Ever watch a shark play drums? Now is your chance! Perth’s premier electro prog sensation VOYAGER is all about breaking boundaries and making the unthinkable happen, and as such, they’ve just launched a drum play-through of their latest single, “Submarine,” featuring A. Shark! The bouncy and uplifting track takes you through a progressive pop metal journey that has been complimented for it’s Devin Townsend-esque vibe. Deep down in the depths of Atlantizz we find a rehearsal space with A. Shark busting out the groove on the drums and this play-through of “Submarine” is the result. The clip can be found at THIS LOCATION.
We managed to grab VOYAGER drummer Ash Doodkorte for a quote on how he felt to be relieved of drumming duties and replaced by A. Shark! Doodkorte says:
“‘Submarine’ is a beast of a song to play on the drums – packed to the gills with chaotic fills and bombastic beats that leave me wrecked by the end. It was such a relief to hand over drumming duties to A. Shark for this one and leave it in his very capable fins. He really sunk his teeth into this track, and I think you’ll agree that this frenzied performance is a joy to behold. We’re going to need a bigger kit.”
VOYAGER released “Submarine” ahead of their very successful UK/EU tour with VOLA. Voyager’s new music video takes a dive into the depths of Atlantizz where the band are on the search for a new bass player. VOYAGER break out their fun and spirited side in this music video in conjunction with a song that welcomes the next wave of what Voyager has to offer. The original video can be found HERE while the single can be streamed or downloaded HERE.
ICYMI: In February of 2022, VOYAGER won the hearts of ‘Eurovision – Australia Decides!’ viewers, winning the fan vote by a landslide and coming in second place by a mere three points via the official jury vote for their song “Dreamer!” The band is readying for a redemption round and are currently in the studio working on a new single to throw their hat in the ring again for Eurovision 2023! Stay tuned…!
VOYAGER has recently released 2021’s ‘A Voyage Through Time’ virtual performance on Blu-ray and LP on via Season of Mist! The performance was originally recorded on August 10, 2021 at Magnet House in Perth (AU) and aired on September 5, 2021 in celebration of the anniversary of the Voyager 1 Spacecraft that was launched by NASA.
‘A Voyage Through Time’ presents a one-of-a-kind visual and aural performance that outlines the progression of VOYAGER‘s musical career. The virtual live experience with full production is a journey across two decades and seven albums with a fan-voted set list, exploring a new and enhanced approach to the band’s live show.
‘A Voyage Through Time’ can be ordered HERE while you can stream or download it HERE.
The cover artwork and tracklisting for ‘A Voyager Through Time’ can be found below!
‘A Voyage Through Time’ Tracklisting:
01. To the Morning Light
02. The Eleventh Meridian
03. Sober
04. White Shadow [WATCH]
05. Devil in Me
06. I am the Revolution
07. Iron Dream
08. The Meaning of I
09. Hyperventilating [WATCH]
10. Summer Always Comes Again
11. Seasons of Age
12. To the Riverside
13. Ghost Mile
14. The Fragile Serene
15. Brightstar
16. Runaway [WATCH]
“Integrating new-romantic 80s vocals against intricate textures of flashy synth, technical Opeth-esque riffs and ambient soundscapes, Voyager are a genre-defying cosmic melting pot of prog metal, djent and power pop.” – Metal Hammer
In 2020, VOYAGER‘s music video for “Runaway” was exclusively premiered via ‘Eurovision – Australia Decides!’ Following an application via the Song Portal, the band finally received recognition for submitting a track and were paid tribute on the live television broadcast that aired on Saturday, February 8 on the Gold Coast. The can be seen at THIS LOCATION.
The song was taken from VOYAGER‘s 2019 release ‘Colours in the Sun,’ which received a wealth of international accolades. Recently, the single “Brightstar” was the first place winner in the Rock / Alternative category of the USA songwriting contest! Last year, ‘Colours in the Sun’ was the winner of The Independent Music Award in the Rock/Hard Rock Album category. The record was released in November of 2019 and landed a coveted #1 placement on the Australian Independent Albums chart! ‘Colours in the Sun’ also debuted at #7 on Independent Label Albums as well as #27 on Official iTunes Australia.
