uniVers

Progressive metal has an interesting fanbase; they seem to hold some kind of opinion that they are better than all of their friends who don't listen to progressive music. I guess a lot of this has to do with the complexity of progressive metal, but honestly, a lot of it is the sheer inaccessibility of the music. It's a type of style that one must really dig into and put their mind to work, separating all of the layers and absorbing the music. In that regard, it is some of the most intelligent music out there.

... Then Voyager comes in, rising from the land down under in utter obscurity. While their music is definitely within the bounds of progressive metal - with changing rhythms and complex layers - this may be some of the most (intelligently) catchy music I have ever heard. Every song is an earworm, working its way into your skull and sticking in there. Every song here makes me come back to it, begging to be graced by its unique blend of melody, complexity, and, ultimately, accessibility. Indeed, any band with this level of infectious melodies must be accessible. It's a simple law of music.

Throughout the entire album, those infectious melodies never cease, and they're carried predominantly by the guitar. There's a plethora of thrilling riffs in every damn song. It can be summed up perfectly in opener "Higher Existence," which travels through several of them in it alone. It travels through several moods established in tempo and rhythm changes, and it is a definite highlight of the album.

There is keyboard use all over too. While it is often used in the background, there are several dominant melodies in use as well. The perfect example is in "Everwaiting," which opens up with one of those thrilling riffs I mentioned above, then proceeds directly into a sexy keyboard melody beneath Daniel Estrin's powerful vocals. As all progressive metal works, there are multiple layers to work through and crawl under. There's a myriad nuances established primarily by those keyboard melodies, hidden underneath the riffs and waiting to be explored.

Even with all of this, what really makes this music for me is the power of those vocals. Daniel Estrin reminds me a bit of Roy Khan during latter Kamelot albums - not in sound, but in delivery. Daniel carries a certain somber poignancy in his voice that builds over all of those melodies and creates a very emotional atmosphere in almost every song. Out of all these songs, in none is it done better than in the short interlude "Between the Sheets," the biggest highlight of the album for me. His vocals come in over acoustic riffing and a haunting piano melody, creating an atmosphere that is somehow relaxing and spine-tingling; it conjures a certain melodramatic beauty I crave dozens of times. It isn't just his voice that does it; in songs such as "Sober" and "Falling" (as well as "Between the Sheets"), the instruments push back the complexity just a bit to evoke that same melancholic emotion, and Daniel's vocals send it soaring. In other songs, such as aforementioned "Higher Existence," the stellar riffing is paused and the emotion bursts through right in the middle, carried by Daniel's vocals as always.

Ultimately, this music is a true voyage. It's an exploration through top notch progressive metal that incorporates - in smaller amounts - multiple other styles as well. It's a journey through heavy and complex soundscapes that reel you in with constant hooks; the soundscape's path full of many twists and winding turns. Best of all, all of their albums do this in different ways, and always do they succeed. It is in uniVers, however, did they produce the highlight of their career. They deserve way more attention than they've gotten, and I'm amazed they haven't. Their music is far too contagious to be so unknown, and their music is far too sophisticated to deserve it.