Glass Hammer – Live At Belmont [2006, 2 DVD]

Artist’s country: USA
Genre: Symphonic Prog
Duration: 04:10:00
Year of issue: 2006
Label: Arion Records

We will continue to please the good proggers with the right music.
So, the second video of the magnificent Steve Babb (Steve Babb), Fred Schindel (Fred Schindel) and others is offered for your kind attention. As expected – great work. Especially if they don’t forget that Babb and Schindel, in general, are studio musicians, they write as a rule together in the studio, playing the whole set of instruments interspersed, and finally reduce it to the correct scale. Therefore, projects of this kind are particularly difficult for them.

First – general impressions.
The concert takes place on November 5, 2005 in the Massey Auditorium of Belmont University in the city of Nashville, Tennessee (Nashville, TN). The video sequence was shot by eight cameras. Glass Hammer consists of 9 musicians, almost the same composition as we saw at “Lex Live”, plus the 150-strong university choir performs on the last two songs.
Why Belmont University? Because, as far as I remember, it was finished by one of the group members. But who exactly – I don’t even remember…
Guitarist Walter Moore was replaced by David Wollimann, and another vocalist appeared – Carl Groves. Both of these modifications have slightly changed the overall sound of the group compared to the previous concert – the sound has become noticeably softer and more refined (although how much more so?). Together with the manner of Groves’ singing, the sound picture in some scenes of the concert is very reminiscent of “Flower Kings”, although with a greater emphasis on the bass guitar. The basis of the concert was the audio CD “The Inconsolable Secret”, which was still out of print at that time, plus a couple of songs from “Shadowlands” and, of course, my favorite “One King” from “Lex Rex”. The sound is very good – everything is mixed in 5.1, as it should be, and even the songs that sound during the slide show (“Tales of the Great Wars” and “Lirazel”) are also made in 5.1.
The main concert lasts 1 hour and 38 minutes, the rest of the DVD is accounted for by bonuses: a compilation of 29 minutes from the second concerts, the above-mentioned two slide shows, the trailer – yes! they also make trailers for musical DVDs, and scenes from rehearsals where Steve Babb synchronizes the choir and the group (I don’t understand how it was possible to achieve such results in such violence).
I can’t help adding a few words about Carl Groves.
Karl is the lead singer of the progressive group Salem Hill, old friends of Babb and Schendel (Salem Hill, like Glass Hammer, is also from Chattanooga, Tennessee. This Chattanooga, let’s shake it up, it’s just some little Sweden). Before this show, they had only one rehearsal together, and on that day Salem Hill was opening for Glass Hammer, and poor Carl only had half an hour to rest while the cameras were being set up. So he is doubly well done. Although I peeked at the words on the lectern somewhere during the concert…

About shortcomings.
Well, compared to Lex Live, the sound has become an order of magnitude better. But again, there are almost no video effects, except in the duet of Suzy and Karl. The light is burning on the stage, too, not in the Red Army at all, although it is understandable – Karl needs to read the lyrics. Yes, the seven itself came out a little shaky. And also – where is the booklet? where is the booklet? And in general, why print 2 DVD-5 discs, if everything will fit on a single DVD-9?
Well, okay.

In short, it’s a must-have concert for Glass Hammer fans (and Flower Kings fans at the same time), as well as for other symphonic prog fans.

Tracklist:
* DVD 1 Concert Tracklist
1. Long and Long Ago
2. One King
3. Run Lisette
4. Farewell to Shadowlands
5. Through a Glass Darkly
6. Knight of the North
7. When We Were Young
8. Having Caught a Glimpse
9. Heroes and Dragons
* DVD 2 Extra Features
1. Tales Of The Great Wars
2. Lirazel

Features

* Interactive Menu
* Direct Scene Access

Extra

* Slide Show with Commentary by Steve Babb, Bethany Warren and Fred Schendel
* Behind the Scenes Video
* Rehearsal Video
* 2003 Concert Appearances Video
* ‘Live at Belmont’ Trailer

Total Time: Over 250 minutes of content

Line-up/Musicians

– Steve Babb / bass guitar
– Fred Schendel / keyboards

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