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‘Eurovision’ Stars Voyager Announce 2024 Australian Tour

The prog-metal band are going on a national album tour early next year, conor lochrie, conor lochrie's most recent stories.

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Australia’s Eurovision stars Voyager are going on a national album tour next year.

The prog-metal outfit will headline shows in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, and Adelaide in February (see full dates below).

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, August 23rd at 10am local time. The Live Nation pre-sale begins on Tuesday, August 22nd at 10am local time.

The tour is in support of Voyager’s recently released eighth album, Fearless in Love .

“After many years of writing, demoing, isolating, perfecting and recording, we are proud to present our 8th album in full, Fearless In Love ,” the band wrote on social media at the time.

“We are so proud of this album. It comes at a transformational time in our lives, and the music reflects that feeling perfectly. We have so many people to thank throughout the last four or so years for what we now have.”

Fearless in Love contains the single “Ultraviolet”, a collaboration with Sean Harmanis from metalcore band Make Them Suffer.

“”Ultraviolet” is certainly one of the darkest songs on the album,” the band explained. “As the protagonist struggles to cope with the pressures of the modern world and its insane demands, the song has a message that we hope will resonate with many people, and we collaborated with director Matt Pitcher to tell this story in a cinematic way.”

Voyager’s Eurovision entry was a history-making moment, being the first time ever that an Australian band represented the country. “I’m really, really excited that SBS went out on the limb and shook things up and decided to send Voyager,” lead singer Daniel Estrin told  Rolling Stone AU/NZ in April.

“I think this is the year for heavy music and rock music to really shine like it probably hasn’t really ever before at Eurovision . So I’m very, very excited from that perspective,” he added.

In the end, Voyager represented their country well at Eurovision . They won the second semi-final, eventually finishing in ninth place in the grand final.

Voyager 2024 Australian Tour

Tickets available via  livenation.com.au

Saturday, February 3rd Metro City, Perth, WA

Thursday, February 8th 170 Russell, Melbourne, VIC

Friday, February 9th Princess Theatre, Brisbane, QLD

Thursday, February 22nd The Basement, Canberra, ACT

Friday, February 23rd Manning Bar, Sydney, NSW

Saturday, February 24th Unibar, Adelaide, SA

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Voyager Announce Australian ‘Fearless In Love’ Tour For 2024

The news comes just a month after the Perth band’s eight album made impact.

Voyager (Supplied)

Just over a month after releasing their stellar eighth album, Fearless In Love , Voyager have announced a national headline tour in support of it.

They’ll start off in their hometown of Boorloo/Perth, playing to some 2,000 fans at Metro City on Saturday February 3. The following Thursday (February 8) will see them play 170 Russell in Naarm/Melbourne, and then Meanjin/Brisbane’s Princess Theatre the night after that (February 9). After a short break, Voyager will wrap the tour up with back-to-back shows in Ngambri/Canberra (playing The Basement on Thursday February 22), Eora/Sydney (Manning Bar on Friday February 23) and Kaurna/Adelaide (Unibar on Saturday February 24).

Tickets for all six of the shows go on sale at 10am local time this Wednesday (August 23) following a Live Nation presale tomorrow (August 22). See here for more info on both sales.

Reviewing their last show in Brisbane for The Music , Carley Hall praised Voyager for living up to the recent swathe of hype brought on by the band’s appearance at Eurovision : “If there were ever any suspicions about whether this band’s bark was bigger than its bite,” she wrote, “they’re quickly quashed. Voyager has spent half its lifetime as a band with members coming and going around its mainstay Estrin; the Voyager that we see now on stage have had 10-plus years of playing together – and you can hear and see it in action.”

Fearless In Love arrived on July 14 via Season Of Mist, debuting at #3 on the ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart and earning critical acclaim. In our 4.5-star review , Rod Whitfield called it “something very special”, noting: “ Fearless In Love is one of the albums of the year, no question (it is very likely to be in this scribe’s top three at least), and should go down as an all-time Aussie classic.”

