Metaphor Releases Sci-Fi Rock Opera

San Francisco, CA – Following-up on the widespread critical and fan acclaim of their first two CDs, “Starfooted” and “Entertaining Thanatos,” San Francisco-Area band Metaphor announced today the release of its much-anticipated third effort, entitled, “The Sparrow.” It’s a rock opera about the first Jesuit mission to another planet, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by celebrated author Mary Doria Russell.

This well-honed progressive rock quintet, consisting of guitarist Malcolm Smith, keyboardist Marc Spooner, bassist Jim Anderson, vocalist/lyricist John Mabry, and percussionist Greg Miller, has crafted another unique and exceptional piece of music, thrilling listeners with its interesting polyrhythms, thoughtful and exciting vocal excursions, and a satisfying depth of harmonic ideas as the band continues to explore its evolving musical identity.

“The Sparrow” tells the story of Father Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit priest whose soul was shattered by what befell him on the planet Rakhat as part of the first manned mission to another planet and its civilization. Humanity has finally found evidence of extraterrestrial life when exquisite singing from another planet is detected on Earth. The Jesuits organize a crew for an expedition, and what it finds is a civilization beyond comprehension, leading humans to question the very meaning of what it is to be “human.” The sole survivor of the ill-fated expedition, Father Sandoz, returns to Earth, and must explain what went wrong.

Metaphor, with the author’s permission, has taken this timeless and thoroughly thought-provoking story and created music, in its own inimitable style, which brings a new dimension to the suspenseful, lively, and challenging tale. Visit Mary Doria Russell’s official website at http://www.marydoriarussell.net.

A note of interest: astronomers reported earlier this decade that the lowest note calculated to be vibrating in the universe is a B-flat (Bb), fifty seven octaves below middle C and far below the range of human hearing. It is emanating from a black hole in the Perseus galaxy cluster, some 250 million light-years away. The Bb drone at 30.87 Hz represents the universal vibrating frequency. And so the drone heard at the beginning and end of Metaphor’s “The Sparrow” is a Bb – to represent both the distance in time and space of the story’s concepts, as well as the universal nature of music.

More information about this new CD and the band is available at www.metaphor.org. Distribution and retailer inquiries are welcome, by contacting malcolm@metaphor.org.

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