Glass Hammer - Discography (1993 - 2018)

1993 - Journey of the Dunadan
1995 - Perelandra
1998 - On to Evermore
2000 - Chronometree
2001 - The Middle Earth Album
2002 - Lex Rex
2004 - Shadowlands
2005 - The Inconsolable Secret (3CD)
2007 - Culture of Ascent
2009 - Three Cheers for the Broken-Hearted
2010 - If
2010 - One
2011 - Cor Cordium
2012 - Perilous
2014 - Ode to Echo
2015 - The Breaking of the World
2016 - Valkyrie
2017 - Untold Tales

2006 - The Compilations 1996-2004 (Compilation)
1997 - Live and Revived (Live)
2004 - Live at Nearfest (Live)
2015 - Double Live (2CD) (Live)
2018 - Mostly Live in Italy (Live)

Glass Hammer is a symphonic-progressive rock band from the United States. They formed in 1992 when multi-instrumentalists Steve Babb and Fred Schendel began to write and record Journey of the Dunadan, a concept album based on the story of Aragorn from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. To their surprise, the album sold several thousand units via the Internet, The QVC Shop-At-Home Network and phone orders, leaving Babb and Schendel convinced that the band was a project worth continuing. While many musicians have appeared on Glass Hammer albums over the years, Babb and Schendel have remained the core of the band. Both play a variety of instruments, but Babb mainly concentrates on bass guitar and keyboards while Schendel plays keyboards, various guitars and drums until the addition of live drummer Matt Mendians to the studio recording band in 2004. They also sing, although a number of other vocalists have also handled lead vocal duties including Michelle Young, Walter Moore, Carl Groves, Susie Bogdanowicz and Jon Davison. Worthy of mention, Yes vocalist Jon Anderson provided backup vocals on two songs from 2007's Culture of Ascent. Lyrically, Glass Hammer is inspired mostly by their love of literature (most notably Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and John Krakauer) and Babb's love of Victorian prose and medieval mythology. Musically, they lean towards 70's driven symphonic rock, with strong keyboard orientation; specifically Hammond organs in the tradition of ELP. They have a superb melodic flow to the music they make, encapsulating real power and dynamics without ever becoming overpowering. Their most apparent influences are Yes, ELP, Genesis, and, to a less noticeable extent, Camel. While Glass Hammer have, for the most part, combined those influences into a characteristic style of their own, they made much more direct references to the aforementioned bands on their 2000 album Chronometree and the 2010 release If. Without a doubt, GH remain one of the most popular groups in the progressive rock genre. All the albums are very conceptual, and there is great musicianship overall.
Current members:
Fred Schendel – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals (1992–present), lead vocals, drums (1992-2004)
Steve Babb – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (1992–present), lead vocals, percussion (1992-2004)
Susie Bogdanowicz – lead vocals (2000-2009, 2013-present)
Carl Groves – lead vocals (2007–2009, 2013-present)
Jon Davison – lead vocals (2009–present; inactive since 2013)
Kamran Alan Shikoh – guitars, sitar (2009–present)
Aaron Raulston - drums (2013–present)