In a recent interview with The Music , Voyager drummer Ashley Doodkorte said the release of Fearless In Love offered the band a sense of “massive catharsis”. He explained: “We've had this album under our belts for over a year now, and it's one we're really excited about and proud of. To finally have it out there, especially after the massive opportunity that was Eurovision, is ridiculously exciting. I think it's definitely the right album for it, too - we've really flexed our songwriting chops on this one.”

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‘FEARLESS IN LOVE’ 2024 AUSTRALIAN TOUR

Saturday February 3 – Boorloo/Perth , Metro City Thursday February 8 – Naarm/Melbourne , 170 Russell Friday February 9 – Meanjin/Brisbane , Princess Theatre Thursday February 22 – Ngambri/Canberra , The Basement Friday February 23 – Eora/Sydney , Manning Bar Saturday February 24 – Kaurna/Adelaide , Unibar

Tickets: livenation.com.au

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Voyager Announce 2024 National ‘Fearless in Love’ Tour

By Jules LeFevre

Eurovision alumnus Voyager have announced a national tour in support of their recently released record Fearless In Love. The Perth pop-metal crew will kick things off with a hometown show in Perth on Saturday, 3rd February, before heading through Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, and Adelaide. See the full run of dates below.

The band’s eighth studio album landed in July 2023, hot off the heels of the band’s performance at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. They performed ‘Promise’ at the competition in May and came in a respectable 9th , while Sweden’s Loreen took out the top gong for her song ‘Tattoo’ (Loreen also won in 2012 with ‘Euphoria’).

Voyager: ‘Promise’ (Live at Eurovision)

“EUROVISION – that was absolutely surreal! There aren’t enough words to describe how we’re feeling,” Voyager wrote on  Instagram  following the grand final.

“Who would have thought that an independent, progressive metal band from Perth, WA, would take a top 10 position at the world’s biggest song contest?!! We are incredibly grateful for this absolutely WILD journey – we wouldn’t have done this without you!”

Fearless In Love is the follow-up 2020’s Ghost Mile , and Voyager frontman Danny Estrin explained the album was recorded over a period of two years.

“The writing process was very different to how we’ve done things in the past,” said Estrin.

“As a result, the album is more cohesive and exciting with a cinematic feel, hailing back to gritty films of the ’80s and ’90s showcasing all the layers that make up Voyager. This album takes you on a ride through a dark city and leaves you on a more pensive, reflective note by the end.”

Voyager 2024 Australian Tour Dates

• Saturday, 3rd February – Metro City, Perth
• Thursday, 8th February – 170 Russell, Melbourne
• Friday, 9th February – Princess Theatre, Brisbane
• Thursday, 22nd February – The Basement, Canberra
• Friday, 23th February – Manning Bar, Sydney
• Saturday, 24th February – Unibar, Adelaide

Tickets are on sale Wednesday, 23rd August at 10am via Live Nation .

Further Reading

Australia’s Voyager Reflect on “Surreal” Eurovision Experience After Placing Ninth in 2023 Contest

Australian Act Voyager Have Made the Eurovision Final

Perth Prog-Pop Band Voyager Will Represent Australia at Eurovision 2023

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One of the best live acts in Australia, Voyager always put on a masterclass when playing at home. With a fan voted set list, they did not disappoint. Danny's vocals were, as always, brilliant. The vocal layering in many songs is taken to another level by the blending and contrasting of Danny and Alex's voices. The band's playing was off the charts. Each member an expert at what they do, genius'taking prog rock to all it's musical limits. But as always it is there interaction between the band members themselves and then with the audience that makes Voyager an experience. You feel like you become part of an unforgettable show. Music to make you soul feel good.

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Energetic, interactive and thoroughly entertaining. Voyager never pull their punches and always deliver in spades when performing live.

