Australia’s Voyager throw everything but the kitchen sink at the listener on their fourth full-length album, The Meaning of I. They prove themselves to be progressive in every sense of the word. They jump all over the musical spectrum flawlessly weaving numerous different genres together. Their experimental approach integrates symphonic, electronic, and even a dark 80s pop sound with various genres of metal. This creates a highly unique and surprisingly amazing sound.
The first song I heard from The Meaning of I was the title track. It absolutely blew me away. Being new to Voyager I had no idea what to expect, but it instantly hooked itself right into me. “The Meaning of I” comes roaring in with fantastic fret work and a pounding rhythm. The powerful chorus will surely have you singing along in no time. The intelligent lyrics match the intelligent music yet neither are ever out of the listener’s grasp. Their music is not for the narrow-minded though. Voyager aren’t confined within the walls of any one genre. They are a band that definitely knows how to think outside of the box. The excellent production really helps convey this and slowly reveals just how deep and expansive the layers are in their sound.
When I could finally take “The Meaning of I” off of repeat I realized that the rest of the album was equally amazing. Infectious songs like “Broken” and “Morning Light II” will still be stuck in your head hours after the final track has finished playing. The catchy melodies and grooving rhythms refuse to be resisted. And what metal head wouldn’t want to listen to a song about legendary Type O Negative frontman Peter Steele? That’s exactly what “Iron Dream” is. While there’s vast amounts of melody and pop elements on the album, there is also plenty heavy to stoke the metal fires. Like…well..”Fire of Times.” “Are you Shaded?” is another driving headbanger that even incorporates some death growls. With their experimental and progressive nature you would think that there would be an arbitrary fifteen minute song lurking just waiting to rear it’s ugly head. Nope! Voyager keep things exciting and on point through the entire album. Although I honestly feel they could easily keep such a track interesting.
The Meaning of I is an amazing album without a single dull moment anywhere in its entirety. It’s a breath of fresh air that fans of many different genres of metal can enjoy. It grows stronger with each successive listen, and it deserves quite a few.
Rating: 9.5/10
Related posts:
Loading ...
