Glass Hammer - Chronomonaut (2018)

Immaculate story telling, soaring and varied musical passages, an uncanny number of musical styles, and Susie Bogdanowiczs angelic voice combine to make Chonomonaut Glass Hammers most majestic album yet. And, yet again, Glass Hammer proves why its America s greatest rock band as well as being one of the two best progressive rock bands in the world. Chronomonaut continues the story of Tom, who first appeared on Glass Hammers masterful Chronometree - 2000. I didn t know the best then, and, if I had, I would have written the same thing about Chronometree as I have on every successive Glass Hammer release. On that album, Tom became convinced that the universe and all of creation spoke through him rather gnostically in the form of prog rock lyrics. Much like numerologists and alchemists, Tom strove to discover the hidden key to the meaning of life. Yet, unlike most numerologists and alchemists, Tom is a sympathetic character. Over the last year, Glass Hammer have mischievously and convincingly been recreating Tom Timely, the Elf King, on social media. He appears as a very real person on Facebook. Over the last few months, the band has in the name of Tom released video after video from 1983, revealing Toms passions as well as his anxieties as he seeks the answers to the meaning of life, space, and time. Band mates come and go, as does a frustrated girlfriend, worrying that her boyfriend is descending into madness. With the album comes the actual story of Tom. So, on one side of the CD booklet are the lyrics; facing opposite is the story of Tom. Babb has proved repeatedly in his lyrics as well as in his published poetry that he is as much a master of the word as he is of the note. Babbs prose here only further reveals his creativity and his stylistic finesse. In telling the story of Tom, the band has given us a similar story, inviting us to explore the meaning of life, time, and space. One could readily take Chronomonaut as a treasure hunt, as we devour and analyze the lyrics and the story. But, there s another treasure hunt as well snippets of Toms loves in music. Musically, this is by far the most diverse album Glass Hammer has made. Throughout the album, the band intermixes and alternates a very clean and modern sounding electronica prog - think Stranger Things - with styles that came in and out of fashion since the late 1960s. A careful listen reveals the styles of Traffic, early Chicago, ELP, Abacab-era Genesis, Vangelis s Blade Runner, early Cars, and so many more. That Glass Hammer can weave all of these together into a coherent and compelling tapestry is astounding. Simply put, there are so many layers, twists, turns, surprises, and joys in this album, that it demands repeated listens. Chronomonaut is an album that now resides with Grace Under Pressure, Songs from the Big Chair, Spirit of Eden, and The Underfall Yard. Its not a passing fancy or simply one more release, but a majestic album that calls forth all that is best within us. No small feat, especially in our present cultural whirligig of insanity and horrors. In its own madness, Chronomonaut brings order and truth to the artistic and longing soul. Brad Birzer - Progarchy


Without a doubt their best album yet. A fantastic new direction of power, precision and downright soul. --Martin Hutchinson - Progradar

Glass Hammer proves why its Americas greatest rock band as well as being one of the two best progressive rock bands in the world. Immaculate storytelling, soaring and varied musical passages, an uncanny number of musical styles, and Bogdanowiczs angelic voice combine to make Chonomonaut Glass Hammers most majestic album yet. --Brad Birzer - Progarchy

If you re a Glass Hammer fan like me, there is much to enjoy here and actually it led me back to listening to Chronomotree which has also been upgraded and reissued. --Roie Avin - The Prog Report