For composer and symphonic metal artist Kelsey Dower, music is not just performance—it’s reclamation. Her new single “Rage” channels the emotional pressure of moving through the world as an autistic woman of color and transforms it into something formidable, structured, and defiantly beautiful.

“Rage” opens with thunderous choral voices and orchestral power, but beneath its scale lies a story of controlled emotion. In a culture that often treats autistic expression as something to be moderated and Black emotion as something to be feared, Dower’s decision to center rage—calmly, deliberately, surgically—is radical.

The track’s message is not destruction but awakening. Rage becomes clarity, the spark that cuts through confusion and reveals the path forward. Dower’s vocal performance mirrors that evolution: it begins with restraint, then expands into full force when the song crests, embodying rage not as explosion but as transformation.

Her broader body of work reflects similar themes. Her debut single “Ma’afa” tackled the generational pain of the African diaspora through orchestral and rhythmic fusion. Her upcoming album Rebirth continues that interrogation of identity and survival, using symphonic metal as a vessel for narratives often missing from the genre.

Beyond music, Dower is deeply embedded in advocacy. She is involved with organizations such as the NAACP, Autism in Entertainment, and Jazz Hands for Autism, and participates in policy discussions around economic justice for neurodivergent workers. Her artistry and activism run in parallel—not as branding, but as lived experience.

With “Rage,” Dower offers a rare portrayal of anger not as stereotype, but as agency. She writes the kind of catharsis that extends beyond her own story, giving listeners permission to feel intensely and without apology.

In the landscape of symphonic metal—and in conversations about representation—Kelsey Dower is not just adding her voice. She’s expanding the frame.