V

Australian band VOYAGER probably merits a description as a veteran act at this stage, with a history going back to 2000 and a grand total of five full length albums to their name starting with "Element V" in 2013 and with "V" from 2014 as their most recent production at the time of writing. This latter CD is released through IAV Records, which I guess is a label set up by the band themselves, and is distributed through Nightmare Records.

The music scene in Australia have always been one I've never heard that much about, for some reason or other, but the ones I have come across in the last few years in one way or another documents that this is a music scene that produce plenty of quality bands. Voyager can safely be placed inside that context with their very own take on progressive metal.

I'm really impressed with what Voyager have accomplished on this album. It's not like they have discovered any new variety of progressive metal, the elements they use and utilize are all familiar ones throughout. They obviously enjoy a specific subcategory of metal called djent, at least the greater majority of their compositions feature riff constructions that gives me instant associations to that style even if not all of them may follow the technical description of that style. I'll leave it to the technical oriented nerds to make the final call on that one. To my ears this sounds like djent or djent-oriented material however, although used in a more careful and dampened variety than many other bands exploring similar waters. Tasteful keyboards supplement and compliment quite nicely, both for the aforementioned parts as well as when the bands opts for a more traditional Dream Theater school arrangement with majestic riffs and keyboards and when they shift to more pf a power metal based expression with galloping riffs and bass. This latter aspect more of a rare guest at this particular party I might add. There's also a piano ballad present, given a nice but perhaps a tad too predictable orchestral inspired coating.

All of these are familiar elements, as stated, and that Voyager have a drummer willing and capable to add more sophisticated details to his rhythms and that vocalist Daniel Estrin has a mesmerizing, powerful and melodic delivery doesn't present anything new either, although both of them do elevate the total experience due to the sheer quality of their performances.

The unfamiliar aspect of this album, the creative trump card if you like, is in their approach. This is fairly sophisticated and often quirky progressive metal that is positive and fun. Joyful, vibrant and energetic progressive metal may sound like an oxymoron, but that is what Voyager create and explore brilliantly on "V". Music that will make you smile, sing along and lighten even the cloudiest day of your life. I can't pinpoint any particular aspect of their material as to just why this album and these compositions turns out that way, but they do so. That the songs generally are compelling, that the darker aspects are dampened in nature and that the use of keyboards and keytar covers many songs in a lighter toned coating is part of the answer I guess, the vibrant and positive lead vocals of aforementioned vocalist Estrin is another. just as important are the riff constructions, bouncy and playful by accident or design, alongside keyboards, synths and keytar that also adds many fine, playful details to the table of the kind that will bring a smile to your face.

Quite a few of the songs at hand are highly accessible too when seen in the context of mainstream appeal. Opening track Hyperventilate have been chosen as the first single, personally I think that the shorter Embrace the Limitless has a strong potential in that context too. Concluding track Seasons of Age might have been an even stronger candidate if the band had opted to continue exploring the themes in the first half of that song, and while the concluding half is a most satisfying run from a progressive metal fans point of view it isn't one that will have the broad appeal a single needs to have, at least as far as my opinion goes. Just about the only slight negatives I can mention is that on two occasions Voyager doesn't manage to create such a vibrant and positive atmosphere, and then the end result isn't quite as compelling. A subjective point of view of course, and for the curious this applies to the songs The Morning Light and Summer Always Comes Again.

If you enjoy melodic progressive metal and don't mind encountering plenty of djent and djent-oriented details, Voyager's latest album "V" should be fairly high on your list of productions to check out. And if you find the notion of a band creating fun, positive and vibrant music within that stated context intriguing, music you want to hum, sing and even dance along to, then chances are that this CD will end up in your top 5 albums list of 2014, and fairly high on your top list of albums from this decade as well I suspect.

Voyager is one of those bands that seemed to just come out of nowhere and knock me off my feet with their 2011 album, The Meaning of I. I'm not sure that I've heard a more catchy prog metal album since (or a catchier album in any other metal genre, for that matter). The level of hooks that this Perth-Australia group provides is incredible, and just about every song on that album stood out. Furthermore, their blend of modern prog metal with 80′s electronic and synth pop elements made them a band that quite literally sounded only like themselves. Basically, Voyager's last output was so great as to create the risk of becoming a looming mountain that would potentially cast a shadow over all future output. Perhaps in light of all this, the band chose quite a bold naming scheme for the follow record: V. As should be obvious to the fans, the title itself becomes a sort of double representation, standing for both the band's name and this record's chronological place in their catalog. It is precisely this combination of meanings that speaks to the special place of this release, a sort of statement that this album is all about Voyager, that they've realized themselves as a band and that this album is here to show it. Assuming this is true, it is a bold move indeed.

V certainly starts it off right with "Breaking Down" and "Hyperventilating," some of the most addictive tracks on the album. Right from the start "Breaking Down" is basically a buffet of hooks, while "Hyperventilating" capitalizes on its oscillation between powerful, pounding riffs, serene melodies, and fantastic use of electronics. Simone really channels her inner Steve Vai on this one as well, something that brought a seriously big grin to my face. These two tracks immediately show a band that continues the tradition of extremely focused composition and simultaneously sees them going the extra mile in the studio in terms of production qualities, perhaps even being over-produced for an extreme level of punchy- ness that brings to mind the type of production commonly seen in recent 'djenty' bands.

Unfortunately, after these first couple of tracks the fear started to sink in. I felt the album starting becoming 'less interesting.' The followup, "A Beautiful Mistake," while not quite being on the level of the preceding tracks, had some really rockin' drum/guitar riffs and a great female guest-vocal, but at some level, it became noticeable despite the fact that all of the right hooks were here there was something that just wasn't grabbing my attention as I'd hoped (a trend which continued on "You the Shadow" ). "Embrace the Limitless" is perhaps the song that revealed to me what was really going on here and helped some of the middle of the album grow on me. There's just a few of these songs that had sections that didn't do it for me and I would kind of get lost or drift off because of it (this being the case particularly on "Embrace the Limitless," a song whose chorus doesn't appeal to me but is otherwise an amazing track). At the moment in which I realized that pretty much most of these tracks had some elements I loved, they finally started growing on me.

Luckily, the few middle tracks that weren't to my liking didn't equate to a bad album; on the contrary, Voyager's latest offering was seriously delicious. Picking up at the 9th track, "Peacekeeper" delivers something very special with its melancholy atmosphere, huge keyboard textures, and some vocal moments from Danny that really shine. "The Morning Light" throws down a big ambient intro breathing echoing percussion in the distance under soaring synth leads and some wide keyboard textures that do a fantastic job at prepping us for a seriously headbanging mid-tempo groove. The repeating vocal motif and variations, both lyrically and melodically do just the right trick in building tension as subtle chord changes and loads of emotion carry this piece home, making it one of the strongest recordings on the album (despite the fact that it is a re-recording of an older track). Finally, the brief pop ballad "Summer Always Comes Again" breaks up the metal moods and really delivers the goods on an uplifting tune before taking us to the closer, "Seasons of Age" where heavy drums and bass allow lots of room for a distinctively modern approach to keys and guitars to come through. An excellent chorus that is fun and poppy in the way that Voyager does best, along with some surprising, but well executed sludgy riffing, make for a strong ending to V.

All in all, V proves to be a strong testament to the hard work, diligence, and all around creative prowess of Voyager. This thoughtfully composed, well performed, and thoroughly produced collection of tunes has grown on me more and more with each repeated listen, showing that despite the reputation of The Meaning of I that it had to live up to, V is a downright worthy album in its own right.