammer cohorts Walter Moore, David Carter, are on hand here and there throughout the disc. Babb and Schendel have made it no secret from the beginning that they are both devout Christians and "Lex Rex" is probably their most overtly Christian recording. The album is a concept piece that tells the story of a Roman soldier searching for "glory" in war, but ends up finding glory through Christ. In a twist of fate the same soldier ends up being forced to be the persecutor of Christ on the cross at the crucifixion. The lyrics are a bit over the top here and there, but for the most part are good and tell a compelling tale. The music is very very keyboard heavy throughout with Fred Schendel shining brightly as usual. This may be one of the band's most retro sounding discs. Once again Genesis is a big influence, and much of this album is very similar in style to Yes. In fact the guitars are in much more of a lighter Steve Howe like style than the heavier sound found on the last two albums. The vocals are mostly done by Babb and Schendel. They are all ok, but for me I always like it when Walter Moore is out front more. There is a spoken word intro / intermission / outro on the album that many people find annoying. For me it neither adds nor takes away from the piece. This is a solid album that should really please fans of symphonic progressive rock. I don't personally think it is as good as "On To Evermore", but for Glass Hammer fans this one is probably a must own.

Awesome Prog Rock Like 70s Yes.......2005-06-13

If you're looking for a newer prog album that will transport you straight back to the classic 70s, look no further. This album sounds straight up like a sequel to Yes' 1977 release, Going for the One, specifically the GftO tracks Parallels and Awaken.

These are mostly longer songs, with three tracks in the 10 minute range or longer. The musicianship is expert. The keyboards are way out front: lots of wonderful, ascending organs that provide a very celestial sound. The guitars are also excellent, and reminiscent in a very pleasant way of the work by Yes guitarist Steve Howe. The rhythm section is equally excellent, and the vocals - while lower than Yes singer Jon Anderson - are also good.

The only reason this album is docked a star is the lyrics and the spoken word segments. Ouch! There's way too much about soldiers, swords and dragons. Where is Pete Sinfield when you need him? And the spoken word segue tracks are embarrassing; thankfully they are extremely brief and - as separate tracks - easily avoided.

But aside from that, this album is perfect 70s-style symphonic progressive rock, and is highly recommended.

Retro Christian rock.......2005-01-19

I expected to enjoy this album, after reading all the positive reviews, but after 4 listens I still can't find much to like about it. While some of the compositional complexity is interesting, the melodies are not memorable. The music seems somewhat derivative of early Yes and Genesis (which I'm a fan of), but not excecuted nearly as well. The female vocals are decent, but male vocals are weak. I didn't care for the sound of the keyboards or guitar; some bits in "Further Up and Further In" are annoyingly mosquito-like. The lyrics and story are not compelling, though perhaps a little above average for a Christian rock record (of which this is one). The goofy spoken voice tracks (1, 5, and 10) ruin the mood and are just plain embarrassing to listen to. Worth a full point off the score - I would never listen to this album in public! Though I didn't enjoy it, Lex Rex may be worth checking out if you're into retro keyboard-driven Christian rock - and are not easily embarassed.

About as subtle as a sledge hammer..........2004-11-19

I wanted to like this CD, I really did, and it's okay, but other reviewers have said it. There's a feel to this album that has stuck with me and annoys the crap out of me. It's a kind of lite-rock vibe, though the music is definitely prog. The music itself is pretty good, but the production is so light and squeaky clean, it's like listening to Air Supply doing complex prog. My other complaint is not the message, so much as the lack of subtlety or artistry in delivering the message. You will probably tire of the word "glory" when listening to this; I know I did. As I briefly stated before, the music is pretty good, the vocals are multi-layered and impressive, so that part of it earns a solid four stars, but the production and lack of subtlely drag it back down to three stars. One other minor complaint, and this may not bother some folks, is that GH sounds so retro that they don't seem to have much identity, other than as a bunch of cobbled-together scraps from other bands. Except for maybe the vocals. Lotsa Rush, Kansas and Yes moments in here.

Très bon prog (Very good ) 4 stars & a half.......2004-11-11

A part l'intro et l'intermission ???

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