US prog rockers Glass Hammer have announced that they will release their new album At The Gate on October 7.
At The Gate is the third album of the Skallagrim trilogy, following Dreaming City (2020) and Skallagrim – Into The Breach (2021), and concluding the story of the “thief with the screaming sword”. Back in March, Glass Hammer bandleader Steve Babb also released a fantasy novel, Skallagrim – In The Vales Of Pagarna, that’s connected to this concept.
The new album will feature vocalist Glass Hammer's Hannah Pryor back on vocals as well as Babb, keyboardist Fred Schendel and drummer Aaron Raulston. Vocalists Jon Davison of Yes and John Beagley of Life In Digital will also contribute to the album as well as guitarist Reese Boyd.
Babb says of the new album: “An album can be both things. Since the inception of the trilogy in 2020, it’s been my intention to tell this sword and sorcery-inspired tale with appropriate music. And to do that, I needed the sound to evolve toward something grand by the end of the third album.
“Skallagrim’s story is one of lost joy, of grief, and longing, and ultimately of a worn-down swordsman’s coming to grips with what the world can and cannot offer him,” he continues. “It’s probably the most important story we’ve ever told through music, so important to me that it led me to retell it in novels.”
He adds, “So, for those who love our newer, edgier sound, they won’t be disappointed. But I’ve brought back the pipe organ, the choirs, and the sweeping ballads for those who miss the sounds of our earlier albums. I think it works, but the fans will be the ones to decide!”
