Voyager | The Meaning of I
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
It wasn’t all that long ago that the term “progressive metal” essentially meant “bands that sound like Dream Theater.” In recent years, however, a variety of innovative bands have taken the progressive metal genre and, well…progressed. As a result you have truly progressive bands branching out in all sorts of interesting directions, from metalcore (Between the Buried and Me) to djent (Tesseract) to black metal (Ihsahn) and beyond. And then there’s Australian band Voyager, who sounds like…no one else, really, and have managed to incorporate elements of gothic metal and dark ambient music into their highly melodic brand of progressive metal. Over the course of three albums, Voyager has continued to evolve and perfect their unique sound, and is now poised to break through with The Meaning of I, their first album for the Sensory label.
As with their 2007 album Universe, The Meaning of I grabs the listener immediately with its utterly captivating melodies and entirely unpredictable progressions. Honestly, it takes all of 30 seconds of opening song “Momentary Relapse” for you to throw off any expectations and happily see where Voyager takes you. In large part, The Meaning of I is all about the melodies. Whether it’s coming from the guitars, the intricate rhythms, the gothic keyboards or Daniel Estrin’s powerful and dramatic vocals, the wealth of lush melodies works together to permanently etch these songs into your head. On your first listen you’ll be tapping your fingers. The second time through you’ll hum along. The third time through you’re ready to sing these songs like they’re old favorites. Speaking of old favorites, you’ll be reminded of several when listening to this album. There are elements of Evergrey, Vanden Plas and yes Dream Theater, though more often than not Voyager seems like the bastard stepchild of Journey and Type O Negative!
It seems pointless to list standout tracks when nearly every song on The Meaning of I is so memorable, but there are a few that deserve special mention. “Seize the Day” and the title track are great examples of both the band and the album’s overall sound, and “Iron Dream (In Memoriam: Peter Steele)” and “She Takes Me (Into the Morning Light)” are two of the most haunting and addictively melodic songs you’ll ever hope to hear. There are also a couple of interesting guest appearances on The Meaning of I. D.C. Cooper (Royal Hunt, Silent Force) lends his powerful voice to the song “Fire of Times” and former Tesseract vocalist Daniel Tompkins adds some well-timed growls to great effect, especially on the powerful closer “Are You Shaded?”
We’re now officially past the point where Voyager was the best-kept secret in progressive metal. The Meaning of I is simply too powerful a statement to ignore, and deserves to be heard by just about anyone who follows the progressive metal scene. Their upcoming appearance at this year’s ProgPower USA festival should seal the deal. For those fortunate few who are already fans of this band, it’s entirely likely that you will now have a new favorite Voyager album.
Genre: Progressive Metal
Band: Alex Canion (b) Mark Boeijen (d) Scott Kay (g) Daniel Estrin (v) (k) Simone Dow (g)
Track Listing:
Momentary Relapse
Stare Into the Night
Seize the Day
Broken Pensive Disarray
He Will Remain
Meaning of I
Iron Dream
Feuer Meinen Zeit
Fire of Times S
he Takes Me (Into the Morning Light)
It’s Time to Know Are You Shaded?
Label: Sensory
Hardrock Haven rating: 9.5/10
CANNOT WAIT!!