1) Formed by guitarist Brick Williams, Hourglass is a Progressive Metal group from Utah, USA. The band's first effort was the hard-to-come-by "This Lonely Time and Place," followed up by the much more polished "The Journey Into" in 2002 and 2004's "Subconscious." The band released the double album "Oblivious to the Obvious" on February 19, 2009.
54 months is a long time to work on an album. But that is exactly how long it took Hourglass to finish their new double album "Oblivious to the Obvious." Four and a half years of writing, recording, mixing, mastering and the result is 139 minutes worth of music. Even though it is a lot of music, it is only 10 songs. Hourglass has never worried too much about the length of their songs, and epic songs have always been a part of what the band does. "Oblivious to the Obvious" is no exception. The album has a little of everything, from heavy metal riffs and screaming vocals, to laid back piano and acoustic passages, and some very tasteful groove sections. Vocal harmonies are scattered throughout the album as are many guitar, keyboard, and even bass solos. There is something for everyone on "Oblivious to the Obvious."
The band has gone through numerous personnel changes with Williams as the sole constant. Current drummer John Dunston replaced Zachary Taylor for "The Journey Into." Founding keyboardist Eric Robertson and current keyboardist Jerry Stenquist have traded seats twice, with Robertson playing on "This Lonely Time and Place" and "Subconscious," and Stenquist playing on "The Journey Into" and "Oblivious to the Obvious."
Bassist Jon Berrett played on the first two albums, then Clark Woolstenhulme played on "Subconscious," and the bass chair is currently held by one-time Hourglass vocalist Eric Blood for "Oblivious to the Obvious."
A different vocalist has performed on each album, with Jon Shumway on "This Lonely Time and Place," Chad Neth on "The Journey Into," Cody Walker on "Subconscious," and Michael Turner for "Oblivious to the Obvious."
Hourglass takes strong influences from Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Rush, and many other prog metal, prog rock, and classic rock outfits. The band enjoys a local following in the greater Salt Lake City area, and has significant fan bases in Europe and Scandinavia. All their albums have been independently released and financed by the band or individual band members.
2) 90's emo band. Their discography includes a seven inch on Immigrant Sun and a split with New Day Rising on Moo Cow .
3) Hip-Hop producer based out of Los Angeles, California.
The Hammer's Strike
Hourglass Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keeping our backs turned, we leave ourselves bound
Creating the tempest we're trying to still
Often forgetting we write our own will
CHORUS:
The hammer strikes hard searching for vengeance
The toll is high for a carried out sentence
And the cost of your choice like lightning descends
All your life you've kept your motives concealed
And now at last we find the reason revealed
Always trying to put your guilt on the shelf
Avoiding the term that you bring on yourself
CHORUS
Enter the shrink who will search to find reason
Say that who you are can change like the season
Try and talk your way out claiming life has been bad
Point the finger to mom and surely to dad
It's been brought to my attention
That the need for this detention
Is not for you to pay your due
But for me to work and pay for you
Confess what you've done
Deceive no one
Support what you show
Prove what you know
Why don't you take what's coming?
Why don't you stop running?
If this is what justice demands
Then the price is out of your hands
When you try and lay blame
Where it doesn't belong
All you see is a mirror
Though the sentence you bear
Fails to undo the wrong
Does it bring redemption nearer?
Attorneys represent
Our country's slow descent
Sometimes it seems that their aim
Is to feed the corruption's flame
So many alibis
That hide too many lies
That lead us from the truth
So the courts become no use
The gavel that lies in your hand
Is the power that rules the land
The witness that lies at the stand
Is the coward the criminal planned
Won't someone please, please tell me
How we can let it slide so far
Won't someone please, please show me
How we've reached the point where we are
What's gone wrong, what's the cause?
Without enforcement what good are laws
What good is time if it doesn't fit the crime
What good are judges who aren't worth a dime
The gavel that lies in your hand
Is the power that rules the land
The witness that lies at the stand
Breaks the oath that was made with his hand
We let ourselves be overrun
When we fail to convict the guilty
And the hammer's strike sets free
Those who plague society
The song "The Hammer's Strike" by Hourglass talks about the consequences of our actions and the accountability that comes with it. The opening lines, "A storm is approaching that's pulling us down, Keeping our backs turned, we leave ourselves bound, Creating the tempest we're trying to still," depict the situation we create when we refuse to take responsibility for our actions. The chorus, "The hammer strikes hard searching for vengeance, The toll is high for a carried-out sentence, When the gavel descends, your freedom ends, And the cost of your choice like lightning descends," highlights the price we pay for our choices and how we must "take what's coming" and "stop running" if we want to be truly free.
The song goes on to criticize those who try to avoid accountability by hiding their motives and deflecting blame onto others. The lines "Enter the shrink who will search to find reason, Say that who you are can change like the season, Try and talk your way out, claiming life has been bad, Point the finger to mom and surely to dad," highlight how some people try to justify their actions by blaming their upbringing or mental health. The lyrics also address flaws in the justice system, with lines like "Attorneys represent, Our country's slow descent, Sometimes it seems that their aim, Is to feed the corruption's flame."
Overall, "The Hammer's Strike" is a powerful reminder that we must be accountable for our actions and accept the consequences that come with them. It encourages us to take ownership of our mistakes, rather than deflecting blame, and act with integrity and honesty.
Line by Line Meaning
A storm is approaching that's pulling us down
Trouble is coming our way that will bring us down.
Keeping our backs turned, we leave ourselves bound
By ignoring our problems, we are only trapping ourselves further.
Creating the tempest we're trying to still
We are responsible for the very problems we are trying to solve.
Often forgetting we write our own will
We forget that we are in control of our own lives and must take responsibility for our actions.
The hammer strikes hard searching for vengeance
The consequences of our actions can be severe and punishing.
The toll is high for a carried out sentence
The price we pay for our wrongdoings can be costly.
When the gavel descends your freedom ends
When a judge passes a sentence, you lose your freedom.
And the cost of your choice like lightning descends
The consequences of our choices can come upon us suddenly and unexpectedly.
All your life you've kept your motives concealed
You have kept your true intentions hidden for your entire life.
And now at last we find the reason revealed
The reason behind your actions is finally becoming clear.
Always trying to put your guilt on the shelf
You attempt to avoid feeling guilty or taking responsibility for your actions.
Avoiding the term that you bring on yourself
You refuse to admit that you are responsible for the consequences of your own actions.
Enter the shrink who will search to find reason
A psychiatrist will attempt to find a reason for your behavior.
Say that who you are can change like the season
The psychiatrist believes that people can change over time.
Try and talk your way out claiming life has been bad
You attempt to excuse your behavior by blaming the negative experiences in your life.
Point the finger to mom and surely to dad
You blame your parents for your problems.
It's been brought to my attention
I have been made aware of something important.
That the need for this detention
The reason for this imprisonment.
Is not for you to pay your due
Imprisonment is not only for punishment but also for rehabilitation.
But for me to work and pay for you
Society will ultimately pay the price for your imprisonment through taxes.
Confess what you've done
Admit to what you have done wrong.
Deceive no one
Do not attempt to mislead or lie to anyone about your actions.
Support what you show
Back up your words with your actions.
Prove what you know
Demonstrate your knowledge.
Why don't you take what's coming?
Accept the consequences of your actions.
Why don't you stop running?
Stop trying to escape or avoid responsibility.
If this is what justice demands
If this is what is required for justice to be served.
Then the price is out of your hands
You cannot control the consequences of your actions.
When you try and lay blame
When you attempt to shift responsibility onto someone else.
Where it doesn't belong
Where the responsibility for the problem does not actually lie.
All you see is a mirror
You are projecting your own faults and weaknesses onto someone else.
Though the sentence you bear
Despite the punishment you are facing.
Fails to undo the wrong
The punishment does not erase the harm caused by your actions.
Does it bring redemption nearer?
Does the punishment help you become a better person?
Attorneys represent
Lawyers serve as legal representatives.
Our country's slow descent
The decline of our country over time.
Sometimes it seems that their aim
It can appear that their goal is not justice but rather something else.
Is to feed the corruption's flame
Their actions may contribute to and exacerbate corruption.
So many alibis
So many excuses.
That hide too many lies
Excuses often conceal the truth.
That lead us from the truth
Excuses often prevent us from finding the real cause of a problem.
So the courts become no use
When the system is corrupt or ineffective, the courts become useless.
The gavel that lies in your hand
The judge's power over the legal process.
Is the power that rules the land
Judges have a significant influence over the legal system.
The witness that lies at the stand
A witness who is not telling the truth while testifying under oath.
Is the coward the criminal planned
The criminal intends to use dishonest witnesses to escape punishment.
Won't someone please, please tell me
An expression of frustration and desperation for answers.
How we can let it slide so far
How did we allow such corruption and injustice to go unchecked?
What's gone wrong, what's the cause?
What has caused the system to become so flawed and corrupt?
Without enforcement what good are laws
Laws mean nothing without proper enforcement and accountability.
What good is time if it doesn't fit the crime
Punishment must fit the crime, or else it is meaningless.
What good are judges who aren't worth a dime
Judges who are corrupt or ineffective are worse than useless.
We let ourselves be overrun
We have allowed the system to become corrupted and ineffective.
When we fail to convict the guilty
When criminals go free due to corruption or incompetence.
And the hammer's strike sets free
When the justice system fails, criminals are allowed to continue committing crimes.
Those who plague society
Criminals who continue to harm and disrupt society.
Contributed by Avery B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Adebayork2
Nice... Makes me remember my childhood