Perth prog rockers Voyager return with their seventh studio album “Colours in the Sun” and it features some of their strongest work to date, all showing the signs of a mature band who have used their now vast experience to capture Voyager as they are now.
The world “colourful” has been used to describe the new album and while the artwork may play a part in the impression it leaves when trying to put together words that best encapsulates the album, it’s really the music and the way it sounds and dances along that gives off a certain vibrant vibe. While previous work may have had a darker tone overall, here it’s a more uplifting affair with the more poppier side of the band taking over much of the hooks and melodies that drive Voyager’s core signature.
Kicking off with that all too familiar melodic groove pop sound in “Colours“, the more rockier side of things still has it’s place but the band use it in key moments to make those heavier elements even heavier. Voyager have always been highly dynamic and it shows at their live shows too which they seamlessly capture brilliantly on record, a feat not always succeeded by a lot of bands. “Severomance” is a little softer which occasionally drops some heavy bombs sporadically leading to an explosive ending.
“Brightstar” was the first track heard earlier in the year before their appearance at Download Festival Australia and it’s easy to see why they led with this track. A strong synth driven groove and a vocal melody from frontman Danny Estrin captures Voyagers trademark sound down to a tee, ending in another bombastic way to really leave an imprint in your mind. Going off on a slight tangent is the proggy number “Saccharine Dream” where funky drum beats dance around off beat tempos, this one is easily one of the more diverse tracks and will surely be a favorite among those seeking a bit more technical stuff.
“Entropy” features Einar Solberg from Norwegian prog masters Leprous, a band who have become good mates with Voyager having been to Australia a few times in the past. That relationship is cemented further with this collaboration featuring a strong vocal performance from Einar with the subject matter a fascinating reality of nature that could be interpreted in many ways in life. In fact the overall theme oozes science and nature in the album, with the progressive aspects of the band blending well with the natural landscapes of the videos released for the singles. Speaking of, “Reconnected” goes for the throat on that prog side of things whereas “Now or Never” serves merely as an interlude piece despite the vocal delivery added into this short track.
Coming towards the end of the album, the best is still to come with “Sign of the Times” having a fantastic drum and bass focused performance which really takes the spotlight. “Water Over the Bridge” starts with a heavy intro leading to an atmospheric song driven by some face melting riffs which follows a somewhat unconventional path ending in a different place than where it started. The video is just as enthralling as Perth fans will recognise some familiar scenery! The closing track “Runaway” differentiates itself from the rest of the pack however, the melodic rocker starring some fantastic keyboard work in the solo section making this a strong album closer.
Overall Voyager definitely have a winner here with their now evolved sound moving into different territories but still retaining their trademark sound that makes this band stand out among the rest. As a live band which is where they excel at the most, one has to be frothing at the mouth to hear these songs live but they have done well to capture that live sound on record with “Colours in the Sun“.
8/10
Tracklist:
Colours
Severomance
Brightstar
Saccharine Dream
Entropy
Reconnected
Now or Never
Sign of the Times
Water Over the Bridge
Runaway