I've been lucky enough to see them half a dozen times or so and every gig is better than the last.

Keep an eye and ear out for the medley, it's always a highlight of the show!

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VOYAGER Announces Rescheduled Dates For The ‘FEARLESS IN LOVE’ Tour Australia 2024!

The genre-defying quintent will now kick off the tour in their hometown at Perth’s Metro City on June 21, before heading to Canberra at the Basement on June 28, Sydney’s Manning Bar on June 29, Brisbane’s Princess Theatre on June 30, 170 Russell in Melbourne on July 5 and wrapping up at Adelaide’s UniBar on July 6. Tickets on sale now.

The band said , “AUSTRALIA – We’ve made the very difficult but completely necessary decision to reschedule our forthcoming album tour dates to allow Danny more time to continue his treatment and focus on his recovery. We are so very hopeful that we can make a triumphant return across our homeland in June and July, and that you’ll join us for these shows.

All tickets for the February tour remain valid on these new dates. Thank you for your understanding and we can’t wait to be reunited by music.

Your tickets will remain valid for the new dates. You don’t need to do anything, just hold on to your tickets. If you can’t make the new date, ticketholders will be contacted by the various ticketing outlets with instructions to request a refund.” Voyager appear in Bill Bailey’s Wild West Australia docuseries tonight on ABC iview and ABC TV from 8.00pm (local).

FEARLESS IN LOVE TOUR AUSTRALIA 2024

 METRO CITY, PERTH – FRIDAY 21 JUNE

THE BASEMENT, CANBERRA – FRIDAY 28 JUNE

MANNING BAR, SYDNEY – SATURDAY 29 JUNE

PRINCESS THEATRE, BRISBANE  – SUNDAY 30 JUNE

170 RUSSELL, MELBOURNE  – FRIDAY 5 JULY  

UNIBAR, ADELAIDE – SATURDAY 6 JULY

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

For complete tour and ticket and information, visit: livenation.com.au

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Voyager: "We are progressive in many ways"

With Voyager on album number six, it feels like the melodic prog metallers are now truly finding their feet in the prog world. The Aussies open up about their impressive new effort Ghost Mile…

Voyager are in a pretty darn good mood. As the Australian prog metallers speak down the phone from their home city Perth, you can hear guitarist Simone Dow’s infectious, bellowing belly laugh from the other side of the world as it picks up like gusts of wind, setting off her bandmates, too.

They have every right to be feeling jolly. They’re on the cusp of releasing the best album of their career, Ghost Mile . It seems, after six records and a slew of line-up changes, the band have finally found their groove.

“With each album it’s definitely been more and more of a band writing exercise, whereas it never used to be like that,” Dow says. “We’re writing in the jam room now, all five of us together. We’ve got the same line-up again, and it’s very cohesive.”

The only mainstay in Voyager since their inception in 1999 has been singer and keyboard player Daniel Estrin. “I used to be the youngest member of the band, but now I’m the oldest,” he quips.

Take a listen to the eye-wateringly compelling and catchy Ghost Mile and you can tell that Voyager have grown up. It’s focused and firm, leaning towards contemporary tech riffs for its gruffer moments, but still slathering itself with all the luminescent melody in the world.

Stomping lead track Ascension sounds defiantly massive as it juxtaposes snarly, pointed riffs with Estrin’s lofty, wouldn’t-sound-out-of-place-in-the-80s vocals, while What A Wonderful Day is an intriguing cocktail of electronic flourishes that exemplifies how Voyager aren’t ones to shy away from more typical song structures. Disconnected , meanwhile, explodes with snarling machine gun guitar work that actually wouldn’t sound out of place on a Meshuggah record.

Voyager’s line-up – completed by Scott Kay on guitar, drummer Ashley Doodkorte and bassist Alex Canion – has remained in place since their last album V , and you can tell, with their sound evolving organically after the record’s release in 2014.

