Like so many younger prog fans, Dream Theater introduced me to the concept of concept albums. The initial excitement translated well as I started exploring the genre but with time, I started realizing how empty and unnecessary most of them where. Not because the albums were bad although some definitely were but rather because how many of them didn't feel or behave like concept records. In my eyes the term turned into a gimmick of sorts that oversells semi-coherent sets of songs. Of course, there are many bands that do it right, bands like Pain Of Salvation, Opeth, Devin Townsend, Symphony X and sometimes Between The Buried And Me, just to name a few but generally, I can't help but feel cautious when I see that term which brings us to today's subject, Egor Lappo's third record titled Trancevoicer. Described as a space concept album which revolves around two warring factions and one renegade betraying his home planet to help another after a cosmic catastrophe, I had decent expectations. However, as soon as I saw Devin Townsend and Lonely Robot being mentioned, those expectations immediately rose.
But before I get into the nitty gritty, let's set the stage and introduce the real protagonist of this story, the man himself!
Hailing from Saint Petersburg, Egor Lappo has been releasing music at a steady pace for three years and by steady I mean releasing something every year. That already sounds impressive on paper, even more when you realize he writes, mixes, masters and plays everything you hear. Of course what matters the most is the quality of his material and that became evident as soon as I heard his EP Make The Sun Shine More last year.
The production, instrumentation and atmosphere pleasantly surprised me but soon enough I faced a problem, the vocals. Unfortunately, my opinion hasn't changed with Trancevoicer but that shall not stop me from showcasing the record so let's do just that.
Things start off with "Renegade" which not only serves as a good intro for the record but also showcases Egor Lappo as a whole. Great synth work, strong pop tendencies, solid riffs, compact songwriting and a good sense for atmosphere.
The songwriting deserves extra mention because it proves something I've been thinking about recently. During the later half of the last decade, an increasing number of prog bands started incorporating more and more pop elements into their sound, slowly replacing overlong albums filled with epics and 1600 guitar solos with more concise and well-rounded offerings. Ones which focus more on delivering interesting and compact experiences rather than showing off how well they play their instruments. Leprous, Haken, Voyager, Our Oceans, The Contortionist, Glass Ocean, the list goes on.
Djent, no doubt had an impact on that with numerous bands, including Egor Lappo who like the others uses those chugs and heaviness as an extra tool in his songwriting palette. Still, Trancevoicer has a decent amount of solos, my favorite being from "Contention" which not only brings the whole song together but also follows a very Steven Wilson-like group of "la la's" that caught me off guard on my first listen.
This, alongside very John Mitchellesque (Frost*, Lonely Robot, Arena) synths in "Ship 1426", Affinity-era Haken flourishes in "Sparks In The Night" are just some of the special moments that made me come back to Trancevoicer and I guess now is the time to address my issues with the vocals. Simply put, I don't like the timbre which is strange considering how many vocalists I love that inhabit a similar range but that's not all. You see, for a concept album which has clear emotional highs and lows, the vocals are oddly static and monochromatic in their approach as well as not having that much power. It's a shame too considering how many melodies I ended up remembering despite not being enthralled by them that much initially which is a testament to the man's talent.
And that brings me to my original point, the concept album conundrum and how Trancevoicer fits in. Unfortunately, for me the label does not fit from a sonic perspective, meaning we don't have any motif or theme that ties the album together or clear moments that follow the story which, as it turns out, is also a bit barebones and generic.
It sounds harsh but sci-fi has so many well-established tropes that it takes a very unique approach or creative story to get me to care let alone invested.
Granted, that's not the main focus of the album, the music is and while that is pretty good, in the end I only end up wanting to listen to Ziltoid The Omniscient, Affinity or Lonely Robot's "Astronaut Trilogy" and that is a problem. However, even with these issues there are many still things to like here. The production is really good, like, better than a lot of big-label releases good and I really liked the drums and how much they served the songs while having that technical edge prog nerds need. Same could be said about the guitars but I found myself enjoying the synths much more than I expected, definitely a highlight for me. If all these things align, you get some really great songs, stuff like "Ship 1426" and "Sparks In The Night" which are my favorites out of the bunch.
Both have this infectious energy around them, especially the former which is a complete blast to listen to and I doubt that will change any time soon. The closer "With You" is also another great example but all these three tracks are in the later half of Trancevoicer which means I don't remember the first half of the record until the moment arrive, save for "The Renegade" which is all around good.
With all this said, where do we end up? Well, we get a frustrating record but not for the reasons you think. The frustrating bit is that I can clearly hear the talent but I simply cannot enjoy it 100% because I always hear something that pulls me out of it and that comes down to me, obviously. And while I initially disliked the record, it grew on me but only to a certain point and I am unsure if I'll be able to get past it and honestly, I don't need to. Prog has been my favorite genre for many many years now and because of that I have become very picky and only the most special records will completely capture my attention. Trancevoicer is without a doubt good but it's missing something of its own for me and that's totally fine.
Bottom line is, even with everything I mentioned, I still recommend this and I am sure many of you will find plenty to enjoy and that's what matters the most here. Asking for him to change his vocal approach would not only be unfair and egotistical but extremely dickish so I won't do that and instead hope Egor Lappo starts getting more traction, the traction he deserves.