Written by US prog rockers Spock’s Beard have shared their brand new single, Invisible, their first new music for some seven years.
It’s taken from a brand new Spcok’s Beard album, The Archaeoptimist, which the band will release through their new record label, Madfish, on November 21. It’s the first new Spock’s album since 2018’s Noise Floor. The album sees the recorded debut of former live drummer Nick Potters, who replaces Mike Thorne.
“The new album is largely the brainchild of Ryo (Okumoto – keyboards) and a co-writer, Michael Whiteman (I Am The Manic Whale/Whimsical Creature), with lyrical contributions from Alan and myself,” explains frontman Ted Leonard. While not a concept album, the title is taken from one of the tracks called The Archaeoptimist. This epic follows the story of a young girl being raised by her father in a post-cataclysmic world and her pathway from being an inspiration to a leader. Other songs vary in theme from obsession with one’s work or task to musings about the passage of time forging ahead despite obstacles.
“Musically, while tipping a hat to Spock’s legacy, the new album has an energy that arguably surpasses many of our previous releases due, in no small part, to the addition of Nick Potters on drums. He’s an amazing and well-rounded musician who has perfect pitch and a great singing voice (yes, we found a drummer that is an amazing singer…named Nick!). Between Michael and Ryo’s writing, this album also has a melodic complexity that may sound new to fans. Anyone who has heard Ryo improvise will have likely picked up on a fusion influence and that certainly shows up in the writing.
“I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m very proud, excited, and honestly relieved that it turned out as good as it did. Everyone put in a ton of work but none so much as Ryo in pushing this over the line.”
The new album has been produced by Okumoto and recorded at each band member’s respective home studio with Rich Mouser (Dream Theater) on mixing and mastering duties.
The Archaeoptimist will be available on 2LP red vinyl gatefold edition, 2LP black vinyl gatefold edition, a 2 Disc CD/DVD edition featuring 5.1 and hi-res 24/48 stereo mixes and is presented as a digipack CD including an 8-page printed lyric booklet and as a digipack CD, including a 12-page printed lyric booklet.
Spock’s Beard: The Archaeoptimist
1. Invisible
2. Electric Monk
3. Afourthoughts
4. St. Jerome In The Wilderness
5. The Archaeoptimist
6. Next Step