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The tech crew who worked on that album remained on board too, and the sound is truly fit for mainstream consumption, with its hues crisp and clear, booming and bright. It’s clinical without feeling colourless.

“I think it’s a natural progression from where we left off, and we seem to have been doing that with our last few albums,” Estrin says. “Just taking the main elements and building on that, and I’d say this is probably our most modern one to date. I think in terms of some of the things we’re trying, it’s also probably our most daring one. There are some pretty different things on there.”

“I don’t think it’s really a forced change, it just happened naturally, from what we’d been listening to,” Kay adds. “We’d been listening to a lot less of just heavy music in general, and as a group, listening to all kinds of other stuff. I think that’s kind of seeped its way into what we’re doing. It’s less of a strictly metal record – there’s all these different elements to it.”

Some of the influences swirling in the buzzing minds of Voyager during the writing of Ghost Mile included the likes of the djent-leaning Periphery and TesseracT , but there was ambient and indie too.

It’s a contrast to Voyager’s earliest material, which erred on the side of power metal, while later releases promoted a modern-day theatricality linked more with the likes of arena mainstays Avenged Sevenfold . Largely gone, too, is the gothic look which permeated some old promotional photos.

“I compare it to Pantera , because they started as a power metal band and went into a completely different direction,” Estrin says. “There are some similarities. Voyager started very much out of a genesis of power metal and progressive metal, and I think it’s come a long way from there. That wasn’t a conscious thing, it was a natural progression. It’s become what it has today.

“You can tell, even on the first few albums, there are some elements of what we’re doing now. But one thing that will never change is the catchy choruses, the big anthemic poppy top that Voyager is used to. We’ve combined that more with the heavy grooves and complex riffage underneath, to appease the prog fans and to make it more fun to play because otherwise you’d just be playing boring pop songs, and who wants to do that?”

The band quickly gained traction worldwide despite hailing from Australia, as they landed slots at the likes of the ProgPower festivals and were snapped up by Dutch label DVS.

They had to cut their teeth, though, playing local gigs alongside acts from genres like grindcore and death metal because of the compact size of the country’s scene at the time.

“It was almost a struggle to make an impact in Australia,” Estrin reflects. “Being an Australian band in the early days was really to our advantage, and we had a bit of a cult status I guess all over the world. The scene in Australia was really small back in the day. I guess we were sort of pioneers in starting it, and making melodic and progressive music that little bit more accessible. Now, I wouldn’t say it’s mainstream, but it’s a very healthy scene.”

This time around, Voyager are self-releasing their album, and perhaps highlighting how today’s industry is forcing musicians to explore new revenue streams, they launched a successful PledgeMusic campaign to offer fans pre-orders alongside unique items, such as signed gig banners and handwritten lyrics.

“I don’t see it as being too different to what the old funding model was, it’s just that we’re doing this without a label fronting money for pressing and everything like that,” Kay says.

“I don’t think labels front money anymore these days,” Estrin adds. “I think it’s very rare. It definitely changes the band’s need to approach things. But also, it’s a huge new world of opportunities that we didn’t have before the internet. I think gone are the days of Bon Jovi and the private jets of the 80s and massive record deals. I think it’s a completely different paradigm, a completely different framework in which we’re working.”

Despite the band hurtling down a more adventurous path in the last few years, Estrin knows that some naysayers still argue against Voyager being called prog. While he admits that might be because “we don’t have 17 ⁄ 8 time signatures going through the whole thing”, the Aussies have plenty going for them in the thinking-outside-the-box stakes.

It’s left-leaning music which isn’t afraid to take twists or turns, despite often tunnelling down the well-trodden, melody-ridden route of ‘verse, chorus, verse’.

