AT THE GATE

Glass Hammer is among my favorite punching bags in the realm of modern progressive rock. This is their twenty-third(!) full-length release, the third installment in a fantasy-based trilogy, and it's exactly what I'd expect from them. The music is soullessly played and full of cliches that were old news 50 years ago. They've lately tried adding a bit more grit to their sound, but it doesn't suit them well. Their best albums from the late '90s and early '00s were never all that original. At least they sounded like they were having fun, and the music had some creativity to it. At the Gate feels like a paint-by-numbers slog, especially in comparison to this band's more engaging work.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2022/12/26/odds-ends-december-26-2022/