In Focus: Stuckfish

Scott Rich

UK Proggers Stuckfish came together in 2017 as a collaboration between guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Adrian “Ade” Fisher and vocalist/lyricist Phil Stuckey. Obviously, the band name came from combining the first syllable of each of their last names.

Calling

By 2018, they had enough material to release their debut album, recorded by only Fisher and Stuckey using a very realistic sounding drum machine, titled Calling. The album was released on their own label, Sonic Portrait Records. What strikes me about this debut album is how commercially appealing the songs are, or at least how much commercial potential they might have had in the 80s. They are mostly hard rock/borderline metal songs with some prog flourishes here and there. That isn't to say they are not good!

Calling

Stuckey's voice sometimes reminds me of the late great Ronnie James Dio, and Ade Fisher is a superb guitarist. The album is very well-produced. A stand-out bit for me is the guitar harmonies on The Man that I've Become. Breathe reminds me a little of UFO's Lights Out in its rhythm, plus it has a cool little synth countermelody. Leaving is perhaps the most overtly prog in its syncopated rhythms and synth lines; the song has a great bluesy guitar solo as well. Phil Stuckey's amazing voice is showcased on the closing track, Something to Believe In. While there is some strong material on this debut, they will more firmly establish their prog credentials on subsequent releases.

The Watcher

The Watcher

Suckfish's second album came a year later in 2019 and is titled The Watcher. While still primarily done by Stuckey & Fisher, there are a few guests on board:

• Thijs Van Leer — flute (7)
• Danny Stephenson — bass (4)
• Alan Gibson — keyboards (2, 7)

Of course, the most notable of those is Thijs Van Leer of Dutch prog legends Focus. Right off the bat, the songwriting on album opener The Bridge (That Spans the Edge of Time) shows more musical depth than the songs on the first album, and is hauntingly beautiful. The songs are becoming longer as well. On Calling no song exceeded 6 minutes in length, while on The Watcher four of the seven tracks do that, with two approaching the nine-minute mark. The second track, Run is one of those longer tracks, featuring a terrific solo from Fisher.

An aspect of the band's music that I have yet to mention is the fantasy storytelling approach to the lyrics. According to the description on the band's official webpage, the album's theme is: “In The Watcher, the grand fantasy of a true magical family line, hunted to near extinction by the dark forces of chaos continues.”

In the title track (6:41), there is a big tempo change at around 3:45 that shows a move to a more prog approach. There are some absolutely fantastic moments in Fisher's guitar solo that closes out the song. The final two tracks are the longest, however, and Silvanir (8:48) is slightly reminiscent of Operation: Mindcrime era Queensrÿche. It has various tempo and mood changes, including the first time I've noticed an odd-meter where one section is in 7/4. It also has an odd-meter instrumental break in the middle. This is the biggest step towards being a true prog band up to this point in the catalogue.

They take it even further on the closer, Fallen Angels (8:53) which has the aforementioned guest appearance from Focus' Thijs Van Leer, and his presence is felt very early in the song. This song's sound has an air of mystery about it with its minor tonality emphasised by Van Leer's flute lines and Stuckey's vocals. Fisher's extended guitar solo late in the track is absolutely breathtaking. This second album is a major leap forward over the solid first album.

Days of Innocence

Days of Innocence

Sadly, Stuckfish suffered greatly in the early stages of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, as in the month of April that year, both Alan Gibson and Danny Stephenson were taken within a week of each other by the aggressive virus before vaccines became available. One can only imagine how heartbreaking that was for all involved.

Despite those tragic losses, Stuckey and Fisher soldiered on and the third Stuckfish album was released in 2022, called Days of Innocence. This time around, they emerged as a fully formed quintet:

• Phil Stuckey — vocals
• Ade Fisher — guitars
• Phil Morey — bass
• Adam Sayers — drums
• Gary Holland — keyboards

Their evolution into a full-fledged prog band was felt right away on opening track Age of Renewal (7:12), which is in odd-meters from the start with a feeling of a mystical journey. I am reminded of the song Satellite by Panic Room. The verses are contrasted with upbeat 4/4 choruses. Again, there is a very proggy instrumental bridge with a synth melody and meter shifts aplenty. The feeling that this is now a full band is clear as each member has moments where they are featured. I must compliment Phil Morey's bass on this track with a deep-round tone and smooth melodic patterns.

The title track (7:53) is a very melodic ballad that truly spotlights Phil Stuckey's stunning vocal abilities. Fisher's guitar solos are cleanly played, and only flashy at the right moments. Gary Holland has a keyboard feature that is almost like a classical trumpet. Painted Smile (8:03) has some unusual sounds in its intro. I'm noticing that Stucky's voice is taking on a cleaner, less metal tone on this album compared to the first two. There is a dramatic, spoken word section in the middle of Painted Smile with a prog-tastic accompaniment. Holland's organ has a “warped record” effect on it that is unsettling, which I think is intentional. In fact, the creepiness continues with the waltz-time piano but near the close of the song.

Even the shorter Game Changer (5:34) has some prog touches and uses more clean electric chime-ey guitars, in its more uplifting sound. Thief In the Night is full of beautiful melodies and a wonderful bass line from Morey. Yearn (7:52) has a touch of fusion to it, with its slow grooves and trumpet-like tone in the introduction. (Wondering if this is indeed an uncredited trumpet part?).

