Lance King

Lance King (born November 23, 1962) is an American heavy metal vocalist specializing in melodic rock progressive and power metal.

Career
As a performing musician since 1981, King has sung with many bands in his career: Freelance - a cover/ original rock / metal band (1981-1986), Gemini -a cover/ original rock / metal band (1986-1993), The Kings Machine - an original rock / metal band (1993-1997), Balance of Power - Progressive metal band (1997-2003), Empire - a hard rock band featuring members of Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Hammerfall and Rainbow (2001), Defyance - Progressive Metal (2002), Pyramaze- Power-Prog Metal band 2003-2007), Shining Star - Melodic Rock (2003-2005), Avian - Power Metal featuring Megadeth bassist David Ellefson (2005-2010), Decibel -hard rock cover band (2000-2010) and Krucible - Progressive Metal (2007-2010), producing largely original material formally released via a variety of record companies around the world including, Pony Canyon-Japan, Point Music-Germany, Massacre-Germany, King-Japan, Replica-France, Melodic Heaven-South Korea, Metal Heaven-Germany, Avalon/Marquee-Japan, Toshiba/EMI-Japan, Rubicon-Japan, Advantage-Brazil, Frontline Rock-Brazil, Silent- Brazil, CD Maximum-Russia and of course his own label in North America Nightmare Records.

In 1990, King founded the St. Paul, Minnesota-based Nightmare Records, which specializes in hard rock, progressive metal and power metal and has a large selection of positive, spiritual and Christian metal bands and artists from around the world. Nightmare has licensed 100's artists and has distributed thousands of releases over the years. King founded the label originally to release Gemini's self-titled album, not wanting to turn over all rights and creative license to many major labels and managers he encountered in the late 1980s.

In late 2006, King departed from what many people thought was going to be his new permanent band, Pyramaze, and replaced by former Iced Earth singer Matt Barlow.

On June 31, 2011, he conceptually arranged for a new concept album based on the 11:11 time prompt phenomena, emailing his ideas and rough demos of songs he had created to musicians he desired to write alongside. In just three months, with the help of friends, contemporaries and business associates Jacob Hansen (Beyond Twilight, Invocator & Anubis Gate), Kim Olesen (Anubis Gate), Michael Harris (Darkology, Thought Chamber), Tore St Moren (Jørn), Fred Colombo (Spheric Universe Experience), Markus Sigfridsson (Darkwater & Harmony), Kevin Codfert (Adagio), Michael Hansen & Shane Dhiman (Phonomik), Morten Gade Sørensen (Pyramaze, Wuthering Heights), Elyes Bouchoucha, Malek Ben Arbia, and Anis Jouini (Myrath), Mistheria (Bruce Dickinson, and many others, the album, called A Moment in Chiros after the Kairos Moment of Greek rhetoric and Christian theology, was written and recorded in three short months. It was released via Sony/Red to North America on November 7, 2011 (though originally intended for November 11, 2011 in complement with the album title), and distributed digitally and physically throughout the world by distribution partners of Nightmare Records. $1.11 from each sale of A Moment in Chiros will support efforts combating human trafficking, one of the fastest growing criminal activities worldwide, through an organization called NOT FOR SALE

Vocal style
King is a low tenor with an almost five-octave range of (C1-)B♭1 to F5(-G♯5), able to sing very comfortably in both baritone and high tenor in full voice and up to second soprano in falsetto. He is known for singing in many different melodic rock and metal styles and non modal voicings, but mostly for his traditional blending of power, melodic and progressive metal/hard rock vocals, with a warm, rich tone in the mold of Ronnie James Dio-Black Sabbath/Rainbow, James Labrie-Dream Theater, Bruce Dickinson-Iron Maiden, Geoff Tate-Queensryche, Tony Harnell-TNT, John Arch -Fates Warning and Midnight -Crimson Glory.

Personal life
King was brought up in a New Age family, and is now a Christian, he actually considers himself more of a mystic Christian His hobbies include martial arts, specifically Muay Thai, Kali, Jiu Jitsu and Jeet Kune Do, graphic arts, boating, motorcycles, and has begun acting and singing in musicals in addition to running his hard rock/Metal record company Nightmare Records. He is married and has two children with whom he lives in Twin Cities, Minnesota.

Lance King

 * A Moment in Chiros (2011)

Avian

 * Ashes and Madness (2008)
 * From the Depths of Time (2005)

(Released Nightmare Records Worldwide)

Pyramaze

 * Legend of the Bone Carver (2006)
 * Melancholy Beast (2004)

Shining Star

 * Enter Eternity (2005)

Balance of Power

 * Heathenology (2005)
 * Perfect Balance (2001)
 * Ten More Tales of Grand Illusion (1999)
 * Book of Secrets (1998)

Mattsson
(Released by Lion Music in Europe & North America, King Records in Japan)
 * Power Games (2003)
 * War (2005)

Defyance

 * Transitional Forms (2002)

Empire

 * Hypnotica (2000)

The Kings Machine

 * A State of Mind (1995)

Gemini

 * Out For Blood (1992)
 * Gemini (1990)

Miscellaneous

 * Signum Regis, "Exodus" (2014)
 * Let's Unite in Rock: The Metal For Cancer Dragon Slayer All Star Project (2011)
 * Magic Kingdom, Symphony of War (2010)
 * Misteria, Dragon Fire (2010)
 * Futures End, Memoirs of a Broken Man (2008)
 * ''Balance of Power, "Heathenology" (2005)
 * Mattsson, War (2005)
 * Beyond Inspiration: A Tribute to Uli Jon Roth (2003)
 * Dream Ballads, (2002)
 * A Tribute to Jason Becker, Warmth in the Wilderness (2001)
 * Rolf Munkes, No More Obscurity (1998)