Spock's Beard's 'The Archaeoptimist' - Album Review

Today's piece will, sadly, be the penultimate album review here this year. One more will follow before the end of the week, and a couple of gig reviews will follow that, but afterwards I will be taking some much needed time off over Christmas. It is rare that anything of note is ever released in December, so I always consider that November is the end of the musical year when it comes to new albums. The two albums left to cover were November late-comers, too, so are still very fresh - and a third will be covered in brief in one of my end-of-year posts. For today's post, though, I return to one of my first loves, and something which has not been covered all that much here of late, progressive rock. Whilst I am quite a selective progressive rock fan, as there are quite a few big names which do little for me, the prog that I do love is some of my favourite music. My two all-time favourite bands, Mostly Autumn and Marillion, both fall into the wide spectrum of progressive rock - and the later influence that the genre had on metal spawned quite a big chunk of my music collection. Progressive metal continues to expand and evolve, which is great to see, even if I do not like each branch of the tree, whereas progressive rock, sometimes, still feels quite rooted in the 1970s. There are bands that have tried to take the genre in new directions, but there are also plenty that make music which is very much inspired by, and often sounds like, many of the classic progressive rock acts of the past. The wells of Pink Floyd, Genesis, King Crimson, Camel, and Van der Graaf Generator have long been drained by some - and I know that the unwillingness of some newer progressive rock bands to look forward annoys some fans of the genre. Today's band very much likes to live in the 1970s when it comes to their sound - and they are one that I have been aware of for many years, despite having never covered them on this blog before. They are the California-based five-piece Spock's Beard - a band which helped to spearhead the third wave of progressive rock when they formed in 1992. I actually came to Spock's Beard via the supergroup Transatlantic due to the Marillion and Dream Theater connections. Listening to Transatlantic, I learnt that Neal Morse had previously fronted Spock's Beard - and I slowly gave both his solo work and the band a bit more of a listen. I am certainly no Spock's Beard expert, though. I have a handful of their albums, but the only ones I have properly listened to are 1995's The Light, their much-lauded debut, and 2000's V. These albums both came early in the band's catalogue - and a whole era sits between them and the subject of today's review, which is The Archaeoptimist. The Archaeoptimist is the band's fourteenth album overall, and their first since 2018's Noise Floor. I think, at one point, the band had perhaps thought that they were done with new music. Ever since Neal's departure, quite a lot of the band's material had been written by outside writers - and following Noise Floor the band's leading outside writer John Boegehold formed Pattern-Seeking Animals with some present and past members of Spock's Beard to showcase his work. Between Noise Floor and The Archaeoptimist, Pattern-Seeking Animals released five albums, showing that Boegehold's songwriting did not slow down - and perhaps it was decided that it was better to move his work away from Spock's Beard and let it stand on its own. I think Spock's Beard were also happy to somewhat call it day, perhaps doing the odd show here and there, but clearly keyboard player Ryo Okumoto, who is not involved in Pattern-Seeking Animals unlike some of the other members of current Spock's Beard line-up, had other ideas.

