For many who tuned into the Eurovision Song Contest in May, Australian entrants Voyager were just another fun, novelty rock act. Crowd-pleasers with wild hair and even wilder grins, the Aussie five-piece were still a markedly different proposition to the previous hard rock and metal participants in the completely serious competition reserved strictly for European countries, featuring absolutely no politically motivated judging whatsoever.
Not only delivering a furiously energetic three minutes of bouncy neon keytar pop brilliance to a watching world, but the band’s chosen song ‘Promise’ also featured something else – an honest-to-goodness Djent style breakdown. Watching so many previously happy faces suddenly melt into confusion and fear was a thing of beauty in itself and far more deserving of the song’s eventual position.
Far from being just a newly created Eurovision project, the Aussie prog metal act was actually formed back in 1999, releasing their independently distributed debut album, Element V, four years later. Evolving with each successive record, the band return with all guns blazing on their eighth full-length studio release, Fearless in Love (Season of Mist).
Those already familiar with the band won’t be too surprised by the contents of this latest album but anyone expecting a collection of Pop-Metal party anthems like ‘Promise’ will be in for somewhat of a rude awakening. A combination of Leprous and Devin Townsend, weighty opener ‘The Best Intentions’ sparkles with jabs of synth and resonant four-string work from bassist Alex Canion while frontman Danny Estrin‘s vocals ring clear and strident like a more flamboyant Einar Solberg.
The unhurried and muscular ‘Prince of Fire’ features off-kilter time signatures, chuggy guitars, and a massive Meshuggah style breakdown, Estrin’s voice soaring above staccato rhythms and smooth keyboards. The schizophrenic ‘Ultraviolet’ combines jaunty ’80s synth-pop with Djent-style slide chugs, some fearsome gutturals from Estrin, and exemplary sticksmanship from drummer Ashley Doodkorte.
Much more in line with what your average Eurovision viewer would be expecting, ‘Dreamer’ is a lightweight, bouncy little number with a bright, expansive chorus and keyboards that sound like they belong on the soundtrack of the sci-fi show Westworld. All this is backed by more crushing riffs from guitar duo Simone Dow and Scott Kay.
Estrin’s synthwave keys meet modern melancholic prog metal on ‘The Lamenting’ while the glittering effervescence of ‘Submarine’ is like Duran Duran playing beach volleyball with The Devin Townsend Project. After the aforementioned party hit ‘Promise’, ‘Twisted’ is another upbeat cut with surging drums and an electric chorus while ‘Daydream’ and ‘Listen’ are two more vibrant and optimistic tracks, the latter featuring a wonderfully mesmeric guitar solo before the album climaxes with ‘Gren (Fearless in Love)’, a sonically charged yet vulnerable finale boasting some wonderful melodies and moments of pure drama.
Loaded with extraordinary performances, assured songwriting and massive production, Fearless in Love draws you in with pop music commerciality before hitting you with something more disguised and non-conformist. Just like the album’s cover art which just looks even more off, the more you stare at it, Voyager reveal more about themselves the more you listen.
Buy the album here:
https://voyager.bandcamp.com/album/fearless-in-love
9 / 10
GARY ALCOCK