Oktopus is the band formerly known as “Progoctopus” who released an excellent EP in 2015 called Transcendence. It was one of my favorite pieces of music in 2015 because all four tracks worked together as an epic whole.

I was sad to hear that vocalist Jane Gillard who did that EP with them was leaving the group. Her vocals were truly outstanding on the EP. But now the band has a new album coming out at the beginning of April. The preview track, “Eyes Open,” is fantastic and now I can’t wait to hear what this trio is up to.

I actually hate the band’s new name and I much prefer “Progoctopus” because that name, apart from being lovably goofy, had a definite rationale: with Jane, the band was a quartet, and so if you do the math on four sets of hands, you arrive at the requisite eight for the titular prog action. I’ll take a prog octopus any day over just a plain octopus. It’s bad enough having a “k” in the octopus’s misspelled name, but if the creature can’t even do math, then I’m sorry but it would take Roger Dean doing the cover art to win me over to this new name.

Now on to what I love about this band. I love the guitar sounds with this group. And the jazz element that seeps in is definitely cool and sets the band apart. Keep up the amazing music, guys, and I can’t wait to hear what this full album has in store for 2016. If the preview track is any indication, the songwriting and musicianship promises to be top notch throughout.