Okumoto released a solo album in 2022 called The Myth of the Mostrophus, which he wrote with Michael Whiteman (I Am the Manic Whale; Whimsical Creature) and included a number of Spock's Beard alumni. The two worked well creatively and started to write another album together - but this time Okumoto decided to present it to Spock's Beard, and with some input from founding guitarist Alan Morse and long-time frontman Ted Leonard it turned into The Archaeoptimist. Original bassist Dave Meros and new drummer Nick Potters round out the current Spock's Beard line-up - with Whiteman adding some additional guitar throughout. Whiteman's involvement means there are still outside writers here, but I get the impression that Okumoto has spearheaded this album - with Whiteman, Alan, and Leonard all chipping in. It is, unsurprisingly, a keyboard-heavy album, then, but Spock's Beard have often been that way - and there is still plenty of trademark fiery lead guitar from Alan throughout. As has often been the case with Spock's Beard, too, this is a hooky album. This is Leonard's fourth album with the band, and the opening cut Invisible is very vocal-focused. Due to the bombastic keyboards and Leonard's vocal style, there are quite a few similarities which can be drawn to Kansas. Opening with Leonard's vocals alone, pre-empting a later chorus, the track is relatively punchy compared to some of the songs to come. Pulsing Hammond organ stabs soon join in, creating a hard rocking and riffy intro - whilst a retro synth melody is the first hook. Old-school keyboard textures are never far away, and Okumoto constantly drives this song with something bombastic and melodic. Some of the heavier moments have shades of Uriah Heep, particularly as the song opens up, but the mix of organ and synth melodies later on showcases that Kanses influence - as well as plenty of Styx. Much of what is great here comes from the busy keyboard playing - but the verses and chorus are nicely propelled by Meros' busy and slightly funky bass playing. The guitar takes a bit of a back seat here, but some choppy rhythms are welcome - with Leonard's expressive vocals, especially during a punchy chorus, and the great mix of flashy 1970s synth hooks really keep the song moving. Alan does have a bit more to do during an upbeat instrumental section, with him and Okumoto often teaming up for some unison guitar and keyboard runs - whilst Potters lays down a shuffling groove. Keyboard melodies and solos keep coming, with the bombastic and fast-moving nature of the piece a great representative of the album's core sound. Electric Monk also opens with some big Hammond stabs and, overall, the song is not too different to the opening number. Both tracks are on the shorter side compared to the epic pieces here, and both kick off with joyous organ stabs. Early on here, though, there is a bit more of a guitar presence - and the song overall gives Alan more to do. Despite the keyboards dominating early on, busy guitar leads often punch through the mix this time - with a couple of motifs in particular which are often returned to. There is still plenty of atmosphere thanks to the keyboards, though, and the opening Hammond riff often crashes back in - whilst Meros' bass playing adds a heavy edge to the piece. This song feels a bit more dynamic, too, with an aching guitar solo segment later on, which is then followed by Leonard singing in a more emotional manner against a backdrop of piano - only for more guitar melodies to join back in. There is less bombast throughout, then, but Leonard is given a bit more room to breathe as a singer - and the light and shade allows for a more emotional and diverse arrangement.

Following two highly melodic songs, Afourthoughts clearly wants to showcase something much more overtly progressive and knotty. Meros' rumbling bass kicks things off, with him and Potters creating a strong groove early on over which the initial chaos ensues. It is a little while before Leonard is heard vocally this time, with the song's intro instead being a chaotic mix of guitar and keyboard solos. Even the bass takes the lead at times, despite maintaining a strong groove, and the controlled melodies of the previous two songs are generally cast aside early on this time to allow for some busy and technical soloing. This vibe does somewhat continue throughout the whole song, too, even when Leonard starts to sing. The verses have something of a call-and-response feel, with Leonard singing in slightly different ways throughout - whilst subtly different harmonies are utilised to enhance this vibe. Focus throughout the song is constantly snapping back and forth between different elements - but Leonard still manages to construct plenty of hooky vocal melodies, even if guitar and synth leads are much more likely to interject this time. Something which I remember from one of Neal's solo albums, too, and I understand to be a bit of a him/Spock's Beard thing, is multi-layered vocal arrangements with a limited musical backing. There is a segment like this here, with Leonard and some of the other band members acting as a choir to create these overlaid vocal lines, almost Queen-like, whilst the music essentially drops away. It sounds impressive, and crescendos in something of a guitar solo - before Okumoto takes over for a lengthy piano solo that morphs into a bombastic, synth-led section. There are still plenty of hooks here, though, despite the chaos - and this song is very much a proper prog piece following some hookier opening cuts. A similar vibe continues on in St. Jerome in the Wilderness, at least early on. The transition between the two songs is quite staccato, with stabs of organ and some heavier guitars - and Meros' bass is once again an extremely important instrument. The groove of the bass never really lets up, but following a somewhat busy intro the song returns more to the overt hooks of the opening couple of numbers. The propelling bass helps to link the two sounds, though, whilst Leonard really soars vocally here - with some really memorable individual lines on one of the songs he co-wrote. One of the main chorus refrains really sticks in the brain for me - and there is a great smoothness to much of the song as a result of the excellent bass playing and the focus on big vocal hooks. Bombastic Hammond stabs are utilised at opportune moments, but it is perhaps the piano which stands out the most - with Okumoto later laying down a jazzy piano solo, which goes on for quite a while, before Leonard joins him for a more ballad-esque moment. All of these sections flow nicely together, too, with a later noisy guitar solo seeing Alan shredding and playing with his effects pedals. Not wanting to be outdone, too, even following his antics earlier on the piano, Okumoto also treats listeners to both a huge organ solo and a retro synth wig out - meaning that the second half of the song is bombastic and totally prog in the best, bonkers way. Leonard manages to squeeze in a final chorus reprise towards the end, though, somewhat grounding the piece again.

