This is an album we had been waiting years for. We had, of course, seen Crimson Glory live around two years ago, when their performance at the Up The Hammers Festival left us slightly concerned, as their faithful yet not entirely successful attempt to recreate the classic Crimson Glory sound raised a few questions. In any case, the time has finally come, and we now have the new Crimson Glory album in our hands. “Chasing The Hydra” is a highly respectable release, one worthy of carrying the Crimson Glory name. It contains very strong compositions delivered in the familiar, classic and distinctive style of these American power/prog metal masters. The guitars slice through like sharpened blades, while the vocals of Travis Wills may not reach the legendary level of Midnight, but they are still soaring, technical, ethereal and full of passion. The arrangements also recall the band’s glorious past. Outstanding work has been done on this new Crimson Glory record. It carries a tremendous atmosphere, radiates the aura of the past and is bound to send chills down the spines of the band’s many loyal fans. “Chasing The Hydra” is not just another power/prog album — on the contrary, it stands as an example of how power/prog metal should be done, fully satisfying the hunger for sophisticated, lyrical and artful power metal. With an album like this, we can only feel deeply satisfied with the modern-day Crimson Glory, who transport us not only back to the heroic and unique 1980s, but also to the 1990s, when US power/prog metal was at its peak. To get straight to the point: in 2026, seventeen years after the explosive “Astronomica”, Crimson Glory have managed to gift us a small power/prog gem that is simply waiting to be experienced to its fullest. They do not surpass their past, nor do they reinvent the wheel, but they offer ideal company for devoted followers of old-school power/prog. In my view, the long wait was absolutely worth it.
♦ 8,5/10
Dimitris Zacharopoulos
