Glacier - Monument

1. Lull Before a Storm (5:54) 2. Think of England (7:03) 3. Bring Down the Rain (7:05) 4. Another Open Door (5:09) 5. The Iceman Cometh (5:32) 6. Con Molto Noddus (5:33) 7. Monument (4:25) 8. Bring Down the Rain (reprise) (0:54) 9. East of Arabia (9:01) 10. Beyond the Wave (5:43) 11. Through the Mist… (1:42) 12. …The City Gates (6:09) 13. Whichone (Outro) (2:10)

Total Running Time: 66:23

Hailing from 1979, Glacier has been roaming the prog rock scene for quite some time. A band that came up with its name after a booker misinterpreted "Glass Ear," for "Glacier," these guys believe that old-school progressive rock is the master of all of today's existing subgenres, and thus base their songwriting and compositions on a sound carved in the past by bands like Yes and ELP, yet mixed with a modern approach and revitalizing elements that result in a musical style pioneered by bands like IQ, Jadis, and Pallas.

Monument is probably the widest comprehensive release I've ever heard from any band. With music spawning from 1978 till 1995, Glacier covers up the territory of nearly 20 "forgotten" years on this recording. Consequently, during this extensive trajectory, Glacier has experienced constant line-up changes and inevitable hold-ups, which coincidentally contributed in forging the band's current musical style as a balance between every influence of each band member. Ironically, this album represents both the band's complete history or "Best Of…" record, as well as its 1st studio album ever. Still, the fact that these songs were composed in a period of two decades is virtually unrecognizable.

Every song has a fresh one-directional sound consisting of a slightly distorted electric guitar (a lá Jadis) carrying the leading melody, accompanied by a rhythm section based on synth, bass and drums. These strong melodic lines hold the music together, being the main element responsible of filling the songs with an interesting tinge of excitement throughout the album. With an optimistic approach and a sober musical feel, the band swirl through unending passages filled with synth layers and great guitar solos whenever possible, with performances jumping in between these musical escapades and the song's respective verses and choruses, based on catchy vocal melodies such as the ones witnessed on tracks like "Another Open Door" and "Bring Down The Rain."

Considering the fact that this album is a "selective" "Best Of" record, practically all of the songs are great exponents of the band's musical capabilities. Putting it another way, if you like the aforementioned influences of this band, you will most likely like this record, although I must assure you that the album lacks a worthy production and sounds as though it was actually recorded a decade ago… but, on the other hand, maybe the band deliberately tried to capture this "old school" sound on the album, so hey, it's your call!

-by Javier Elizondo

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