Spooning the Sea
Artist: Orphan Project
Label: NePlusUltra Music
Time: 10 Tracks / 462 mins

Orphan Project’s new label was excited by them because they had a little bit of something for everyone. Maybe not everyone, but they have plenty to appeal to those who love hard rock, while giving some keyboard flourishes that prog fans will enjoy, and while being accessible enough for mainstream listeners to appreciate. Anyone who enjoys bands inside the frame of Rainbow, Kansas, Spock’s Beard and Dream Theater is highly likely to enjoy this. Unashamedly Christian, fully professional, and with appealing tunes to boot, this should be far better known than it is.

The band was born out of a concept album dreamt up by adoptee Shane Lankford, who wanted to explore his physical and spiritual identity, and co-created by John Wenger, who put the musical flesh on the idea. This is their first release since that well-received initial 2001 project.

The set is well-paced and very solid, keeping interest and driven by urgent, dense, heavy and polished guitar work, while Lankford’s powerful vocals work perfectly with the music. Some tracks could do with a little more flair and adventure, while others stand out, the best generally coming at the start. The metal hymn "Fallen" turns my head every time it starts. The riff is basic, but you don’t forget it, and there is some expansive keyboard work here. "Reach"’s plea for help is simultaneously amusing and poignant in its catchy chorus, something that the guitar brings out in its wah-wahed double-speed accompaniment. Between them, the punchy "Angel’s Desire" probably has the best guitar solo.

There are also some lovely touches that add so much without being showy, like the post-chorus, pitch-bend synth solo on "Head on Your Platter," the synth on the title track’s fade out, and the Jon Lord-like organ on "To Me." The music interprets the lyrics so impressively. On "One Dark Moment"’s chorus, the spirit-lifting sound captures the way God’s light breaks in at the start, while a release of tension easing out of the chorus conveys the idea of rest.

Orphan Project seems a little afraid to really let go and soar, but the band would clearly succeed if they tried. As it is, they keep everything really tight, wasting nothing and adding themselves to the list of Christian artists who plainly strive for musical excellence, rather than appealing by cheap lyrics. There is no doubt that they deserve to be better known than they are. After hearing this album, which deals with whole-life issues, you may wish to spread the word.

*Download*: Fallen, Reach, One Dark Moment.

Derek Walker