Bram Stoker, a Bournemouth progressive rock band, briefly appeared to be at the forefront of the early-1970s prog scene, boasting connections to figures such as Roger Daltrey of The Who and The Rolling Stones. However, the group split before their debut album was properly released, and remarkably the members did not realise their only record had come out until 32 years later. The story, told to Prog magazine in 2017 by guitarist and bandleader Pete Ballam, highlights how a promising act can slip through the cracks of music history.

The band's sole album, Heavy Rock Spectacular, was recorded in 1970 and is credited with introducing a steampunk slant to progressive rock, still sounding pioneering decades on. Despite making an impression among their peers, Bram Stoker split in 1972, and a later attempted reunion in 2004 failed. Ballam, who died in 2019, discovered the album had been released only by chance when a pub landlord showed him a copy, and he subsequently released a solo record, Manic Machine, featuring fresh recordings of the band's old songs.