“I don’t mind the progressive label,” the vocalist adds. “We are progressive in many ways – we’re constantly evolving musically and we do have a lot of complexity in our songs. It’s kind of like ABBA. They write amazing pop songs, but when you dissect them, they’re extremely complex inside. They have their complexity, to make their songs interesting, but also have that catchy pop element. If that’s progressive, I don’t know? Are ABBA a prog band? Possibly…”

“I guess what makes us experimental, if you want to call us that, is our willingness to try things and just be open-minded with ideas and see where they go,” adds Kay. “I wouldn’t say there’s any conscious effort to be deliberately experimental or different. It just seems to be a matter of the sum of our parts coming together and producing whatever it is that comes out.”

There is much to be optimistic about in the Voyager camp right now. They’ve been promoting their record on Australia’s live circuit alongside wacky electronic prog metallers The Algorithm, and you would expect a full global assault to follow.

It’s likely that those attending the Ghost Mile shows will leave high on life, heart lifted. And, most tellingly, stuck with Voyager songs rattling around their head for days.

“You want a hook,” Dow says. “That’s what grabs you when you listen to a band, either a catchy vocal hook or guitar lick. Then you’ve got bands like Meshuggah… they’re fantastic, but there’s not anything that’s hooky that’s going on. There’s a lot of fantastic bands that are like tech death, but I can’t listen to that all the time, because it’s just riff after riff after riff.

“I think what we’ve got special is the music that we write. It gets stuck in your head. Maybe that’s annoying to some people, but I think it’s a good trait to have.”

Ghost Mile is out now on IAV Records. See www.voyager-australia.com for more information.

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• Mar 1, 2023

Australia's Eurovision 2023 artist Voyager announce national tour

A week after being revealed as Australia's Eurovision 2023 artist , Perth rockers Voyager have announced their Australian national tour!

Voyager will be competing at Eurovision 2023 with the song 'Promise' in second half of semi-final 2 in Liverpool on May 11.

The national tour will see Voyager perform in six venues across the country from their hometown Perth to Brisbane after competing in Europe for Eurovision.

Voyager 'Australian Tour' dates:

Friday, June 9, 2023 The Zoo, Brisbane

Saturday, June 10, 2023 Stay Gold, Melbourne

Friday, June 16, 2023 Unibar, Adelaide

Saturday, June 17, 2023 Rosemount, Perth

Friday, June 23, 2023 Metro Social, Sydney

Saturday, June 24, 2023 Basement, Canberra

Tickets + VIP options here (limited to 25 VIP per show)

Book your tickets to see Voyager in Australia here.

As well as their Australian tour Voyager have revealed that they will be performing in the Eurovision 2023 pre-party circuit ahead of them competing for Australia at Eurovision in Liverpool.

The band will first join other Eurovision artists including the Dutch artists Dion and Mia and more in Amsterdam for 'Eurovision in Concert' on Saturday, April 15. Book your tickets to 'Eurovision in Concert' here.

The following night on Sunday, April 16, Voyager will be off to London for the London Eurovision Party 2023, hosted by London Eurovision Party and Wiwibloggs. Find out all you need to know, including ticket booking here.

Check out our interview with Danny from the band here where we discuss their entry 'Promise', with news on their upcoming album and more.

Book your tickets to Voyager's Australian tour here.

For continued updates on all the Eurovision Song Contest news follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. All links at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet

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Voyager to represent Australia at Eurovision, as synth-metal band to sing Promise in Liverpool

A band will represent Australia for the first time at the Eurovision Song Contest, with WA synth-metal group Voyager named as the entrant for the 2023 competition with the song Promise.

This year will be the eighth time that Australia has participated as a contestant at the world-famous TV music festival — for the first time since 2018, host broadcaster SBS has opted for an internal selection, without holding a public national final.

"As a long-time Eurovision fan, this is the pinnacle — Voyager gets to play the greatest show on earth!" lead singer Danny Estrin said in a statement.

"Our song Promise is made for the Eurovision stage and collectively we feel it's one of our best yet.'

The song is a progressive pop number featuring Voyager's trademark sound with big guitars, keytar solos and driving rhythms.

Mr Estrin said it was surreal to know they were going to be a part of the competition.

