Album Review by EDF
There is a feeling that metal is coming back. There is enough pap out there right now that upcoming bands such as Orphan Project from Baltimore cannot be ignored. The project is the brainchild of Shane Lankford, who himself was an orphan and this is essentially a concept album documenting his experience.
The album is subtitled “Coming Into View”, which is divided into three sections. The opening track DISCOVERING NEW SURROUNDINGS tracks the narrator as he is born into a world where “I see a thousand colors, my eyes can’t take it”. As he shares a room with others who are in the same situation, he asks, “when will my time come” as others get chosen. Thankfully CHOSEN finishes on a happy note as he is approached by his foster parents who declare, “You’ll be the one we’ll raise”. LEAVING MY SEAT AT THE TABLE, shows the young Lankford eventually feels an empty gap in his life where his “heart is restless within”.
Second part of “Coming Into View” finds Lankford finding himself through faith and within the context of the subject matter, comes as a welcome relief to the grim reality that came from the end of the first segment. The love that he receives from “this brotherhood” on ORPHAN FOUND is the equivalent of saying “you’re no orphan anymore”.
The first thing you will notice is Shane Lankford’s vocals who manages to captivate the listener to listen to the lyrics. Next is the music itself. While, at times, it attempts to border on prog rock mixed with power ballad sensibilities, it is hard to ignore the emotional context that has been successfully captured here. The concept is riveting and Lankford’s belief thankfully does not come over as being preachy, making this an enjoyable album.
