Any artist has their whole life to make their debut solo album and any band has their whole period of existence leading up to the first time they set foot in a studio to make their fist record. Sometimes it takes a few to really built up the appropriate amount of chops and technique to finally get the just desserts of a larger following, but for Australia's
Voyager, things are a little different. Literally coming out of nowhere, this quintet delivers one impressive debut, and hard to believe that it is their initial record in the first place.
On
Element V, when it comes to the 14 opuses involved, you easily have the sub-symphonic elements present within tracks like "
The Ancient Labyrinth" and "
Cosmic Armageddon (part one & two)" as well as more straight ahead power metal tracks such as "
Monument" and "
Kingdoms of Control," but each one stands out on it's own. Their material is strong throughout, most notably with the Maiden-esque "
The Eleventh Meridian" and "
To the Morning Light" (which sounds like early Stratovarius), which at this point it's agreeable that these two songs should be all over metal radio. They have the hooks and riffs that reach out and grab you.
Voyager does show us a different side to their musical stance with some odd interluding soundscapes that you don't hear too often, at least to this caliber, "
Towards Uncertainty" and the techno dance beat laden "
The V Element," are examples of how
Voyager can do this in a way that only these guys (well, four guys and a girl) could get away with.
While keeping an even balance with the song and musical aspects tied in, the other thing that stands out is keyboardist/vocalist Daniel Estrin's range. His pipes provide a more smooth approach to the lyrical structure, providing less harsh falsettos, taking the timbre of Geoff Tate's lower range, although he does growl on occasion, that edge fits well with the whole musical approach.
Element V proves positive that they really spent a lot of effort on this recording, whether referring to the writing or the musicianship; even the production is a clear as a bell, they know what making records is all about, no doubt about that. For comparisons, there is a little bit of Rhapsody, Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, and Cage, but they have a clear distinction to them, it's more like the influences are present more than the comparisons.
At this point this is one band to keep an eye on, they are a seasoned band, so to speak, even if they have only one release to their name.
Written by
Hashman Thursday, February 17, 2005
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