Slowly but surely, Australia’s Voyager must be clawing their way out of the prog metal underground and elevating themselves beyond being just a cult concern. Album number six finds them making the most of what they do best: crystalline melodies and earworm hooks combined with crisp and crushing guitar riffs.
At the forefront of their attack is Danny Estrin, whose 80s pop-inflected vocals twist and turn ethereally through the choppy rhythms like some ghostly Morten Harket or Curt Smith.
Whether it’s the icy, clinical Ascension, the wistful, dark undertow of To The Riverside, or the aggressive hack and slash of What A Wonderful Day, his voice and keytar provide the ear candy while the twin guitars lock mercilessly with the Terminator-precise drums to create a musical spine of steel.
The heavy and heavenly in one package, this is a satisfyingly lethal and winning combination.
