Glyder – Metal Express Radio

GLYDER – Backroads To Byzantium

October 10, 2011 Lior Stein

Just as the cover shows, this new rocking album by Glyder, Backwards To Byzantium, is a hitchhiking course between the Northern European borders (Northern Ireland) and the American shores. This hitch-hike routine shows how Hard Rock music can work with multinational twists, thanks to their new line-up, which includes the next super star in Rock, the Irish Jackie Robinson. Glyder in many manners resembles ’70s and ’80s legends such as The Eagles, Foreigner, Night Ranger, Magnum, Boston, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. Backwards To Byzantium, unlike the debut, is even more rockier. Glyder took a catchier approach that provided their tracks a smooth feel, along with a superb classic vibe in the voice of Jackie Robinson (say hello to Paul Rodgers mixed with Phil Mogg and Sting). Backwards To Byzantium is a great walk through a vintage Hard Rock park. Other than the vocals, the savvy aspects of this release were mainly concentrated on the lead guitar section between the twin axes, Bat Kinane & Pete Fisher, who played some awesome classic Deep Purple meets Led Zeppelin solo licks. Furthermore, the rocking rhythms were equally great, and thanks to the suitable, yet modern production, Backwards To Byzantium sounds parallel to older classic releases. However, the most impressive aspect of this release is its overall mood. This album sounds as if it has a longing for freedom and free will – it’s a great record to while driving miles anywhere. Besides the serious sounding “Down & Out” that had the feel of mourning over fallen war heroes, the rest of the release tended more towards the rather positive side of Hard Rock, even with titles such as “Don’t Make Their Mistake” and “Two Wrongs”. Although the majority of riffs were sort of a reprise to things done earlier, those were played …READ MORE

GLYDER – Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow

April 26, 2010 Dr. Dimitris Kontogeorgakos

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 …READ MORE

GLYDER – Playground For Life

January 29, 2008 Gary McLean

Based in Ireland, Glyder is a Hard Rock band that’s been around since 2004, and the group has released a couple of EPs and one full-length album since forming. Playground For Life is the foursome’s newest long-player, consisting of 10 songs and running for around 40 minutes. When you think of the Hard Rock scene in Ireland, the main players in everyone’s mind are – of course – U2 and for the old folks who listen to the Classic Rock stations while reminiscing about the good old days, Thin Lizzy. Glyder definitely resides in the Thin Lizzy camp, playing a brand of gritty, slightly-bluesy Hard Rock with lots of aggressive guitars and energy. While hardly a clone of Phil Lynott and company, Glyder is certainly in the same vein. But that’s hardly a bad place to be. Playground For Life follows a consistent path as it makes its way from start to finish: solid riffs and solos from guitarists Bat Kinane and Pete Fisher; well-delivered vocals from Tony Cullen (who also handles bass); and solid amounts of energy and grit. None of the songs on this album will blow your socks off, but there’ll be a handful that get stuck in your ear just the same. There’s also a good old-school vibe running through the album, but with enough of a modern sheen to keep things from sounding too dated. While Playground For Life is a bit on the short side at 40 minutes, the likes of “Gamblers Blues,” “Puppet Queen,” the title song, and “Walking My Own Ground” will keep listeners coming back; they’re catchy and fun. Tunes like “For Your Skin” and album-closer “The Merrygoround” are a bit slower than the rest, but are atmospherically composed and played. All in all, there are no bad songs here. The …READ MORE