GLYDER – Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow

There is absolutely no doubt that nowadays there is a stream of new bands trying to capture/reproduce some of the 70’s atmosphere by releasing similar sounding albums. In the beginning, this was pretty cool since most of the influences presented on those albums were pretty much forgotten in the turmoil of “more-than-one-can-handle-new albums” and all the “core” genres that keep flooding the market. As more and more bands started moving towards this direction gaining publicity points in a daily base their music became repetitive and in the end the term “copycat” showed up. This could be the case for the Irish band Glyder but their brand new effort proves just the opposite…

This band comes from Ireland and since their musical identity reads Hard Rock, then one can start thinking of Thin Lizzy and Rory Gallagher. In fact their debut live performance was at the Phil Lynott tribute concert in their homeland where they made significant publicity steps. From that day Glyder entered the studio twice to record their debut album and the following Playground For Life with Chris Tsangarides in the producing and mixing duties, respectively. So, almost two years after their latest effort Glyder are challenged to prove that the buzz created by the previous albums was something beyond the “the 70s reviving mainstream”.

The almost Hammond-like keyboards open the door to the 70’s sound, and as the Rory oriented and slightly distorted guitar enters, “That Line” throws a hearty groove that cannot go unnoticed. Tony Cullen behind the microphone carries the addictive warm Irish pronunciation with a melody that bows with respect in front of Phil Lynott’s vocals. The album flows smoothly with Hard Rock melodies and a great deal of emotion and a relaxed mood to go with it. The guitars play an important role here with some AC/DC like power-chords that shine through the simplicity and attitude. Just like it is shown during the killer vibrato in the main riff of “Jack Strong” or in the accelerating tempo of “Make A Change” that could hide some Queens Of The Stone Age modern finishing touches. Actually, after additional CD spins many references can be mentioned like KISS or U2 (early of course) but in a discreet manner embedded in Glyder’s personal character and that’s exactly the reason for characterizing this album very well. All the influences and references are given in a special way keeping the bonding with the 70s era strong but with a modern touch.

All of the above point out that Glyder is no more a promising band; they have proved their potential in the previous album and solidified their name with the album in question. The album is filled with emotion that sadly is missed from the majority of the new albums. Things would sound way better if this album was recorded for a vinyl record release; but one cannot have everything he/she wants, right?

PS: The “Planet Caravan” sounding “Elverstown” is a killer!