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There are precious few musical works that provoked my tears or raised chills; Glass Hammer Live at Belmont is one of them. In November, 2005 a unique C.S. Lewis conference was held at Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee. One of the events planned in conjunction with the conference was a rare live appearance by classic American symphonic prog-rock band Glass Hammer. Sadly, I was unable to attend…but my one solace was I knew Glass Hammer founders Babb, Schendel & company would release a DVD compilation of the event. And what a DVD it is. _Live at Belmont_ is a gem of a presentation: a double disc set featuring the entire magnificent concert spectacle on the first disc, and a bevy of choice special features on the second. 

The concert portion of Live at Belmont features the band in fine form. Leaders Steve Babb (on bass and vox) and Fred Schendel (tearing up multitudes of keyboards) are joined by an excellent ensemble of musicians; Susie Bogdanawicz, Flo Paris, and Bethany Warren on soaring background/harmony/lead vocals, Carl Groves (of prog band Salem Hill…a band you need to check out) on lead/background vocals, "Monster" Matt Mendians powerfully abusing his drum kit, the talented Eric Parker on acoustic and slide guitar (and some vox), and new additions David "Shreddy" Walliman applying his nickname in jaw-dropping fashion to several electric guitars, and the very classy Adonai String Trio. On _Live at Belmont_, Glass Hammer has morphed from their early days as essentially a twosome to a collective of amazing musicians and vocalists creating thrilling and touching musical masterworks. Oh, and did I mention that the 150 member Belmont University Choir joins the band for some dramatic and powerful vocal backup?

There is so much to sink your teeth (or eyes/ears) into on the DVD. The film looks first-class and features some interesting camera angles. There are a few times I wish the camera would have been in a different place or focused on a different player, but that’s to be expected… it would be a nigh-impossible task to catch all of the action with so much going on onstage. Disc 1 features the concert in its entirety (with songs broken down into chapter headings to allow you to select your favorites). Disc 2 features some nice extras, including some home video-style behind the scenes footage and concert video, a narrated slideshow, and best of all NEW 5.1 Surround remixes of Glass Hammer favorites "Tales of the Great War" and "Lirazel." These excellent remixes feature not only nice Surround touches but also some interesting changes to the original songs and exceptional guitar adornment by David Walliman. The combination of the concert and the remixed songs make this a must-buy for fans of Glass Hammer (and a great introduction for new fans).

The focus of Live at Belmont though is the music of Glass Hammer, and it is a treasure. Glass Hammer has created epic songs of majestic drama and scope during their career, and Live at Belmont provides a perfect backdrop to present these jewels (mostly from their last three studio CDs). You will thrill to the dramatic layered vocals; amazingly diverse keyboard runs and sounds; the added dimension of the Adonai String Trio; the rich bass sounds; the talented, titanic trio of female vocalists, the pedal steel embellishment; and the Belmont choir throwing their talent behind these towering and regal songs. 

BTW, I can tell you the exact moments of the tears and chills. The chills came at the crescendo of "Long and Long Ago" at 10.03, right after the Adonai String Trio plays their dramatic part and the patented Glass Hammer climactic "multi-vox" begin. And the tears came soon after "Heroes and Dragons" began, a song that points out in poignant acoustic fashion that "mankind has fallen" but encourages us with these words: 

Searching for someone that calls from above
A hero to follow, who worthy of love
Has risen from death and then rolled back the stone 
Holds high the sword and then urges us on 
To put down the dragon we've served all along 
For mankind is fallen

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Barry Nothstine hosts Soul Frequency (http://www.soulfrequency.com ) a weekly FM radio show showcasing progressive rock, instrumental rock, power-pop, psychedelic rock, rock classics and more—great rock for the ages!