Album Review: Crimson Glory- Chasing The Hydra

Aaron ConnMusic, ReviewsLeave a Comment

Chasing The Hydra

Chasing The Hydra More than a quarter of a century has passed since Crimson Glory  released an album. While the progressive metal band have been active during the 21st century, they haven’t released any new material since 1999. Now in this year of 2026, Crimson Glory have released their fifth studio album. The album, Chasing The Hydra, features nine all-new studio tracks, ranging in different styles. While it isn’t without its flaws, it’s an all-around solid effort from the prog metal legends.

A Little History
Crimson Glory were formed in Florida in 1983. While the band existed under different names years prior, the band official became Crimson Glory by the early 1980s. The original line up consisted of singer Midnight, guitarists Jon Drenning and Ben Jackson, bassist Jeff Lords and drummer Dana Burnell. The band would released their first two albums in the 1980s: Crimson Glory (1986) and Transcendence (1988). The band attained a cult following, touring in the US and overseas. By the 1990s, both Jackson and Burnell had left  as the band were now shifting lanes musically. The band’s third album, Strange and Beautiful, was a more mainstream hard rock effort that didn’t sit well with most fans. After the subsequent tour, the band called it a day in 1991. In the years that followed, the band would reunite on/off several times.

  • 1999-2000 with Drenning, Jackson and Lords joined with singer Wade Black, making a fourth album Astronomica in 1999.
  • 2005-08 with the original line up, sometimes with Black and sometimes with Midnight, the latter of whom dealt with health issues. This, sadly, led to his passing in 2009.
  • 2009-13 with the original line up, now fronted by Todd LaTorre, who would go on to replace Geoff Tate in Queensryche.

Now since 2023, Crimson Glory consists of 3/4 surviving original line up members: Ben Jackson, Jeff Lords and Dana Burnell. With Midnight having passed away and Jon Drenning retiring, they have been replaced by singer Travis Wills and guitarist Mark “Borgy” Borgmeyer.

The Album
It’s hard to categorize the music on Chasing The Hydra. Of the band’s previous four albums, the new album is more in line with the first two and (in parts) Astronomica. Though listening to Chasing The Hydra, this isn’t a rehashing or an attempt to recreate those albums. This is something new. The album’s opening track, “Redden The Sun,” serves as a great place to start. Right off the bat, the band are coming in strong: there’s roaring guitar riffs from Jackson and Borgmeyer and shrieking vocals from Wills. It has the energy of the songs found on the first two albums but has a sludgier or muddier sound compared to those to albums.  It gives the song an edge. making the song modern. As an opening track, it sets out for what’s to come for the rest of the album.

The rest of the songs from Chasing The Hydra range from nostalgia trips to onslaughts of heavy metal. If you’re looking for more songs like “Redden The Sun,” the metal madness continues on songs such as the high octane title track and the heavy duty “Armor Against Fate.” The former sounds like a modern day Judas Priest song while the latter features some strong melodic vocals from Wills. You want something a little more in line with the first two albums? Feast your ears on pleasantly melodic “Broken Together,” the guitar heavy “Indelible Ashes” and the catchy stomps of “Beyond The Unknown.” While the production isn’t exactly the same, these three songs could’ve easily found a home on the first two albums or Astronomica.

While a consistent album throughout, Chasing The Hydra isn’t without its weaknesses. For one thing, the aforementioned “sludgy” production hurts some of the songs. Songs such as “Angel in My Nightmare” and “Pearls of Dust” are the worst victims of this. Even then, the songs aren’t necessarily bad but simply weaker compared to everything else.  When the album gets a little too sludgy, it has the melodic tunes to fall back on. The album’s closer, “Triskaideka,” is especially melodic, ending the album on a high note with its mix of militant and melodic metal.

Conclusion
Overall, Chasing the Hydra is a solid comeback album for Crimson Glory. If any downsides, the production isn’t the greatest and sometimes hurts the album. Though looking at the album as whole, Chasing The Hydra can be seen as Crimson Glory taking on the 21st century. As such, it’s a splendid listen.

Rating: 7/10

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