"It's really such an honour to be representing at Eurovision," he said.

"My own story is a migrant story, we arrived in WA in 1992 and the opportunities that this state and country have given me and the band have been absolutely phenomenal.

"For us, even going to Eurovision now is a win."

WA Tourism Minister Roger Cook said he thought the band could go "all the way".

"These guys have got what it takes to attract the world and to attract the eyes of the judges," he said.

Voyager's selection caps a long journey to Eurovision.

The Perth-based outfit has been trying to make it to the contest for eight years since Australia was first announced as a participant in 2015, after being invited as part of celebrations for the contest's 60th anniversary.

Voyager submitted songs each year to the contest. In 2020, they were shortlisted but just missed out on the final 11 for national final Australia Decides with their song Runaway.

Last year, they made it to Australia Decides with Dreamer, but lost by three votes to Sheldon Riley and his song Not the Same.

Voyager won the public vote, but lost on the combined score when votes from the jury were added in.

Riley went on to reach the final in Turin, Italy, finishing 15th.

So far in 2023, including Australia's selection, 22 of the 37 nations competing in Liverpool have named their artists and songs for the contest.   

SBS head of entertainment Emily Griggs said: "Voyager have been determined to get centre stage for the biggest song contest in the world and SBS know they will bring that grit with them along with a whole lot of fun. Look out Europe, the Aussies are coming!".

The director of SBS production partner Blink TV, Paul Clarke said:

"From the very first listen I knew it was something special — an epic, cinematic track that will take listeners on an anthemic rock voyage all the way to the Eurovision stage.

"This year, Australia’s hopes are in the masterful hands of a band for the first time ever, and I can’t wait for Voyager to rock your socks off in Liverpool.”

The band has toured around the world and released seven albums — work on an eighth will begin later this year.

Australia's contract with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) — the organisers of Eurovision — runs out in 2023, so this could be Australia's last year as a contestant.

The contest will be held in the United Kingdom , at Liverpool Arena in Liverpool, as last year's winners, Ukraine, were unable to host due to the war with Russia.

The contest will be held in May this year. There will be two semi-finals, on May 10 and 12 (Australian time) — Australia will be in the second semi-final, along with Albania, Armenia, Cyprus, Romania, Austria, Denmark, Lithuania, San Marino, Belgium, Slovenia, Iceland, Georgia, Greece, Poland and Estonia. 

The top 10 vote-getting countries will advance to the final on May 14 (Australian time).

Australia has never won the contest, with Dami Im producing the best result with a second place with her song Sound of Silence in 2016.

The contest will be live-blogged by ABC.

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Voyager – Fearless in Love (Album Review)

Posted on July 5, 2023 by kjdraven

Voyager – Fearless In Love Released: July 14, 2023

Danny Estrin // vocals Simone Dow // guitar Scott Kay //guitar Alex Canion // bass Ashley Doodkorte // drums

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It’s an exciting time for Perth band Voyager . Fresh off their ninth-place finish in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest ( recap here ) , the band embarked on a sold out Australian tour ( gig review here ) ahead of the release of eighth album Fearless in Love . They’ve timed the release beautifully to take advantage of the mainstream press that Eurovision brought them, but there’s a question of whether the new fans that ‘Promise’ has attracted will be into a full LP of synth-prog-metal. After all, ‘Promise’ noticeably turns down the heavy riffs compared to their back catalogue, so Fearless in Love has the delicate job of acknowledging long-time punters and satisfying those looking for a post-Eurovision fix. Thankfully the band is up to the task. 

Even though it doesn’t pop up until the album’s second half it is worth reviewing ‘Promise’ first. It’s easily my most streamed song of 2023 and elicits the same sing-a-long in my car that it did when it was released. The energy that Voyager put into on stage in Liverpool rubs off and the guitar solo into the keytar lick still rules. It is quite simply a banger and builds to the final minute where we can get a juicy breakdown and growl from Alex. It’s worth noting it is the same version that has been a single without any additional embellishments. As far as album centrepieces go, it is hard to beat. 

