By Josh Crawley
If I were to say the term “space metal” to you, you would be forgiven for immediately casting your mind to Arjen Anthony Lucassen’s Star One. However, you would be wrong as the Cosmonauts have finally entered the space race. ‘Trancevoicer’ is concept record from Egor Lappo, a progressive metal artist hailing from St. Petersburg in Russia. The story of ‘Trancevoicer’ is of two worlds fighting an intergalactic war, so buckle up as we enter hyperdrive.
As expected with a project coined a “solo album.” Egor has written all the songs and performed every instrument with a very high level of proficiency. With many artists you expect the “solo album” moniker to end here and for them to hand over the steering wheel to a more experienced producer when it comes to mixing and mastering.
However, Egor has remained at the helm for this too. Mixing and mastering your own project deserves a great level of admiration, as very few individuals could record an entire album and mix and master it to the level of a polished studio release. The kind which you would expect from the likes of Andy Sneap or Colin Richardson.
‘Trancevoicer’ tows the fine line between prog rock and European power metal. Egor cites influences of Rush, Ghost and Devin Townsend. All of which subtly lend to the melting pot, but don’t overpower the mix. I would also suggest this album for fans of Dream Theater and Nightwish.
Standout tracks on this project for me are ‘Ship 1426’, which has a very catchy melody which feels strangely familiar and ‘Sparks In The Night’, which heavily brings in the Devin Townsend influences, in its orchestration and “wall of sound” approach.
Unusually for me as someone who is into the heavier side of things, I am most impressed with is Egor’s synth work. Synths are a real marmite in rock and metal, they can either become a powerful motif or burn the whole project to the ground. In this case, they really elevate the project and are the star of the show, adding texture to straightforward power chords or lifting the vocal melodies with harmony.
This album is a mature, thoughtful, progressive metal album and far exceeded my expectations for a self-produced concept album about intergalactic war, which can be very dangerous territory and has no doubt produced some of Bandcamp’s finest stinkers: I’m looking at you Space Unicorn on Fire.
- ‘Trancevoicer’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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