DREAMING CITY

Fantastic stuff here, not too many contemporary symphonic prog albums manage to be so enjoyable and intriguing, both fun and intricate, crossing effortlessly back and forth between different genres just in the span of an hour, all of this has to be in the essence of progressive rock, on full display on Glass Hammer's 2020 studio release titled 'Dreaming City', a concept album that serves as the first part of the so-called Skallagrim trilogy, a sci-fi opus that sees the Tennessee-native band go real heavy, while maintaining their melodicism and lush presentation.

Masterminds and multi-instrumentalists Steve Babb (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Fred Schendel (keyboards, guitars, vocals) deliver an enviable collection of twelve songs that should be endeavored in one take since most of them transition into one another, ideally making up the aforementioned first installment of the story, joined by drummer Aaron Raulston, among several other vocalists that appear throughout the LP. 'Dreaming City', the band's eighteenth studio recording opens up with the hard-rocking riff of the glorious title track with vocals by Babb, just to display this myriad of styles that the collective goes through throughout the entire duration of the album - symphonic rock is omnipresent, of course being the frame for the sound of Glass Hammer as well as throbbing hard rock, 70s style, with raging keyboards and mind-blowing solos, perhaps reminiscent of some early Uriah Heep or the virtuosic playing of someone like Jon Lord; there is a strong Rush influence in some sections, some sprinkles of Tull-tinted sections featuring lovely flutes, entire tracks that worship the sequencing magic of a band like Tangerine Dream, among other things. Such a pleasant, vibrant album, full of different sounds and moods, the bass tone of Steve Babb is quite impressive, the keyboards are incredible, the guitars are also great, then there are the several vocalists that all do a lovely job.

No bad songs on here, also keeping in mind the fact that they should be heard together, in the context of the album. The music is awesome, the band have their grip on the 'progressive' aspect of it all strongly, and present a surprisingly heavy side that is also very welcome and suits them finely. Some highlights would be (apart from the title track) 'Cold Star', the rocking 'Pagarna', the electronica of 'At the Threshold of Dreams', the melancholic 'This Lonely World', the gorgeous songs 'A Desperate Man' and 'The Key'.

Straightforward, impressive, proggy, catchy, emotional, it seems like 'Dreaming City' has it all, an excellent album that I already consider a classic of modern progressive rock.