PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS – Friend Of All Creatures (Album Review)

There aren’t many bands these days who have the capacity to release five albums of original music in six years…much less contemporary progressive rock bands. For any who would dare to attempt such a feat, one might expect lengthy improvised jam sessions that run long on time but short on substance, and result in an equal number of hits and misses along the way.

Remarkably, Pattern-Seeking Animals have achieved one of modern prog history’s most consistent five album discographies. Their musical ethos is quite the opposite of jam bands, as they utilize elaborately constructed epic songs as storytelling vehicles, all while employing a wide range of instruments from around the globe. Pattern-Seeking Animals clearly have established their own sound, but they continue to wield a wide palette of musical colors to inhabit that world.

But if you’re reading this album review – chronicling album number five – you likely already know all of this. You’re probably already aware that the band was formed out of the ashes of the not-quite-dead Spock’s Beard (long live The Beard!), and that mastermind John Boegehold writes the bulk of the music and the arrangements…we could say he is the main orchestrator of the band. Having at his disposal one of the best drummers, bassists, and vocalists in prog (Jimmy Keagan, Dave Meros, and Ted Leonard respectively), he’s got an ideal band to realize his visions.

Friend Of All Creatures – named from a verse in the Bhagavad Gita – approaches the heights of the band’s second and third albums. As mentioned before, their sound is incredibly consistent, but there was an extra magic to those albums, and happily, number five isn’t far behind. It’s a little more mellow overall but that doesn’t mean it slouches in terms of energy delivered, quite the opposite.

“Future Perfect World” is a glorious opener, running nearly ten minutes long, one section running into another as new worlds open into fields of clover. It just may be the best track on the album, when taken as a whole. While some bands are content to write songs with two or three-chord progressions (at most) and fairly straightforward instrumentation, Pattern-Seeking Animals excels at writing complex arrangements with a bountiful quiver of musical expressions. The fantastical “Another Holy Grail” gets a little carried away in that regard, running over twelve minutes with more musical ideas than most bands deliver on a full album. If you’re seeking engaging symphonic prog, there’ll be plenty to chew on here. 

The heavily orchestrated “Down The Darkest Road” gives a breather from the proggier moments on the album – and (sadly) from Keegan’s drum kit. It’s a serene pause, whose beauty belies its mysterious and somewhat foreboding storyline. “In My Dying Days” and the triumphant “Days We’ll Remember” are both typical straightforward Pattern-Seeking Animals rockers, the latter bordering on achieving anthem status and making one wonder how it wasn’t a single off the album, marvelous as it is. Both tracks also make you wonder why Leonard wasn’t tapped at some point to be the singer for Kansas. 

Two more transcendent songs come toward the end, both clocking in over eight minutes long. Leonard reminds us that he’s got guitar chops too, with nearly every song containing at least a short solo, but on “The Seventh Sleeper” and “Words of Love Evermore” the notes hit home even more strongly. His wailing six strings are featured during an extended fade out on the final piece, with Keegan’s drum kit accompanying in full glory. 

While Boegehold’s production and mix are pristine, if there’s anything lacking here it’s the punch of one of the mightiest rhythm sections in prog. During their time in Spock’s, for example, Meros and Keegan stood out for all the right reasons. Being two of the hardest-hitting players on their bass and drums, they are almost blended in a little too well with the rest of the orchestra here in Pattern-Seeking Animals. Still, it’s a minor complaint. Friend Of All Creatures keeps the bar high and ensures that the modern era of quality prog does not go wanting.

Released By: Giant Electric Pea Records
Release Date: February 14th, 2025
Genre: Progressive Rock

Musicians:

• Ted Leonard / Lead vocals and guitar
• John Boegehold / Keyboards, guitars, programming
• Dave Meros / Bass
• Jimmy Keegan / Drums and vocals

Friend Of All Creatures Track-Listing:

1. Future Perfect World
2. Another Holy Grail
3. Down the Darkest Road
4. In My Dying Days
5. The Seventh Sleeper
6. Days We’ll Remember
7. Words of Love Evermore