Review VOYAGER ‘Fearless In Love’

European Song Contest (ESC) and Season Of Mist is a combination that one might not have expected to read a couple of years ago. But times constantly changes, and Voyager is the bridge between the two poles.

The Australians have been the first band from Down Under that joined the song contest and ended up at the ninth spot in the ranking. For a progressive rock band with metal references, the result is extremely solid, also thinking about the embarrassing 18 points the German contributor scored.

The song Voyager presented is called ‘Promise’ and it starts calm and very melodic. Along the way the song evolves and even contains a few growls. Those, together with the synth driven melodies create a blend that works well and found some fans within Europe.

That ‘Promise’ isn’t a flash in the pan is what the rest of the longplayer mirrors. The band, with a foundation date back in 1999, has enough experience to write facetted songs with a stronger progressive touch to it. In a way, Voyager continue their successful journey and deliver with songs like the cinematic opener ‘The Best Intention’ and pop-driven ‘Dreamer’ cool songs that unfold right away and at the same time has more to explore. The latter guarantees a long pleasure of listening to ‘Fearless in Love’.

Emotionally deep, that is the melancholic ‘The Lamenting’. The band shows that they don’t just scratch the surface but also have the ability to create an emotional impact with their music. And if you want to get a first impression of the sound of Voyager, I can also recommend listening to ‘Twisted’. Keyboards and the excellent vocals by founding member Daniel Estrin kick off a track that also entails heavy guitars and strong riffing. It is also the density of sound that makes the album to a convincing treat.

With ‘Gren (Fearless In Love)’ the album has an atmospheric ending. The band creates soundscapes and embed a melody that catches one’s attention right away.

‘Fearless In Love’ is the eighth longplayer delivered by the guys from Perth, Australia. With ‘Promise’ that band pushed the door wide open when it comes to recognition in Europe and the album has the potential to gain more new friends. This colorful prog rock party just started.