ALBUM REVIEW: Ghost Mile (re-issue) – Voyager

With just a fleeting glance at Season of Mist’s ensemble of bands wrapped beneath their label, ‘pedigree’ is the most obvious takeaway. In the alphabet’s opening moments alone we see ABBATH, CARACH ANGREN and CYNIC whilst the opposing bookend finds royalty like PHILLIP H. ANSELMO AND THE ILLEGALS, ROTTING CHRIST and now, after signing in mid-2018, Australian prog-pop pathfinders VOYAGER. After both Season of Mist and VOYAGER had said their vows and the bond was sealed, the band announced they would re-release their entire discography – in all its colourful yet slightly incongruous glory – starting with what is, for some, their magnum opus: Ghost Mile. Two years later and Ghost Mile’s second unveiling is upon us. With such an early re-issue (with the original release dating to early 2017) however, questions like “is it really worth it?” are bound to arise. The short answer is “Yes.” but that wouldn’t make much of a review would it? 

So, what is VOYAGER? And why should you care? Considering the label ‘prog metal band from Australia’ is about as useful as simply saying “they make music”, a little more context is required. Since their 2004 debut, Element V, VOYAGER spent the best part of seven years tinkering with elements of power metal, djent and death metal until they struck gold with their breakthrough 2011 record; The Meaning of I. 

Ever since, VOYAGER have been the pioneers of marrying the prog metal dichotomy of beauty and destruction with infectious pop-driven accessibility. Garnering masses of critical acclaim across their next three releases – albums that would see them dive further within this realm of prog-pop – VOYAGER would go on to share stages with heavyweights LEPROUS, COHEED AND CAMBRIA and DEFTONES. Fast forward to the present day and VOYAGER‘s run of live performances have had their brakes firmly applied. With COVID-19 thwarting their Runaway tour around Australia’s gigging hotspots, VOYAGER fans are left in limbo until 2021 brings about the band’s reprisal; enter Ghost Mile.  

Whether or not the guys behind Season of Mist can predict the future is out of the question but what can be said is that their timing is impeccable. With all the misery that COVID-19 has brought upon this planet, the re-issue of Ghost Mile, and its maiden trip onto the vinyl press, couldn’t have filled the gap fans have had to endure any better. Ghost Mile was a milestone of maturity for the band. Cementing their blend of colourful grooves, led by vocalist and keytarist Danny Estrin, with the grand, and often malicious, attacks that stem from the bass and rhythm beatdown, Ghost Mile represents a soundscape of refined vision. 

Revisiting the tracklist only serves to reinforce VOYAGER‘s position as one of the top dogs in prog pioneering. Ascension opens the record’s doors and unleashes its jumpy, talismanic lead riff after a deceptive trickle of delayed plucking. Ascension and its following three combatants make for one of modern metal’s strongest opening phases with shifts from falsetto chorus lines and dancehall beats (Misery Is Only Company), to a slow-burning hook that gradually transforms (Lifeline) then ending with a gloomy gothic number that tempers the record’s previously energetic mood (The Fragile Serene). The remainder of the tracklist, in the safe hands of VOYAGER, is no slouch meaning the enigmatic title track and expansive and spacious closer, As The City Takes The Night, come as no surprise. Even in moments of complete anomaly, like What a Wonderful Day which comes as a twisted reimagining of LOUIS ARMSTRONG’s legendary feel-good tune, even then, it somehow seems within the expected remit of this far from ordinary bad. 

For fans looking for something beyond a tracklist that is no doubt etched deeply into their minds, the reissue is packed with an endearing bonus at its tail. Recorded at the Progpower Festival, Ghost Mile features three live renditions of some of the band’s most favoured gems. Ghost Mile makes an appearance along with The Meaning of I and Lost from 2009’s I Am The Revolution. It’s not quite a bonus live album but these teasers give a solid impression of how VOYAGER effortlessly translates their mix of spacey vibes and tectonic riffs through polished performances. Plus they turn the closing moments of Loss into the memetic internet anthem Darude Sandstorm so the complaints are fairly minimal. 

If anything, the re-issue stands as a perfect excuse to give an excellent record a few more well-deserved spins. To behold the multi-coloured vinyl in all it’s vibrance, and to bridge the gap until VOYAGER graces the world’s stages once again – this is a package that no self-proclaimed fan of all things prog should overlook. 

Rating: 9/10

Ghost Mile (re-issue) is set for release on July 10th via Season of Mist. 

Like VOYAGER on Facebook.