VOYAGER

w/ Darker Half, Thundasteel, and Celephai

The Lewisham Hotel, Sydney – 13th November 2009

Around a month or two ago, when Perth band Voyager announced that they would be doing a bunch of East Coast shows in support of their latest album, “I am the reVolution”, I was skeptical about the fact that their Sydney show was going to be held at the Lewisham Hotel. The main reason for my skepticism was due to the fact that the last two times Voyager had played in Sydney, they played more renowned venues with a better reputation for both sound and attendance.

After speaking before the event with the show’s promoter, Metal Evilution, I discovered that he had a sneaking suspicion that the night was going to have problems, as he had not had previous luck with shows that fell on the blackest of all days, Friday the 13^th.

After arrival, the timetable for the night was forced to be put on the backburner due to an unknown scheduling conflict that the venue had forced upon the night. To put it in basic terms, the Lewisham decided that some amateur strippers parading their stuff on the live stage in front of a menagerie of mid-afternoon drunks was more important than keeping a pre-organised show (who were bringing in paying clientele mind you) from adhering to their door opening time. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love breasts just as much as the next man, but I was there to see some quality live music.

So after a late sound check, the first band of the night, Newcastle’s Celephai, were finally able to begin. While Celephai put on a solid, tight set, I couldn’t help but think something was missing. The guitarist, Dylan, soared through his blistering solos with a competency to match that of the greats such as Jeff Loomis, but I think it may have been that Tim’s vocals could have used a bit of melody to match the intensity of the music. But the death metal growls still held their own, and I think Celephai are definitely a band to keep an eye on.

With what seemed like an instant change over, Thundasteel hit the stage. This 4 piece band’s name perfectly describes what this band is all about, classic metal, often in a speed metal vein, and nothing but! With tracks that have the ability to become metal anthems in due time, Thundasteel pummeled through their set with vocalist Alex delivering high powered vocal line after vocal line. Unfortunately during their set there were a few sound problems, which progressed during the night, which will be discussed later. Nonetheless, definitely a band worth watching if you get the chance!

Next up were the main support of the night, Darker Half, who have earned an admirable fan base in the Sydney metal scene, and tonight definitely proved how much these guys have become worthy of such admiration. Darker Half played an extremely tight 40 minute set, where they played through a good selection of tracks from their debut album released this year. This is a band where you know that each member is having a ball on stage, and after how many shows they’ve played this year, that’s a definite tribute to the energy and dedication Darker Half shows on a nightly basis.

And finally we come to the headliners of the night, all the way from Perth, Voyager. This is a band that I’ve made sure to see every time they’ve visited Sydney over the last few years and have definitely earned a place as one of my favourite Australian bands playing today. Voyager hit the stage blasting into the opening track, “Land of the Lies” from their new album. Unfortunately, it was apparent from the first track that they were having sound problems up on stage, although it still sounded quiet alright from in front of the stage. Sound problems aside, Voyager continued on playing through a variety of tracks from their three albums. Each member of Voyager held themselves with an amazing stage presence, definitely living up to their promise of an entertaining live show. Bassist Alex Canion and lead vocalist and keyboardist, Daniel Estrin, shared many amusing antics on stage and worked the crowd extremely well, while guitarists Simone Dow and Chris Hanssen shred through some of the most fitting and heart-felt solos I’ve heard in progressive/melodic metal before. I’d also feel like I was not doing my job as a reviewer if I didn’t mention how tight and perfect drummer Mark Boeijen played during the set.

As I’d mentioned before, Voyager were having sound problems from the get-go and after they played through an exceedingly amazing medley consisting of a variety of songs from Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Pantera, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Toto, and Rage Against The Machine to name a few, Voyager kicked in to the title track from their latest album “I am the reVolution”, before having to quit the stage due to guitarist Simone’s guitar completely dropping out and the stage sound becoming unbearable. Twas a shame as we missed three tracks from the set due to the problems, but was a breath taking show nonetheless. I’m just glad I got to witness their full set the next night at the Central Coast show in Wyong.

So, despite the night’s problems, it was still an enjoyable live experience, with Voyager absolutely blowing me away! I am still singing their songs in my head even though it was a few days ago. Let’s see how I’m doing in a few weeks’ time.

Voyager Set List – The Lewisham Hotel, Sydney – 13th November 2009
1. Land Of The Lies
2. To The Morning Light
3. White Shadow
4. The Devil In Me
5. Pulse 04
6. Medley
7. I Am The Revolution

(songs omitted from the set list include “Total Existence Failure”, “Sober”, and “11^th Meridian”)