DREAMING CITY

From the spacey intro vibe of the first song and the heavy guitar part, I was surprised to realize this was an album of Glass Hammer. Then we are treated with a nice bass break that can only come from Steve Babb, but where are Fred's keys, oh yes then I hear them at the end in this fast pace song. This album that can only listen in one take without skipping a song is heavier and less symphonic. The band decided to get back to their early influences of Rush, Jethro Tull, and Tangerine Dream. There are more spacey prog passages and a classic rock feel where the band sticks to a more direct approach with the guitars having a sound that is more on the raw side than usual. The song "Pagarna" has some clear Rush influence with the typical guitar solo at the end. The band uses the flute and some nice acoustic guitar when they want to slow things down. Overall the keyboards on this album have taken a step back with occasional appearance letting the bass and the guitars the lead. The band has taken a chance here with their new direction. but I am glad they did after releasing too many albums of that same genre in the last decade. This a well-balanced album with some driven rock songs, some peacuful ballads and some dreamy electronic interludes.