Trying to find artists who share your political views can be a tough slog for conservatives regardless of which creative outlet one prefers. This becomes even more challenging when looking outside the mainstream. And when it comes to outside the mainstream, progressive rock is as outside as it gets.

Steve Babb, cofounder and co-leader, alongside Fred Schendel, of Midwest-based prog-rockers Glass Hammer, knows both of these facts all too well.

As he notes to RedState, “With the exception of the ’70s, the golden days of prog, our genre has always been unpopular with the masses. Heck, it was despised by critics even in its heyday. But the fan base that supports prog-rock is tremendously loyal and dedicated. They’re not prone to follow faddish music, and they stick with the bands they support for decades!”

Glass Hammer’s latest effort, thematically a successor to 2020’s Dreaming City, is Skallagram — Into The Breach. What separates it from both the standard image of classic prog rock and the more recently developed prog metal genre is that it manages the neat trick of rocking hard without abandoning prog’s adventuresome, melodic nature.

New vocalist Hannah Pryor’s powerful but not overpowering voice is a perfect foil for Babb, Schendel, and their cohorts’ thundering backdrop of sweeping, crunchy riffs, sitting alongside more contemplative moments, allowing the music to expand and breathe without trying to squeeze everything into minuscule time slots.

The album has musical color and shape, offering new rewards with each listening. It’s probably a bit much for your average Dua Lipa fan, but for those who have a taste for fresh melodies mixed with muscle, Skallagram — Into The Breach is a welcome slice of tasty pie that’s as far from a one-trick pony as it gets.

Getting back into the question of why prog, Babb continues,

“Essentially, when Fred and I formed Glass Hammer, we agreed to produce albums of music that we’d both actually listen to. We’d tried getting deals in mainstream bands and nearly pulled it off a couple of times.

But at the core, we were prog fans, and musically competent enough to make the switch. Additionally, we both get along great in the studio, enjoy the challenge of creating ‘epic’ music with grandiose themes, and the notoriety that comes with it. As a musician, it’s made for an interesting and rewarding life. No regrets there.”

Although a committed conservative and Christian, Babb leaves out overt references to each from his work, while making no effort to hide his views on either front. While you won’t find a prog-rock version of John Ondrasik/Five For Fighting’s “Blood on My Hands” in Glass Hammer’s catalog, Babb is unafraid to work unmistakable spiritual themes into his work, usually through an allegorical prism of Christianity and fantasy a la J.R.R. Tolkien.

Babb comments, “Tolkien said, and I agree: ‘Fantasy remains a human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker.’ He called this idea ‘subcreation,’ and believed that our own self-made myths, though flawed, reflect a ‘fragment of the true light.’ In that spirit, I write.

“Skallagrim’s story, which is fleshed out not only in our albums but in my novel Skallagrim – In The Vales Of Pagarna due out in March, could be enjoyed merely as an adventure tale set in a fantasy world, and that’s fine. It’s more Tolkien and less Lewis in that regard. But for any with eyes to see, God is in the mix.

“My protagonist is trapped in a cursed world, fighting monsters (and often enough, his own mind) to find his lost love and his memory—both of which were stolen. Skallagrim ultimately finds his hope, not within, but rather without. All of these themes have a spiritual connotation for me. A world living under a curse, evil, the loss of joy, the forgetting of who we are and were meant to be, the source of hope — though dealt with in a fantasy setting, are representative of the true state of things.”

Glass Hammer has had a host of members throughout its three decades-plus. Alongside Babb and Schendel, presently the lineup includes the aforementioned Pryor, drummer Aaron Raulston, and guitarist Reece Boyd. Referencing Pryor, Babb says with a chuckle, “Hannah came to our studio to do vocals for a local church / praise & worship album that we produced, and we snatched her up to be our singer. What a powerful voice! Into The Breach is her first foray into rock, and she’s loving it.”

From whence does Babb draw his beliefs? “I was raised with conservative values and attended conservative churches. And though my take on Scripture dictates that I hold certain positions, I credit an ability for critical thinking and a belief in absolute truth to be the primary factors in determining my politics. There is an enduring moral order: human nature is constant and moral truths, permanent.”

He adds, “My faith informs my music / lyrics and my political views. I’m very passionate about the music and strongly opinionated about politics. However, I don’t mix politics and music. I’d alienate well over half our audience if I did. They trust us not to do that, and I think most of them know where we stand anyway. It’s our job to entertain them, and bring joy and wonder into their lives, not lecture them.”

And there you have it. Even as Larry Norman once sang, “why should the devil have all the good music,” Glass Hammer brings to the fore the truth that liberals have no exclusive claim on it either.

The album is available on the band’s website.