With the juggernaut of Eurovision 2023 now behind them and the world stage laid out before them, the time is now for Western Australia’s darling synth metal band Voyager.
The sheer scale of exposure afforded to the band through their participation (*cough and ranking!) in the worlds largest song competition can not be overstated. Now the northern hemisphere of the world knows them and evidently loves them while we all look a bit silly down under here with locals asking ‘who is that aussie band in the eurovision thing?’ reflecting a criminally massive gap in knowledge around who this band even is. No longer one of those ‘if you know you know’ acts, the secret’s out.
Fearless In Love was in the pipe well before the rest of the world caught wind of them. Following up their previous studio album Colours in the Sun (2019) Voyager released a couple of singles in 2022 including the bangers ‘Submarine’ and ‘Dreamer’. (*The latter being submitted for the 2022 Eurovision contest but was snubbed for another Aussie hopeful that year… pfft) Before the debut of their hit ‘Promise’ on the world biggest stage, Voyager had already established more than enough momentum and excitement to carry forward with another album campaign but with the opportunities now expanded tenfold they capitalised on this attention with the song ‘Prince of Fear’, the last single to drop before the full album hits on July 14 through Seasons of Mist.
There’s already a number of compelling reasons to check this album out, pre save it, pre-order it etc but let me expand. If you like the sharp djent sounds of Northlane, the bouncy, jarring and off beat attraction of Twelve Foot Ninja, perhaps the unique aussie-prog of fellow West Australian legends Karnivool, then you owe it to yourself to at least give this a go. On the flip side, if you were a fan of …oh…say dance outfit ‘The Presets’, then you would still find something to enjoy here. The infusion of some electronica and synths, paired with Daniels unique voice really breaks the conventions around what a synth/prog/metal band is expected to do.
The musicality is (as expected) very high throughout Fearless In Love but the band don’t alienate non-musical-folk with complexity. They only flex when it fits, shred for flair, scream for emphasis but never over shadow vocalist Daniel Estrin’s unique and recognisable voice. The largest development I have noticed overall has been in regards to song writing and it’s improved accessibility. Hooks are everywhere. Seriously. There isn’t one song on this album that breaks the 5 minute mark and compositions each feel as though every bit of fat has been trimmed to achieve a highly focused and catchy prog record if such a thing can be believed. To be real this is easily their best album and this writer will argue that it’s one of the best Australian heavy releases of the year. It’s difficult to imagine anyone competing with something this refined, immediate, fun and rewarding to listen to.
Absolute class.
