GLASS HAMMER - JOURNEY OF THE DUNADAN
Lazeria Music/Sound Resources
CD 70 min

The composing duo of Stephen De'Arge and Fred Schendel bring us an adaptation of J.R.R.Tolkien Middle Earth saga of the 'one ring to rule them all' to their own style of music.  Accurate conceptual representation of the novel is not of course possible in 70 mins of music but there is supposedly a thread of commonality within this lengthy CD centring on 'The Return of the King.' Which is strangely te last track too!

Reflections on the musical content are essentially good.  There is plenty of variety from the quiet tracks like 'The Way to her Heart' or 'Why I Cry'.  Then there is a more blatantly heavier side to the music needed for the battlefield scenes as experienced in 'Morannon Gate'!  I particularly thought the last part of this CD flows very well - shades of Patrick Moraz from his concept 'I' at the end! 

Infact throughout  The Journey of the Dunadan I noticed a range of musical styles which include early ELP, UK, Alan Parsons, Hecenia, The Enid, and Mazlyn Jones, but not an overall common theme - except for the bias towards keyboards in many of the tracks.  This could be due to the number of guest singer/musicians on the CD.

The narrative style which is interwoven in the music, links across each track is  of course appreciative.  But I personally found these interludes sometimes distracting on the CD.  Although, they are to be expected if the story telling concept is to hang together successfully and have real meaning. 

There are other parts on the CD that are designed to create the right mood - dark and sinister moments like on 'Something is Coming' which hints towards (again) the domination and concentration of the keyboards on this concept  or 'Fog on The Barrow-Downs' which has menacing noises and suspense.  'The Palantir' is also another creepy piece that echoes in my mind.

SCYTHE
DIVORCED LAND
GR004   74 Min

  Primarily I found Divorced Land a difficult release to get into.  German bands I have come across before but not Scythe - who reputedly has already impressed many with their debut CD Each Other).  Slowly I began to appreciate the complex symphonic prog-rock arrangements that surround Scythe, by the combination of sensitive guitar playing, efficient keyboards by Udo Gerhards and the added touch of flute playing by Verena Buchholz. 

There are some interesting influences here, which draw me to conclude the guitarist Thomas Thielen has been taking lessons from Mike Holmes of IQ and Gary Chandler of Jadis (especially on Denied and Am I Really Here). One Step Further is full of lushness and quality akin to IQ with some jazzy edges and Camel riffs.  The Weight of the Wind and Discussed are other examples of SCYTHE available to mix the drama of heavy tension within their music structure producing a dark tapestry of sound but within the framework of prog-rock.  Denied is a worthy finale on which to finish all the hallmarks of classic progressive melodies with sweet swimming keyboards and guitar crescendos that are supported by some clearer vocals by Thielen (most of the time his singing is harsh and abrasive). Overall (vocals apart) worth looking out for.

The CD can be obtained at: