Glass Hammer – At The Gate (Sound Resources, 2022)
At The Gate is the final part of the Skallagrim trilogy by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer. The previous releases, Dreaming City (2021) and Skallagrim – Into The Breach (2022).
The band disclosed before the release that this album was going to be much heavier than previous releases, and they weren’t kidding. However, there is still cutting edge progressive rock in the mix.
The opening piece “The Years Roll By” is one of the highlights of the album. It introduces one of the new band members, vocalist. It begins with majestic cathedral organ and gradually develops very nicely with rich keyboards and soaring electric guitar.
Another taker is the cinematic “North of North” which features dreamy electronics and a transfixing groove.
“All for Love” is an energetic piece, although it’s solidly on the progressive rock of things, with epic progressions, and stellar electric guitar solo work.
The final track “It’s Love” is another high point on the album. It has some of the best keyboard work on the album in the form of piano, electric organ and synthesizers. It grows masterfully into an epic piece, displaying skillful guitar, keyboards and vocals supported by a fantastic creative rhythm section.
There is more on the album, but I lost interest in hard rock and heavy metal since I was very young and those tracks had little appeal.
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Steve Babb says about At The Gate: “At this point in the tale, our protagonist has searched a thousand years to find his lost love. The album’s lyrics and text address not only the story, but what the characters represent to me. At The Gate is an album about hard choices, the pursuit of lost joy, and the hope of a brighter day.
“The trilogy’s music was always meant to have an arc. And while there’s an abundance of metal on this album, you’ll also hear our symphonic side reasserting itself. It’s been part of the plan all along, and I think our fans will love how we’ve wrapped up the trilogy.”
The lineup includes Steve Babb on bass, guitars, keyboards, lead and backing vocals; Fred Schendel on keyboards, guitars and backing vocals; Aaron Raulston on drums and the newest member of the band, lead vocalist Hannah Pryor.
Guests: John Beagley on vocals; Reese Boyd on lead guitar; and Yes frontman Jon Davison on vocals.
Available from Amazon, Bandcamp, or the band’s website.