“When you look around and you don’t see me, always know that I am by your side.”

Heavy metal band Xpeld incorporated a number of changes on their 2006 self-titled CD — most notably a plethora of famous guest contributors that span decades and genres — while still managing to retain their distinct sound. Unexpected, though, are two acoustic songs, of which “Future” is almost a lullaby. Why the departure?

“I write a lot of acoustic music too,” explains singer/guitarist Jeff Lenhart. “Before my first son was born, I sang to him and played guitar to him. When my wife became pregnant with our second son, who was born while we were finishing the CD, I did the same thing.”

During the 2 years Xpeld spent writing songs, assembling the special guests, and recording the CD, Lenhart says, “I wanted to do a song that was both meaningful and had no electrical instruments. Our producer John Prpich (Cover This) also has a young son, and we thought it would be cool to write an acoustic song for our kids.”

“Now when we touch the colors in the sky, dreams you see when we are just one. / And I wonder when you see the stars at night, I dream of what you will become.”

The song could be from any parent to any age child, but for Lenhart “it’s from my heart to my kids to hear in the future, to get them through some hard times. And John [Prpich] wrote it for his son too.”

“You’ve got to wake up now: The world we know is falling apart. / Can you save my dreams? Can’t you see how we have changed? / When you look to the sky, know I’ll always be your guide. / And when you’re going through hard times you’ll know….”

“We always dream about the future and what we want it to be,” Lenhart continues, “and kids without their dads don’t always have the same dreams. We all go through times when it feels like everything’s falling apart. When my kids get there, these words are for them. When I say we ‘touch the colors of the sky’ together, try to reach the blue, the stars, it means I’m with my sons, supporting them through everything. I want them to try, and to fly — to grow to become themselves — with my help.”

“And years from now, when I am no longer around, trust your conscience to be your guide. / ‘Cause that’s when you’ll need me, you’ll see / your inner visions come from me. / And when you try to touch the sky / I’ll be there to help you fly.”

Literally or figuratively, “your dad will be with you, in your dreams, or up in the sky in a Heaven-like place.”

“’Cause when you need me, feel free, I’ll be there to see you through. / And when you try to touch the sky, I’ll be there waiting for you. / ‘Cause when you need me, feel free / I can hear you when you whisper in your dreams.”

“Future’s” melodic layers complement the dreamy, soul-searching lyrics. Lenhart had the beautiful rhythm pattern first, aiming toward a harp-like sound, and had Radd Sound Studios’ engineer blend together 3 of his different acoustic guitar lines — from a Gibson, a Mitchell, and a Washburn — into 1 unique textured sound. Next came the melody, then the father-to-son idea for the lyrics with Prpich’s help. “And I wrote it specifically for him to sing lead instead of me,” Lenhart explains. “Then there’s an orchestra of people behind him: Me, John’s wife Verda, well-known theater singer Dori Bridges, and 6-year-old Bo Rushing who just played Annie in New York. She’s an amazing singer, and brought a special young/old sound to the vocals.”

Xpeld’s Andy Sheer puts just the right touch on his acoustic bass on the “Future,” but drummer Scott Karr stepped aside for Rick Shlosser (Rod Stewart, Van Morrison) to do the percussion. Shlosser “was in the studio doing a commercial for CBS,” Lenhart recalls, “and I heard him playing this Indian drum that’s a square box that makes different sounds based on how it’s compressed and what you hit it with. I knew it would be perfect for this song,” on which Shlosser plays only this Indian drum and a tambourine.

Xpeld’s bold idea to supplement their own sound by filling the CD with internationally known guest musicians from Yes, M.S.G., Black Sabbath, Quiet Riot, and Argentina’s Carina Alfie, as well as a number of artists well-known in the L.A. scene, is paying off. Intensive marketing through Disk Faktory, Frontier Records, Scher Management, and new label Perris Records has led to CD sales in 17 countries — as close as Canada and as far as Denmark, Hungary, the Russian Federation, and China.

Check out the MP3 of “Future” by following the links at Xpeld.com, CDBaby.com, and MySpace.com/Xpeld, and watch for the band gigging around L.A.