On October 6th, 2012 we sat down with Australian progressive metallers from VOYAGER to talk about their still hot and fresh 2011 album “The Meaning Of I”, their Australian East Coast trek coming this November and a few more. Turn off your punk player for a while and dive into these fine progressive tunes with us.
Hey! Thanks for taking some time with us, guys. You’re gearing up for your Australian East Coast run in November. You’ll be supporting your 2011 full length “The Meaning Of I”. Tell us what can we expect on this tour?
Dzien Dobry Karol! Dzjenkuje barzdo za interview! (terrible Polish sorry, my girlfriend is teaching me).
You can expect the usual Voyager show – intense, entertaining, sweaty and lots of fun. You can also expect us to throw in some serious numbers as well as some silly stuff. All in all, it’s a show!
Fans interact so well with us that it’s always a pleasure to play live. Someone asked me recently what makes a great show. I told them: “Seeing fans sing the lyrics and smile and seeing people who’ve never seen us before “get” us”. That, a good sound and some goodlooking people in the crowd make it all worthwhile [laughs].
Wow, what a nice surprise. I didn’t see it coming, Australian-o-Polish [laughs]. Dzien dobry, Panowie. Bardzo milo mi Was goscic [smiles].
What are your next touring plans? Any chances to see you guys live in Europe sometime soon?
We are dying to come back. The response to “Meaning of I” especially in Eastern Europe has been great. I’m coming to Poland in November so I might check out the scene!
Europe has really embraced us which is amazing, although I was surprised to see how well we did in the USA. It was incredible. I thought it was all lamb of god stuff over there but no, melodic metal has a great audience.
Nice. Drop by, say hello and check out some metal gigs to feel the audience [smiles].
You recently released a fan-driven video for the track “Seize The Day” featuring smartphone recordings. Tell us about the idea and the process of creating the video.
Yeah this was an interesting idea our director had. Why not use smartphones? Initially it was going to be just people filming our liveshow on their phones, and then I thought it would be awesome to get fans filming themselves singing it. So we did it and to be honest, I wasn’t sure how it would go. But it worked out so well, even when you consider that about 100 people said “YEAH LET’S DO IT” and only some actually did (kinda like invites to a party). But then it was such a success. People doing acrobatics, families in cars, wonderwoman, crazy girls with cats and guns.. the whole lot…
It’s been more than a year since the release date of “The Meaning Of I”. What’s the next step when it comes to your discography? I know your last outing is still fresh, but I bet you’re already writing [smiles].
Oh yeah we’re totally writing! It’s actually incredible, we are so creative at the moment and the songs are freaking awesome. Mature, refined, fun but still 100% VOYAGER. A lot of it is a bit more rhythmic and Ash’s drumming adds a whole new dimension to it!
We already have a few newies, from fast, SCAR SYMMETRY-influenced metallic numbers to some very different chord structures and extremely catchy choruses!
Nice. We’re ready to post some news, so don’t hesitate to drop a line with an update.
Will you be teaming up with Sensory Records once again for a new outing?
Yeah I think so, they’ve been good to us. You know, after having had so many problems with being screwed over by labels, we had to be careful. Ken has come through with the goods for us and he is a very welcoming guy. He even cooked us all an amazing meal with his wife, when we visited him in New Jersey. Top guy.
How do you feel like you’ve developed as a band since you first started playing?
Musically we have progressed from what is pretty much melodic power metal to what I’d call modern progressive metal with synth-pop overtones.
We’ve had a few lineup changes over the years and I must say that is tough, but with every change comes something amazing. I honestly thing what we have now is rock solid. Every member is musically amazing and the songwriting process is the best it’s ever been!
About your writing process, does the songwriting process start on any one individual instrument, or do the songs take shape on different instruments at the same time?
Usually starts in my head as I’m walking somewhere and I hum a tune and it unfolds into something creative. Then it’s usually keyboards and pads and then it’s usually riffage at rehearsal. Lately there’s been a lot of rhythmic mucking around which has been awesome because Ash’s drumming has complemented a style we haven’t explored much before. Plus a lot of the new stuff is a bit heavier too, but no less melodic.
Are there any bands that are really knocking you out? Outside the progressive rock genre, perhaps?
I really like MUTEMATH from the USA, and I’m a big INFECTED MUSHROOM fan as well. I know the others are into stuff like MUSE and FUTURE OF THE LEFT and Alex is now heavily into all sorts of funk stuff [smiles]
Believe it or not, I’m actually a massive fan of vocal trance. The cheesier and dreamier the better.
Are there other projects the band members are currently working on?
Alex has joined a Rod Stewart tribute band (no kidding). Scott has just release ABSENT HEARTS’ new album feat Dan Tompkins (ex-TESSERACT) on vocals which is a great mellower record. Ash plays in 4000 bands and I can never keep up with what he’s doing (neither can he I think)… and me? Well I do a lot of dark synthpop electro stuff which one day will see the light!
[laughs] Rod Stewart, oh boy… [smiles]
Has the explosion in social media services helped you find new fans and forced you to do things you’ve never done with your promotion?
Absolutely, but you know, it’s been a natural thing for us, especially interacting with our fans directly via Facebook. It’s really awesome and I think bands should do it more often…
I mean, I think we’re using social media pretty well, just look at YOUTUBE and the SEIZE THE DAY clip. Now even Devin Townsend is doing it!
Ok, so tell us what are your hobbies besides supporting this band? Do you surf? Aren’t you afraid of sharks? [smiles]
Surfing is totally out, not because of sharks but because I can’t surf… Plus I don’t really like the ocean that much.. Give me a game of tennis or volleyball any day!
During the day I’m a lawyer, which is spectacularly opposed to me on stage! But you know, until music pays all the bills..
Oh and Alex has just taken a break from work and is working on his own creative services stuff (including the Rod Stewart, I can’t wait to see it).
And if you need some online guitar lessons from Scott, I’m sure he can arrange that!
Cool. Thanks, guys. Feel free to add anything you want and I forgot to ask. Regards from Poland! Mam nadzieję, że mocno skopiecie dupe na swoich nadhodzacych kocnertach. Wszystkiego najlepszego! [smiles]
Thanks so much for your time. Remember to check us out on the social media and take a look at our latest clip SEIZE THE DAY.
Can’t wait to hit the stage again in Australia and the rest of the world (hopefully next year). Bardzo dobze!
