Voyager: Fearless About The Future
We’re almost six months down the line and VOYAGER’s gatecrashing of the top ten at the Eurovision Song Contest remains a monumental success – not just for VOYAGER, but for music at the heavier end of the spectrum as a whole. Whilst the UK resumed normal service and went from finishing second overall to languishing second from bottom, the infectious, synth-laden power of Promise finished ninth, something that nobody saw coming, least of all the band themselves.
“We didn’t really have too many expectations,” admits drummer Ashley Doodkorte. “We always knew we were going to put everything we had into our performance and leave nothing in the tank, so wherever we ended up we were happy knowing we gave it our all. There isn’t much precedent for a prog-synth-metal band at Eurovision, so there was no way to predict what could happen! If anything, we had one main goal of getting through the semi-finals and into the grand final just so the experience wouldn’t have to end!”
Of course, many will have been aware of VOYAGER prior to the competition – their latest album Fearless In Love is their eighth overall – but naturally, such a global event has seen their profile skyrocket since, a wave the band will ride to the very end. “If there’s one thing that we’ve always been trying to work towards as a band, it’s getting our music out there for people to hear,” explains Ash. “It doesn’t matter if you like it or not, the fact that you got to hear it and had the chance to make up your mind about it is great, and Eurovision really put us in front of a lot of people who may have never heard of us before – which is a huge win, and starts to make all the plugging away behind the scenes feel like it’s going somewhere.”
With the context over, attentions immediately turned to promoting Fearless In Love, which had been in the can for a good year or so prior to the band’s Eurovision involvement. Unlike previous efforts, this one was recorded live in the studio, a practise that Ash believes was an unmitigated success. “I’d like to think it’s how we record VOYAGER albums from now on. We had a lot of fun playing the songs together like that and I think you can hear it on the record – there’s a vibrancy and immediacy to the songs that I find really compelling and quite refreshing.”
That much is definitely true. Fearless In Love is perfectly balanced between the ‘prog metal with added synths’ sound VOYAGER are known for – tracks like The Best Intentions and the DEVIN TOWNSEND-inspired Twisted are testament to that – and the instant accessibility people will have grown to love from their international exposure back in May; yes, Promise is on here, but elsewhere there’s the full-blown 80s pop metal of Daydream and the electronic-infused Dreamer, dripping in musical cheese. Oh, and there’s Ultraviolet, with a cameo from Sean Harmanis of Perth metalcore mob MAKE THEM SUFFER…wait, what?
“We all knew that Ultraviolet needed that extra something-something at the end to bring it home, and we were thinking some really brutal growls like those that Sean seems to effortlessly produce were just the ticket,” explains Ash. “It just so happened that at the time he and Scott (Kay, VOYAGER guitarist) were housemates, so we popped our heads around the corner and asked him very nicely if he’d like to jump on the track with us.”
Since its release, the album has positioned well, reaching #1 in the Australian Independent Rock charts (“Can’t give all those chart positions to TAYLOR SWIFT!” Jokes Ash) and the band found a fan in the guise of celebrated UK comedian and musician Bill Bailey, who turned up at their studio and demanded an album. “That was a bucket list item I didn’t even know I had!” Admits Ash. “Bill was the sweetest, funniest guy with so many stories, and that man can play the keytar! We had a blast… really hope we can coax him onstage with us sometime to dual it out with Danny [Estrin, VOYAGER vocalist and keyboardist]!”
At the time of this interview, VOYAGER were headed to the UK for a tour in October that was, unsurprisingly, already selling out. Ash had spoken about how much it meant to be back touring a country that had supported them, but life would take a tragic turn, with the news that Danny had been diagnosed with cancer and would be undergoing immediate treatment, postponing the run for a full year. Distorted Sound, like the rest of the rock world, wishes Danny the best in his recovery and looks forward to the time where he can perform again and VOYAGER can make their way to these shores.
Fearless In Love is out now via Season Of Mist.
Like VOYAGER on Facebook.