U.S. progressive rockers SPOCK'S BEARD will release their 13th studio album, "Noise Floor", on May 25. For this disc, Ted Leonard, Alan Morse, Dave Meros and Ryo Okumoto are joined in the studio once again by drummer and original member Nick D'Virgilio.
SPOCK'S BEARD is a band that is in a continual state of evolution, as is always the case with genuinely creative musicians. And "Noise Floor" fits perfectly into this process.
"We are always about evolution, not revolution. But what we have done this time is make the songs more melodic," believes vocalist/guitarist Ted Leonard. "We still love our crazy prog, but now appreciate how important it is to grab people's attention early on."
As with all SPOCK'S BEARD songs, most of the new album was written by the individual members, and then brought to the rest of the band as high-quality demos. "We all do this type of thing in our home studios," says Leonard. "So, by the time they reach the stage where the entire band get to judge them, they are really developed, and therefore everyone can make a reasoned judgement." Much of what you will listen to here is very much the product of fresh inspiration from the Californian band.
One key change on this album sees the return of drummer Nick D'Virgilio, who originally left in 2011. There are also two violinists, a cello player, a viola player and an English horn featured on the album, thereby giving the sound a slightly more evocative and persuasive twist.
The album was once again engineered by long-time collaborator Rich Mouser and will be released as a 2CD digipak (featuring an EP of material from the same sessions), gatefold 2LP + 2CD and as a digital download.
Didn’t know these guys are still around.