Those new to the Voyager world will be asking if there is anything to back up  ‘Promise’ and um, deliver on the, uh, promise of that tune. Their Australia Decides 2022 contender ‘Dreamer’ is here as the next track for Eurovision fans. It’s heavier than ‘Promise’ but has another great emotional hook. It builds through the synth but is much quicker to showcase the band’s metal riffs, making it a great bridge between their core sound and synth-pop leanings. The breakdown is more badass than I remember and Danny’s vocals are arguably even bigger. It certainly grabs your attention and holds it for the three minutes. 

There’s plenty of album tracks that scratch the 80s synth itch. ‘Ultraviolet’ sounds like a song from a Tom Cruise movie that time forgot with a quick tempo and a drum sound that owes more than a debt to Dire Straits . It’s got some gnarly modern guitar and a screamy cameo from fellow Perth native, Sean Harmanis of Make Them Suffer , who joins the party with an ominous growl.  It captures the glorious collision of influences in a way only Voyager can. ‘The Lamenting’ mines similar 80s vibes in a ballad form that serves as a nice change of pace, even if the hook isn’t as memorable as some of the other songs. Likewise ‘Daydream’ is more pop-rock than metal and would be a great single that will appeal to fans of ‘Promise’ . 

As an album Fearless in Love isn’t so much of a shift from their previous work, but a continued evolution from Colours in the Sun (2019). The fans who have been on the journey with them for twenty years will get a kick out of first track ‘The Best Intentions’ as it drips with spaced-out prog synths and keys. It jumps straight into the most recent single, ‘Prince of Fire’ , which is unmistakably a metal song with chunky djent riffs. Their great strength as a band is their ability to create a sonic scene that suits the lyrics, painting a musical picture that implants an image in your head. ‘Prince of Fire’ is a bleak dystopia, particularly when compared to the previously mentioned singles, capturing the solitude of the song’s protagonist. There is a cool interlude though so Danny can get his croon on before the big note. 

As far as prog-metal albums go, Voyager have loaded this with anthems. ‘Submarine’ has all the markings of an odd novelty song with a cute riff and big hook. The solo echoes Queen’s Brian May with Simone Dow dropping all sorts of tricky taps and whammy bends. But it’s a little darker than that when it gets to the final stanza and Alex screams that he is “coming up for air” . If there’s another Guardians of the Galaxy movie, this should be the end credits tune.

‘Twisted’ is a more electro take on prog-metal but also has a massive inspirational chorus that will play well live. ‘Listen’ also gets the Queen vibe right with plenty of guitar hero action. (Or as my wife just observed, it sounds a bit like Ghost , which is not a bad thing in my house.) Longtime fans will also get a kick out of the final track ‘Gren (Fearless in Love)’ . It’s much more of a traditional prog song with ethereal keys that sound transcendent in that space rock way. 

Voyager have successfully walked the tightrope between drawing in new fans from their Eurovision run, while rewarding longtime followers for their devotion. Fearless in Love has enough riffs, synths and hooks to catch the ear of anyone with a passing interest in 80s style rock and metal without ever sounding like a complete vintage act. It is certainly epic and accessible and demands a bigger audience than their recent club tour. I dare say I’ll be singing its praises among the best albums of the year. 

Voyager – Fearless In Love Tracklisting :

1. The Best Intentions 2. Prince of Fire 3. Ultraviolet feat. Sean Harmanis of Make Them Suffer 4. Dreamer 5. The Lamenting 6. Submarine 7. Promise 8. Twisted 9. Daydream 10. Listen 11. Gren (Fearless in Love)

Rating: 9 / 10 Fearless in Love is out July 14 via Seasons of Mist . Pre-Order here . Review by KJ Draven ( Twitter and Instagram ). 

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