As the co-founder of Glass Hammer, multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Steve Babb has been at the forefront of American progressive rock for around 30 years. In fact, he’s helped pen some of the genre’s most celebrated modern works, including 2005’s The Inconsolable Secret, 2011’s Cor Cordium and 2016’s Valkyrie. The band’s latest conceptual release, ARISE – which stands for Android Research Initiative for Space Exploration – fits right alongside them, as it’s a cosmic horror narrative packed with the group’s trademark melodic and musical specialities. Babb tells Prog about the influences and ambitions behind ARISE’s amazing path.
Did any specific horror or sci-fi fiction or films inspire ARISE?
For example, HP Lovecraft or Aliens. Oh, definitely Lovecraft. [On the album] you’ve got a group of scientists who think they’re the superior intellects of the universe, and when they take their android out into space, they quickly find they’re not. So it just kind of becomes a battle. I mean, I love Lovecraft, and then there’s Clark Ashton Smith and the movies Interstellar and 2001: A Space Odyssey. You know, putting cosmic horror in a galactic context.
What interests you about making concept albums? Do you think it’s almost a prerequisite of prog?
When I was much younger, I was into concept albums. There was something about the way they were presented like cinema. Plus, I need to tell stories, and for a long time (until a couple of years ago), this was the way I could do it. To be honest, I’ve struggled to come up with songs that sort of fall into a greater concept. Putting out a sequence of songs, even with a central theme, is somewhat of a challenge for me now. I much prefer to let ideas build up toward a bigger story. I’ve always liked using instrumentals as connective tissue, too. You should definitely sense that you’ve been somewhere by the end of it all. It’s fun and our fans tend to be into that. That said, I never want the story to consume the music. It’s just there to set a mood and give you something to think about. It’s never more important than making sure the music is entertaining.
Did the writing and/or recording processes differ this time from past albums?
This one was mostly done on my own. I had Hannah Pryor [vocals] come in for several vocal sessions, and I had Reese Boyd do a lot of guitar work on it. As far as the writing goes, though, this was almost a solo record. Fred Schendel contributed to one song; usually, he and I are throwing songs back and forth at each other, but it just didn’t work out like that this time. At this point in my career, I basically am Glass Hammer, so why would I try to launch a whole new thing? As for Randall Williams returning on drums, we’re not really looking at him as a bandmember, and it was just a logistical thing. Aaron Raulston just couldn’t get to the studio, even though we both wanted him to. We’re more of a studio project than a live band these days as well, but I do enjoy working with other people when I can.
The artwork is beautifully mysterious. How did that collaboration happen? It’s pretty stunning, right?
It was done by an awesome Polish artist named Michał ‘Xaay’ Loranc, who also did our logo and the images for the last few records. Actually, I put the image online a few months ago and people said that they wanted to buy merch that displayed it, s...
Did any specific horror or sci-fi fiction or films inspire ARISE?
For example, HP Lovecraft or Aliens. Oh, definitely Lovecraft. [On the album] you’ve got a group of scientists who think they’re the superior intellects of the universe, and when they take their android out into space, they quickly find they’re not. So it just kind of becomes a battle. I mean, I love Lovecraft, and then there’s Clark Ashton Smith and the movies Interstellar and 2001: A Space Odyssey. You know, putting cosmic horror in a galactic context.
What interests you about making concept albums? Do you think it’s almost a prerequisite of prog?
When I was much younger, I was into concept albums. There was something about the way they were presented like cinema. Plus, I need to tell stories, and for a long time (until a couple of years ago), this was the way I could do it. To be honest, I’ve struggled to come up with songs that sort of fall into a greater concept. Putting out a sequence of songs, even with a central theme, is somewhat of a challenge for me now. I much prefer to let ideas build up toward a bigger story. I’ve always liked using instrumentals as connective tissue, too. You should definitely sense that you’ve been somewhere by the end of it all. It’s fun and our fans tend to be into that. That said, I never want the story to consume the music. It’s just there to set a mood and give you something to think about. It’s never more important than making sure the music is entertaining.
Did the writing and/or recording processes differ this time from past albums?
This one was mostly done on my own. I had Hannah Pryor [vocals] come in for several vocal sessions, and I had Reese Boyd do a lot of guitar work on it. As far as the writing goes, though, this was almost a solo record. Fred Schendel contributed to one song; usually, he and I are throwing songs back and forth at each other, but it just didn’t work out like that this time. At this point in my career, I basically am Glass Hammer, so why would I try to launch a whole new thing? As for Randall Williams returning on drums, we’re not really looking at him as a bandmember, and it was just a logistical thing. Aaron Raulston just couldn’t get to the studio, even though we both wanted him to. We’re more of a studio project than a live band these days as well, but I do enjoy working with other people when I can.
The artwork is beautifully mysterious. How did that collaboration happen? It’s pretty stunning, right?
It was done by an awesome Polish artist named Michał ‘Xaay’ Loranc, who also did our logo and the images for the last few records. Actually, I put the image online a few months ago and people said that they wanted to buy merch that displayed it, s...
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Prog (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 147