Nevermore (5:34) is more straight-forward, but I really love the energy in it. Well it's straight-forward until the spoken word part, which has some meter shifts during and afterward. The album closes with the longest track, Different Ways (8:13), which starts with a slow narrative sung with only synth and bass accompaniment. Eventually the drums and guitar power chords join in, as the song builds in intensity.

IV

IV

So far, each Stuckfish album has got much better than the one before it. Let's see if that holds true on the fourth and most recent album, simply titled IV, released in 2024 on White Knight Records. There was only one line-up change, as Paul McNally (who has an epic beard and mustache, by the way) took over keyboards from Gary Holland. According to the band's website, the band has had a stable line-up since he joined. Incidentally, I love the band members' individual descriptions so much that I feel that I must include them here as they appear on their website:

• Phil Stuckey — lead vocal — singer and songwriter — lives in a world of fantasy
• Ade Fisher — lead guitar — composer, producer and guitarist — loves Laurel & Hardy
• Paul McNally — keyboards — a vegan Kung Fu expert keyboard player
• Adam Sayers — drums and percussion — ambidextrous percussionist who brings the average band age down by 20 years
• Phil Morey — bass guitar — classically trained musician persuaded to play bass, increases the average height of the band by a foot

IV begins with a cappella harmonies on Shadows And Moonbeams (7:09), making a plea to someone named “Sarah”; nice! A pumping beat with stacked guitar harmonies follows. This song stays pretty straight forward until the instrumental break after the four-minute point when things get a bit more proggy. Silently Waiting (5:13) follows and appears to be a simple mid-tempo song until the tempo doubles and the music gets complex halfway through.

As we have come to expect by now, Fisher shines brightly on his guitar solos, while Stucky keeps showing that his name should be in the conversation when great prog vocalists are discussed.

Lifeline (5:57) comes next with a breezy upbeat feel that changes up with some great drumming from Sayers and tasty organ from McNally. Then Fisher's lead guitar licks bring in Stuckey's vocals. On the earlier albums he reminded me of Ronnie James Dio, but now it's more like Dennis DeYoung (in his prime with Styx); his range is impressive with a smooth vibrato. At 4:45 or so, Fisher and Morey play tricky melodic lines in unison. Liberty (7:07) follows with a beautiful piano intro from McNally, before going into a melody that reminds me of what the Moody Blues would sound like if Justin Heyward played power chords. At around 2:40 there is an odd-metered but with some wonderful playing from McNally, who is being featured much more than Gary Holland was on the previous album.

Up next is the relatively short Fragile (3:02). I like the line “like pieces of a fragile heart”. The Time of Your Life (7:23) begins with interesting staccato percussive synth tones that echo around, to be joined by a guitar part from Fisher. Things develop from there. The title is deceptive, as it is not talking about having a good time, rather it refers to what one does with the time they are afforded in their life. After 3:30, a deep dramatic voice gives a monologue, not unlike Greame Edge did in the Moody Blues. A phenomenal Ade Fisher guitar solo follows.

JFKX (4:47) has an almost New Wave feel as it begins, then turns a bit heavier. The keyboard countermelody in the pre-chorus brings early Marillion to my mind. Every so often, Stuckey's tone reminds me of Klaus Meine from the Scorpions as well. McNally has a nice feature, first on organ, then synth. Lots of elements in a fairly short track; who would have guessed a Scorpions/Marillion hybrid sound? Certainly not me, but here we are! Fly (On Feathers Of Hope) (7:23) comes next with a mellow keyboard/guitar intro, followed by a church organ part. A rhythm very subtly begins to emerge, leading to a jazzy guitar part. This one has some unique tones and vocal harmonies that are hard to describe in words. I like how Sayers keeps changing up the drum groove in the instrumental break. There are some shifting meters after the five-minute mark.

SkiesFall (9:20) is the closing epic, and the longest song in their catalogue, thus far. McNally gives us some cool synth tones and effects, along with a moderately slow groove from Sayers and Morey. Fisher adds power chords to the soundscape at around 1:30, but only temporarily. I feel like this is a slow build-up to an explosion at some point down the line. The power chords return at around 2:40. The beat becomes more straight forward on the drums shortly thereafter. Everything but the vocal and minimal synth drops out around 3:30 for a moment, then the original groove returns. A bowed string instrument takes the lead, perhaps bowed guitar. Then without warning, things shift into overdrive around 4:40; there it is! Things soon ease back down, and we get some ominous synth tones before the vocals re-enter. At 6:00 the power chords return and a new heavy riff takes over. However, things calm back down again for Fisher's guitar solo, which is followed by a synth solo. That brings things to a close, for now.

Stuckfish announced on Facebook on April 20, 2026 that they have signed with the Prog Rock Essentials label and have a new album in the works — excellent news. Additionally they are headlining the Friday night lineup on June 5th at the Soundle festival in the UK. I look forward to hearing their continued evolution into one of the best modern prog bands on the scene!

A little post-script... After completing this article on May 27, I went home and checked my Facebook notifications to see that it was Phil Stuckey's birthday. I had no idea! How's that for fortuitous timing? I hope you enjoy your birthday present, a little bit late by the time this is published!