Every album from KEKAL shows a unique statement that is as strong as the band's determination. "Audible Minority" is not an exception. After almost 2 years in shaping and materializing expressions into a solid musical form, this band's official 7th album has finally become another opus for them. The title "Audible Minority" is based on the fact that the music on the album has mapped itself into the extreme minority status: something beyond recognition of the musical norms. "Audible Minority" is a stateless, nameless, and label-less manifesto made from all the bitterness and pain. The album that is entirely bleak, gloom and dark.
Started out in 1995 as a more straightforward extreme metal band from Jakarta - Indonesia, Kekal entered the local scene with fresh ideas. Throughout the first 5 years, they developed their own style by incorporating many diverse elements from outside metal, but not until they released "The Painful Experience" (2001), their 3rd album which marked as a starting point for the band to step more and more into the progressive territory and started to make further experiments with their music.
In 2003, they released "1000 Thoughts of Violence", an album that has gained a lot of attention even beyond the Asian region due to the uniqueness of their music, combining elements of jazz-fusion, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, trip-hop, experimental electronic and ambient music, and blend them together into their own distinct style. Critics then started to cite Kekal among the finest independent avant-garde metal bands, and they toured Europe for the first time in 2004. In early 2005 they released their 5th album "Acidity".
After 10 years of existence as a band, Kekal decided to move forward and to come deep into musical territories yet unexplored by the band. Throughout the year 2006, Kekal was busy recording and shaping their 6th album entitled "The Habit of Fire", an ambitious project which marked a new statement for the band. "The Habit of Fire" is an experimental, but yet accessible, 70-minute epic concept album of 'urban avant-garde metal', with a liberal use of electronic elements and mix of countless musical sub-genres to accompany their trademark guitar-driven soundscapes. "The Habit of Fire" was released on May 15th 2007.
Now in December 2008 Kekal is set to release "Audible Minority" internationally through NePlusUltra Music. "Audible Minority", once again takes the band into new uncharted territory. Kekal has achieved something that will be renowned for their own way to express themselves without setting the limits.
Orphan Project was conceived in November of 2001 in Abingdon, MD, when vocalist Shane Lankford approached John Wenger with an idea to create a
concept album on physical and spiritual adoption. Thus, the process began to create a soundscape that could handle the lyrical depth of trying to find an identity that Lankford, himself being an orphan, was searching for. With influences such as Kansas, Yes, Peter Gabriel, Dream Theater, and U2, they released their debut album on Trinity Records entitled "Orphan Found" was completed in June of 2003, with production being handled by keyboardist Tony Correlli, and a live string ensemble arranged by Wenger. With the addition of several live musicians, they would also go on to play shows locally around their
hometown.
Between 2003 and 2005, the band was to go on hiatus, with Lankford lending his vocal talents to Trinity Records founder Rob Perez's band Visual Cliff, and himself and current Orphan Project bassist Bill Yost working on another project entitled "Fall of Echoes". In 2008, Orphan Project would reform and return to the studio to create a 19 minute EP entitled Orphan Project II, which would be a 4 song EP featuring three brand new originals, as well as a Pink Floyd cover.
In the fall of 2008, NePlusUltra would take interest in and sign the band on to release a new full length, expected to be released in the
spring of 2009.
Orphan Project's material incorporates elements that fans of hard rock, progressive rock, metal, and even adult contemporary will be able to appreciate. Current band members consist of vocalist Shane Lankford, bassist Bill Yost, guitarist Scott Spivey, and drummer Tim Kehring.
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