Dreaming City by Glass Hammer

2444 HI-Res. Part One of the Skallagrim Trilogy, followed by Skallagrim--Into The Breach and At The Gate.
Sneaking out one of the years greatest records by the skin of their teeth, and with tornados whistling in their ears, Glass Hammer have once again proved that the DIY ethos is alive and well in prog. They have also provided us with the ideal means of escape from the ongoing drudgery of lockdown and social distancing: a big, bold and bombastic concept album with swords, sorcery, towering melodies and massive riffs. As Steve Babb cheerily concludes, it was all definitely worth the effort. --Dom Lawson - PROG Magazine
Glass Hammer opens the decade with a dark masterpiece. As the album begins arriving on doorsteps the world over, expect to see glowing reviews emerge across the board, as this one is clearly destined to fall in with their most beloved titles. One of their heaviest but most balanced albums to date, the sword-and-sorcery tale told in Dreaming City takes listeners on a journey through the eyes of a desperate man faced with deadly obstacles and very little time to rescue his love. Glass Hammer listeners are no strangers to concept albums such as this, and this time they re able to enjoy a story told through written chapters with accompanying artwork. Musically, the album is loaded with spirited riffs, feet-tapping grooves and memorable melodies, and delves into electronic music, bubbling keyboards, hazy, distant soundbite narratives, atmospheric jams, foreboding interludes, gentle tranquility and of course the gripping, epic majesty we ve grown to expect over the last quarter century from the minds, hearts and hands of Steve Babb, Fred Schendel and company. Make no mistake: despite the prevalence of guitar on the album, the familiar keyboards of Schendel (and sometimes Babb) are far from absent they are interwoven throughout the album and assume roles of varying degrees and styles. And it s imperative to acknowledge drummer Aaron Raulston, who I dare say turns in the finest drum performance on a Glass Hammer album to date (no joke). He has handled the throne duties admirably over the course of the last four or five releases, but here he provides such an impressive performance, one simply must give him the tip of their cap. It is no small feat to command the listener s attention in a band already long proven to consist of overachievers in their respective areas of the sonic landscape. The album is often reminiscent of and an homage to 70s Rush, but in a warm, respectable way that is never in danger of being a clone or a cheap imitation. This band is far too talented and established for such tricks. Babbs usual excellent bass playing packs a huge wallop, and as it often does, threatens to steal the limelight, even during a particularly killer guitar solo, and that tone is to die for. Thaaddeus Wert - Spirit Of Cecilia

glasshammer.com
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube