Album Review: Lance King - ReProgram

Sometimes it feels like a new genre is popping up every time I turn around. I remember the days when we had only a few varieties of metal; traditional, thrash, death, black, and doom. That accounted for nearly everything. Now, however, we get everything from 'pornocore' to 'power violence', and all sorts of other things I have pushed out of my mind. It's hard to know what you're listening to, even when you hear it described. Lance King says too much is never enough, as this new solo album is set to debut yet another genre tag; celestial metal. What is that? We'll figure that out as the album unfolds.

Mostly, the tag refers to melodic prog/power metal with a more introspective perspective than we usually get. These are not songs about swords and dragons, or awful teenage dystopian fiction. Lance is singing about the human condition, and our relationship with the world as it is developing. Lance wants us to think about ourselves while we listen to his music, which is a different aim than most bands have.

From a purely musical view, "ReProgram" is still a challenging listen. Whether we're talking about a more direct track like "Pointing Fingers", or the ten minute closer "A Mind At War", the music is complex and demanding. The former kicks off the album after the introduction, and it does so with a flurry of notes. I would need a more developed ear to know exactly what is going on, theoretically, but it's the kind of prog metal that has enough going on to satisfy anyone who enjoys technical music, but Lance is able to leave enough room for his chorus to hit a melodic note.

That is a tricky balance to find, as many bands have been unable to be both technical and melodic at the same time, as intricate music is not easy to sing over, no matter how skilled the musicians involved. That is one of the main reasons I don't listen to and talk about as much progressive metal as I could. While the music can often be incredibly interesting, it is not the best recipe for the kind of songwriting I enjoy. Darkwater recently released an album that isn't dissimilar to this, and it's an approach I wish more bands were able to muster.

I find "Reaction Formation" one of the most interesting tracks. With the chord choices, and the few moments of odd rhythm that come in, it reminds me a lot of Ark's "Burn The Sun", which is one of the most unique prog discs I've ever heard. I can even heard bits of similarity in Lance's vocals to some of Jorn's from that record. It has this wonderful ability to be laid back and chill, while also pushing some heavy and energetic moments. Like I said, interesting.

Another interesting aspect to the record is how in certain parts of "Technology" and "Wide Open", Lance's voice resembles Sebastian Bach. That adds another layer to the record, which morphs and changes with each new song. That keeps the album from growing stagnant, even if a song like "Chaotica" takes a path that isn't as melodic as the best material here.

The majority of the record, however, is the kind of prog metal I can enjoy. Lance anchors his deeper aims in songs that maintain their accessibility, which is the reason the record works. It's easy to go so far down the rabbit hole only the musicians themselves understand why the music is supposed to be interesting, but that's not what we have here. "ReProgram" may not rewrite the rules of prog, or rewire our thinking, but it does provide us with music that will make us pay attention and engage our minds. That's not nothing.