Boston's Voyager, featuring members of hardcore acts Waking Judea and In Remembrance, offers up a debut EP in the vein of Isis, Neurosis, Cult of Luna, and the like. The disc is packed with crushing climaxes and subtle clean melodies, all fluidly transitioned in an impressive display of songwriting progression on a debut release. Sure, it might be easy to view Voyager as a superfluous addition to the continually growing genre, especially with a summer release amidst new records from heavy hitters Cult of Luna and Mouth of the Architect, but with such a solid execution of post-metal fundamentals, it's hard not to like these guys.
The disc opener, "Crushing Winds," begins with warm atmospherics and delay-soaked guitar work and quickly builds with forceful drumming and soaring guitar work. The track then breaks into a thick section of metalcore chugging accompanied by the repeated screams of "We felt the crushing" before settling into a strong post-metal groove. "Static Pulse" is more reminiscent of Cult of Luna as it gives equal attention to both powerful metallic moments and expansive melodic explorations. Voyager continues to display their grasp of songwriting flow, smoothly moving between periods of peaceful ambience, melodic rock-inspired lead guitar work, and prominent metallic low end. And at 32 minutes, it's the perfect dose from a new band looking to show off their abilities in the Neur-Isis arena.
The disc's only drawback occurs with a few melodic inclusions that feel just a little too clean and as a result, a bit out of place. Specifically, the piano-laden outro of "Static Pulse" comes off as slightly sugary and borderline cheesy alongside the rest of the disc's predominantly dark and heavy content. A mixture of melodic and abrasive elements is a staple of this musical style, but it's important to retain a unified direction while touching on these far ends of the spectrum.
Bottom Line: Listeners still interested in well-written, dynamic post-metal will have no difficulty getting into Voyager's debut. With a foundation of metallic climaxes, clean melodies, and ambient fluidity, this is an impressive start for the Boston quintet. |
