Of all the progressive rock bands currently treading the boards, Spock’s Beard often seem to be one of the most quietly overlooked. Neither as noisily bombastic as, say, Dream Theater, nor as high-profile as Transatlantic, they are a band who have earned an incredibly loyal fanbase over the course of their thirty-odd years, but they have eschewed the limelight in favour of a more satisfying path that has placed their art at the core of everything they do.
As a result, over the course of thirteen albums (with The Archaeoptimist their fourteenth), the band have simply focused on honing their sound, staying true to the classic progressive forms that influenced them while adding in a few unique flourishes of their own.
The Archaeoptimist finds the band on particularly fine form. It’s been seven long years since their last endeavour, 2018’s Noise Floor, and comparatively little has changed in the world of Spock’s Beard other than the arrival of new sticksman Nick Potters, who joined as a live musician in 2024 before being promoted to full member this year. Certainly, Nick makes his presence felt on opening number Invisible. Following a glorious acapella passage, his entrance is thunderous to say the least, driving the track through a brief electric passage before we settle down to a wirier verse, all off-kilter percussion and keyboard stabs – the latter courtesy of Ryo Okumoto, whose fingerprints are all over the album. The result is a fascinating sonic clash that combines Gabriel-era Genesis with elements of Deep Purple, Supertramp, and Flower Kings. With an addictive chorus nestled between monstrous prog workouts, it’s a bold start to the album, filled with the sonic twists and turns that have become the band’s trademark, and it’s wonderful to kick back and drift once more into the unconventional world of Spock’s Beard.
Having hit the ground running, the band maintain the pace with Electric Monk. It’s a track that offers little by way of introduction, with Alan Morse’s crunchy guitars coming up against Ryo’s unconventional synth passages right from the start. With Nick’s skittish beat driving the pace, it’s Ted Leonard’s honeyed vocal that takes things over the top, his typically excellent performance two parts Peter Gabriel to one part Stephen Sondheim. It’s the interpolation of this latter element that gives the music its dramatic flair, and the result is a piece of music that ebbs and flows with a theatricality that is irresistible. The band’s vocal flair is fully evident on the wonderfully fluid Afterthoughts, which finds the dense instrumentation give way to a deftly woven acapella section before we head once more into a sonic hall of mirrors led by Ryo’s energetic work behind the boards. A track that not only gives each member a chance to shine but which also offers some stunning ensemble moments, Afterthoughts is one of those jaw-on-the-floor moments at which Spock’s beard so quietly excel.
After the sumptuous sonic banquet of Afterthoughts, St Jerome In The Wilderness places the guitar in the foreground as Alan Morse indulges in some powerful riffs. Despite a jazzy oasis at the song’s core, there’s real rock ‘n’ roll energy here and the climactic solo is utterly immense, Alan’s hurricane-force guitar igniting a dizzying final third that finds Ryo throwing everything in his sonic arsenal into the mix in response.
Following the stormy St Jerome is a side-filling, twenty-minute monster. Opening upon a hulking great riff, The Archaeoptimist condenses everything that was best in the preceding four tracks – the emotional depth, the immense musicianship and, of course, the peerless vocals – and condenses it all into a glorious, life-affirming progressive epic that ranks alongside the very best work produced by the various bands that Spock’s Beard would undoubtedly consider their forebears. With Ryo playing his heart out, there’s some stunning keyboard work to be found, but what really makes the track stand out, beyond the deft interplay between the musicians, are the fun digressions the band take along the way, from the almost funky passage that lands at around the seven-minute mark, via 80s synth pop, to the massive metallic passage that emerges with unexpected vigour at fourteen-minutes or so. It’s a bravura display of confidence and ambition from a band who have become true masters of their craft.
You would be forgiven for thinking then, that the band had hit their peak.
You would be wrong.
Rounding out the album, Next Step offers a Baroque introduction that does much to presage the neo-symphonic piece that follows. With soaring vocals, electrifying guitar work, and dense banks of keyboard all playing a part in the epic ebb and flow of the track, it provides the album with an immensely satisfying conclusion.
Of course, as with the preceding track, there’s far too much to fully appreciate in one sitting and you’ll return time and again, each time finding some new element in the band’s performance to admire. However, as with everything Spock’s Beard do, this is no mere exercise in technicality. For sure, the musicianship is exquisite, but what makes Spock’s Beard so beloved is the emotion they invest in their work, and Next Step is no exception. A powerful, heartfelt finale that nods to early Genesis, it is wonderfully cathartic, and it leaves you feeling brighter than when you came in.
Spock’s Beard are a truly special band. Deeply skilled musicians, they never let their abilities come between them and the emotional core of their work, and the results are always warm and engaging. As we have come to expect from a band whose back catalogue is essentially flawless, The Archaeoptimist is a work of stunning scope and depth. Beautifully produced, played, and arranged, it captures the listener and holds them for the duration. However, what really makes it stand out is the sense of hope it evokes. Few bands have quite so powerful an emotional effect and it says much of the passion the band embed into every fibre of their work that it transmits itself so effortlessly to the listener. All of which is a lengthy way of saying that, with The Archaeoptimist, Spock’s Beard have wrought their masterpiece. 10/10
