Established in 2013 as the solo project of guitarist/vocalist Kyle Schaefer (now also the frontman of California death metal band Fallujah), Archaeologist has featured a variety of different lineups and collaborators on consecutive releases, with styles often bouncing between progressive metal, instrumental rock, electronic video game music and more. Following a string of bedroom-produced solo releases in its early days, Archaeologist first found critical success with its 2017 instrumental record "Odysseys". Shortly after, the project expanded into a full 4-piece lineup featuring members of Cyborg Octopus, Raiju and more to play numerous shows across California. After releasing the 12-minute single "Winter's Wake" in 2019, the band took an indefinite hiatus from live performances with just Schaefer and bassist George Lallian continuing on as a studio project for the time being. In 2022, Schaefer came onboard as the full-time vocalist of Fallujah for their latest album Empyrean, embarked on several North American and European tours with the band, and produced an electronic prog-rock soundtrack for the online strategy game Duelyst II. After releasing the epic 20-track instrumental album “Elements” in 2023, Archaeologist relocated to Nashville and subsequently embarked on its first US tour, supporting fellow prog metal miscreants Cyborg Octopus (who also filled in as Archaeologist’s live band).