There are only two songs left at this point, but they are both lengthy epics. The longest of the two, the 20-plus minute title track, is up first - and there is immediately a much more symphonic and grand feel. Warm keyboard textures and more of a cinematic scope are present from the off - with plenty of space for Leonard's storytelling lyrics early on. Acoustic guitar depth, a more restrained rhythm section, and strings from the synths characterise the early moments of this long piece - although the occasional synth melody does cut through for some additional warmth. Given the overall length of the song, though, it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of twists and turns. Following the first few minutes of pastoral warmth, a darkness soon creeps in via a busier bassline - and the first lengthy instrumental section kicks in. This returns to the vibe of the second half of the previous song - albeit more melodic and actually quite Dream Theater-esque at times. There are lots of repeated motifs here musically, which both Alan and Okumoto deliver in their respective solos - all underpinned by some shimmering Mellotron. Perhaps the best part of the song comes next, though, when Leonard starts to sing again and the band really lock into a tight groove - led by some upbeat electric piano chords and more busy bass playing. There is something joyous and immediately hooky about this section - with Leonard sounding expressive throughout, including some more Kansas-esque sections thanks to the use of vocal harmonies. Soloing also takes place above this groove, with a lengthy keyboard solo coming early on - before Alan closes out this segment with some emotive guitar playing. The next core section also feels quite up-tempo, but the groove is different. There is less of a piano drive this time, with more of a melodic guitar backing - whilst washes of organ and the occasional synth lead cut throughout. Leonard sings with power again here, his lyrics telling the song's lengthy story (which is given further context in the CD's booklet) in a suitably narrative manner. There are also some heavier moments during this section - with Potters unleashing the occasional burst of double bass drumming and Okumoto laying down an organ solo over a tough riff from Alan. A more atmospheric section follows this as a nice contrast, with more Mellotron, gentler vocals, and a spacey synth solo. There is not too much left at this point, but piano-led vocal sections, further bombast thanks to plenty of vocal harmonies, alongside a big Alan solo - all making The Archaeoptimist one of the most compelling long-form pieces of the year. The mere 10 minute long Next Step then closes out the album, an impressive piece in its own right - but it does not quite live up to what came before. The jaunty opening instrumental section tries hard to, though, with busy piano motifs, another big guitar solo, and plenty more melody from the whole band. The bombastic feeling of the album's first couple of songs are revisited here, albeit stretched out given the song's length - and there is a good balance here between busy instrumental moments and sparser vocal-led section. Mellotron often signals the change between the two, whilst a rare acoustic guitar-led section comes later on with folky synth melodies and a Canterbury-esque vibe. This quieter moment shows that this album keeps giving when it comes to diversity until the very end but the album's core sound is still very much retained - as things slowly build back towards something more bombastic, with a lot more piano and another groovy bassline from Meros. By the time another lengthy and warm synth solo is reached the band is back on track, but there is not much left of the album by this point - with a final section from Leonard bringing a fine album to a close. Given that Spock's Beard are not a band I know a lot about, it was not a given that I would get this album - but I am glad that I did as each listen has improved my view on it, and the sense of melody throughout is excellent. There is a lot going on here as there often is with prog, but the hooks shine through and the soloing is impressive - and I really need to dig deeper into this band's catalogue as well as the extended family throughout 2026.

The album was released on 21st November 2025 via Madfish/Snapper Music Ltd.