This band has it, man. It’s been clear for a coupleyears now that Manchester indie rockers Westside Cowboy were a special unit, and debut album It Goes On affirmed that they’re among the best in the world at wrangling guitars, melody, and anxious combustible energy into eminently likable songs. So seeing them in the Tonight Show spotlight, even in this diminished era of late-night TV, was extremely exciting.
Glass Hammer, the progressive rock vehicle of founder and multi-instrumentalist Steve Babb, recently announced the release of Black Light for November 6th.
Now, Glass Hammer has shared the video for “Lost Horizons,” from its new album Black Light. The video runs from the album’s opening, “I Stared At It Too Long,” straight into the epic-length track, “Lost Horizons.” The video and lyrics bring together characters from several Glass Hammer albums and introduces fans to Black Light’s multi-layered concept.
Black Light is a concept album by written entirely by Steve Babb in the months after he underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor. Set in 1979, it follows him at age 19, as he’s pulled into a mysterious black-light poster and into the world on the other side.
“Black Light is certainly the most surreal story I’ve attempted,” says Babb. “It’s an origin story, among other things, that tells how all of the Glass Hammer characters from Chronometree’s Tom to Dreaming City’s Skallagrim were brought to life.
1. I Stared At It Too Long
2. Lost Horizons
3. Evermore
4. Return To The Shadowlands
5. Neon-Wizard – The Battle
6. The Forest Of Forgetting
7. The Persistence Of memory
8. Mercury Rain
9. It Falls Upside Down
10. Kaleidoscope Skies
Christopher Galen – Lead & backing vocals
Trevor Laake – Lead & backing vocals
Olivia Tharpe – Lead & backing vocals
erran Ligero – Lead & rhythm guitar
Ken Kristiansen – Drums Oliver Day – Acoustic guitar
Steve Babb – Keyboards, bass, percussion and backing vocals
CDs, shirts, and hi-res downloads are available to pre-order only at glasshammer.com, and will ship ahead of the November 6 world release.
John Diva & The Rockets of Love are an interesting band. By now, it is hardly a secret that John Diva himself is more of a fictional character than a conventional frontman, and that is exactly what makes the whole concept so entertaining. The band has built an elaborate fictional story around its leader and… Continue Reading →
Heavy metal legends Judas Priest have announced that founding member and bassist Ian Hill will retire from the band due to arthritis and other health issues. Ian Hill will be replaced by Davey Rimmer of Uriah Heep. Rimmer has already recently filled in for Hill at the band’s London show last month. It marked the first time Hill had ever missed a Judas Priest show. Read more…
(Our Denver-based writer Gonzo has returned to reviewing and recommending albums for us on a monthly basis, and here he recommends five of them released in September.) These days, I’m trying to look past the infinite well of bullshit that we’re all constantly forced to stare into. Music has a way of distracting me from […]
In 2020, Riley Gale, frontman of the great Texan hardcore/thrash band Power Trip, died suddenly and tragically at the way-too-young age of 34. Gale’s fans, friends, bandmates, and family members were all obviously devastated. Two years later, Power Trip guitarist Blake Ibanez launched Fugitive, a new band that continued very much in Power Trip’s tradition and released some truly sick tracks. At a 2023 Fugitive show in Austin, Power Trip played a surprise reunion set, with Gale’s friend Seth Gilmore, frontman of Fugitive and Skourge, taking Gale’s place. After settling a legal dispute with Gale’s family, Gilmore officially became Power Trip’s new singer. Now, they are releasing new music.
Canadian progressive rock duo Crown Lands are pleased to present the ‘Casting Stones’ EP, a collection of 3 tracks recorded during the ‘Apocalypse’ sessions. Available to stream & download now, the EP is led by the stunning title track and you can listen to it now here: https://crownlandsmusic.lnk.to/CastingStones
Vocalist & drummer Cody Bowles comments: “Casting Stones is a very important song to me. When I went through a tough period in my life a couple years back, someone came to attack my identity, my character and my lived experience, assuming the worst intentions of me. Through that difficult, existential experience, I learned a lot about who I was as an individual, inside and out, and realized that I am a lot more resilient than I once thought. On the other side of that period, I’ve become truth embodied, wearing it proudly for the world to see and determined not to let anyone or anything dim my light again.
“This song serves as a karmic reminder to those who do, or wish, ill will toward others: whatever you throw out into the world will come back around, often harder than you expect. It was a cathartic song to write, and the first of the songs that came out of the initial batch proposed for the Apocalypse album. Though it didn’t make it onto the record because narratively it had nothing to do with Karagon or The Syndicate, it remains one of my favorite songs from that period in our lives.”
Recently the band entered Chalet Studios to play some tracks live, and you can see the duo perform ‘Casting Stones’ here:
The ‘Apocalypse’ Deluxe Edition is due for release as a 2CD Digipak and Digital Album on the 11th December 2026. The new package features a second disc that includes the ‘Casting Stones’ EP, plus 4 tracks recorded live at Chalet & the live recording of the epic title track to the album that sees the band playing with an expanded line-up. Pre-order now here: https://crownlandsmusic.lnk.to/Apocalypse-DeluxeEdition
Crown Lands will be touring Canada in October & November this year, and you can find the full list of dates below:
October 29th – Farm League Brewing, Cambridge, ON
October 30th – Farm League Brewing, Cambridge, ON
November 6th – The Biltmore Theatre, Oshawa, ON
November 12th – Bridgeworks, Hamilton, ON
November 13th – Rum Runners, London, ON
November 14th – Warehouse Concert Hall, St. Catherines, ON
November 20th – The Broom Factory, Kingston, ON
November 21st – Overflow Brewing Company, Ottawa, ON
