Grimalkin by Pattern-Seeking Animals

Born as a spin-off of Spock’s Beard, Pattern-Seeking Animals keep showing off their refined technique, but on this album they also strengthen their crossover sound, built on catchy melodies and rich, complex instrumental arrangements.

For “Grimalkin”, Pattern-Seeking Animals chose to stay true to their sound, while enriching it with strategic collaborations. The core lineup has remained unchanged since their 2019 debut: Ted Leonard on vocals and guitars, John Boegehold on keyboards, programming and production, Dave Meros on bass, and Jimmy Keegan on drums and percussion. This stability, rare in the music world, allows the four members—both current and former Spock’s Beard—to share a truly strong artistic chemistry.

John Boegehold wanted to bring in outside musicians to add an extra touch to the songs’ orchestral and vocal arrangements. Instead of relying only on synthesizers, this album features a live string section, appearing on several tracks to give the pieces a cinematic, symphonic feel, and a backing singer, hired to create female vocal harmonies and provide contrast to the band’s usual choruses (normally handled by Leonard, Keegan and Meros).

Even though the lineup stayed the same, the album stands out for an important shift in style and in the use of instruments.

Boegehold, by introducing mandolin and sampled Middle Eastern ethnic sounds, marked a clear change of direction compared to the more classic prog keyboards of his earlier work.  While the complex suites are still here, the album also includes tracks that are unusually short by their standards, showing that Boegehold has no problem simplifying structures when needed.

With “Grimalkin”, the band decided to experiment by exploring new sonic paths and instrumentation they had never used before, while always staying faithful to their progressive style.  Keyboardist and producer John Boegehold was the main driving force behind the writing, as on all their previous releases. He wrote three songs on his own and collaborated with the other members on the other five. 

Boegehold wanted to give the band’s classic symphonic rock a boost, enriching it with new influences and sonorities.  So he added Baroque and Middle Eastern elements, creating a truly unique blend with their splendid guitar-and-keyboard interplay.

The album was recorded almost entirely by the four long-time members.  To achieve the cinematic soundscapes Boegehold had in mind, however, he brought in a live string section on some songs and a backing vocalist to add new vocal shades.

Boegehold also produced the entire album, while mixing and mastering were handled by Frank Rosato, who gave the record a modern, balanced sound, highlighting above all Jimmy Keegan’s drums.

As Boegehold himself has said in several interviews, the result is an album that perfectly combines prog rock complexity with a strong melodic component, which has always been the band’s mission.

“Grimalkin” is a Crossover Prog album that captivates with its melody and its ability to blend the genre’s technical complexity with a radio-friendly touch.  A mix of classic symphonic rock, medieval folk, and the freshness of American West Coast production.

Compared to previous works, the sound has become richer and more cinematic.  Thanks to the introduction of the live string section and John Boegehold’s mandolin, which adds folk and Baroque nuances, the album gains new colors.  And then there are Middle Eastern rhythms and samples that break away from classic Anglo prog, creating exotic atmospheres.

The album alternates tracks with different structures: the big, articulated suites, like “Maybe All a Dream” and “Slowly Falls the Flying Man”, with their time changes, keyboard and guitar solos, and complex instrumental sections, and the more compact pop-prog songs, like “Things I Don’t Do”, which focus on immediate melodies and lots of emotion.

Ted Leonard’s voice is one of the record’s strengths: clean, powerful and expressive, it avoids the theatrical excesses of ’70s prog in favor of a more modern style, closer to AOR.  And let’s not forget Dave Meros’s distorted, pulsing bass and Jimmy Keegan’s dynamic drumming, which provide a solid, powerful rhythm section.

“Grimalkin” is an album that surprises with great playing technique and wins you over with melody, yet the band’s outstanding musicians don’t use the songs as a mere showcase of technical virtuosity. Every solo or time change is tightly tied to the melody and the song’s structure.  The use of real strings and ethnic/Middle Eastern sounds was a smart, winning choice, setting the project’s sound apart from Spock’s Beard and defining a personal, deeply engaging identity. 

A truly great album!

My Version

Label: Giant Electric Pea – GEPV7025
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Grey Marbled
Country: Europe
Release: 21 Aug 2026

Tracklist

A1        Maybe All A Dream    8:55
A2        A Flower Yet To Grow    7:31
A3        Jade Sky    4:52
A4        Things I Don't Do    2:40
B1        Break Away    7:52
B2        Traveler On The Wrong Road Home    4:58
B3        Slowly Falls The Flying Man    8:34
B4        I Dream The World    3:34
 

Lineup

Ted Leonard – Lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar

John Boegehold – Keyboards, synthesizers, mellotron, programming, guitar, mandolin and backing vocals (as well as main songwriter and producer)

Dave Meros – Bass and backing vocals

Jimmy Keegan – Drums, percussion and backing vocals

With

Joe Deninzon  – Plays violin on the track "Jade Sky"