‘Colours in the Sun’ can be downloaded and streamed HERE.
Since their 1999 formation, whatever genre norms, boundaries and regulations thrust upon Perth, Australia’s Voyager have been smashed. They embrace, if not brandish pop; employ a keytar on stage, and, bring forward a positive, if not uplifting feeling to their music, running head-first into the endless parade of heavy bands who see the world in a different light. It’s perhaps why the title of their seventh full-length and first for Season of Mist, Colours in the Sun, is apropos: Voyager simply prefers to see the bright side of things.
“Observations of the malaises of the modern world and the baffling obsession with purity and difference all make me think,” says frontman and founding member Danny Estrin. “We’ve never had it better and we’ve never had it more colorful. To me that’s progress, it’s adaptation, it’s evolution and it’s astounding.”
The follow-up to 2017’s Ghost Mile, Colours in the Sun finds Voyager enmeshed in rich, melodic, song-first tapestries, led by Estrin’s smooth, capable clean vocal delivery. Estrin is self-aware of his vocals, calling them “unique and ‘80s.” But whatever tag Estrin affixes to his voice, they are the propellent throughout Colours in the Sun, serving up a steady diet of soaring, emotive choruses, where melody is paramount and along the way, even getting some help from another distinctive belter, Leprous’s Einar Solberg on “Entropy.”
“Einar and I became good friends on our tours through Europe and Australia,” notes Estrin. “I couldn’t help but ask him to guest on the album. He is a fantastic musician and vocalist. I sent him a reference track which he swiftly ignored and laid his own tracks down. The result is stunning!”
The kaleidoscope of sounds that comprise the album’s ten cuts is the result of Voyager’s far-reaching influences, many of which go beyond the traditional realms of metal and rock. Estrin calls it “catchy at the top, proggy at the bottom, as if Dream Theater and Depeche Mode had a baby.” It’s almost as if the term “progressive” is too limiting for Voyager, particularly when the guitar tandem of Simone Dow and Scott Kay merge for complex rhythms while doing battle against Estrin’s vaudeville-like keyboards (!) on “Reconnected.”
The “proggy at the bottom” notice is served by way of the rhythm section of bassist Alex Canion and drummer Ashley Doodkorte, who stretch their musical tentacles across busy, active cuts such as “Saccharine Dream” and the syncopated “Water Over the Bridge.” “I think we found our ‘voice’ on V (2014) and have been building on that ever since,” says Estrin. “The synthwave prog sound is really something that has naturally developed and has been refined even more on the new album. Every record is progress — that’s what progressive music is all about!”
According to Estrin, the Colours in the Sun album title encompasses a “vibrant multitude of people coming together under the hot Australian sun to create a beautiful and colorful soundscape.” It’s capped off by artwork courtesy of Doodkorte, who made the piece out of photographs near his house in Perth. A closer inspection reveals there are seven suns on the cover, one for each Voyager album, topped off by an updated version of the band’s logo comprised of five strokes, one for each member. No doubt a fitting visual summation of a band whose progress can be the described in the most literal and figurative of terms.
“It’s been a slow steady growth over the years,” concludes Estrin. “Other bands come and go after a year of fame. I really feel like we’ve built up an incredible fanbase, especially over the last decade, and the deal with Season of Mist seemed the logical step to take it to the next level together.”
Style: Electro Progressive Metal
Line-up
Danny Estrin – Vocals
Simone Dow – Guitars
Alex Canion – Bass
Scott Kay – Guitars
Ash Doodkorte – Drums
Live audio, mixing and mastering:
Aidan Barton at Sovereign Studios
Remastered for vinyl by Simon Struthers at Forensic Audio
Cover design and layout artist:
Ashley Doodkorte
Cover photography:
Keith Mitchell
Bio:
David E. Gehlke
Shop: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/VoyagerAVTT
Download/stream:
Submarine: https://orcd.co/voyagersubmarine
Dreamer: https://orcd.co/voyagerdreamer
A Voyage Through Time: https://orcd.co/voyager-avtt
Available formats:
CD Digipak
LP in various colours
For more on VOYAGER, visit the band’s official FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, WEBSITE, and BANDCAMP.
For more on SEASON OF MIST artists, visit our official WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE, and TWITTER.
