Glass Hammer prepare Valkyrie with rearranged lineup

Steve Babb and Susie Bogdanowicz of Glass Hammer
Steve Babb in action with Susie Bogdanowicz

Glass Hammer will release 16th studio album Valkyrie in the autumn, they’ve confirmed.

And they’ve told Prog that vocalist Susie Bogdanowicz has moved up to front the band, with support from mainmen Fred Schendel and Steve Babb.

She replaces Jon Davison, whose role has diminished since joining Yes in 2012 and was replaced at the Glass Hammer mic by Carl Groves.

The follow-up to last year’s The Breaking Of The World is describe as a full-blown concept album in the tradition of 2002’s Lex Rex and 2005’s The Inconsolable Secret. In a video trailer, Glass Hammer tease the line: “The battle was only the beginning. This war was going to last… for ever.”

Babb tells Prog: “Our fans have been begging for Susie to have a bigger role in our music for years. We’re happy that she’ll be fronting the band, with Fred and I in supporting roles.

“So the role of vocalist in Glass Hammer stays within the original core group. Of course, Kamran Alan Shikoh and Aaron Raulston remain solid members.”

He says of Valkyrie: “We rehearsed for months and approached the production as if we were preparing for a live concert. The goal was to capture the energy and edge we have on stage. We essentially recorded it live, as one performance.

“We laid down all the basic tracks this week, but there’s still a ton of work to do back at the studio.”

Full details will be revealed in due course.

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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.