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With Voyager another band from Australia is on the way. The debut Element V of Voyager was released in 2004 and now the multi-national band is back with UniVers. If the band members are sci-fi fans or had other reasons to choose this name, I don't know. But in an interview it should be possible to find out more about the band from Perth.
They kick off UniVers with Higher Experience and show that there are no limits in their music! Here they combine power metal with progressive elements, dark parts and symphonic keyboards. The song even has parts which remind me of some stadium rocker... Singer / keyboarder Daniel Estrin shows that he has a range of sounds to offer - from deep parts to higher notes and even growls. The keyboard at an airy sound to parts where guitar riffs dominate and complex drum patterns make this stand out. The track fades out with the sound of a busy phone line. With heavy, powerful riffs from Mark De Vattimo and Simone Dow the track Deep Weeds begins, but then the vocals take over for a moment. A catchy melodic rocker, but with some surprises! There are twists and turns you don't expect! Daniel Estrin's vocals add a dark note to the sound. And so you can say that they are voyagers in sonic worlds, coz it seems that they don't accept limits. On Pulse 04 they push it further and Estrin adds some high screams. Other songs like Everwaiting have a light dark wave feeling and sometimes the vocals have a slightly touch of Entwine's Mika Tauriainen. Falling has some anthem-like parts - a bit like old Helloween (Kiske era) -, but also some balladesque parts where the focus is on Estrin's vocals. They switch between the melodic power metal parts and parts where they pull back and reduce everything to focus on the vocals.
No surprise that they chose Sober for a video, coz the song has heavy parts, catchy melodies and the vocals are touching. Btw, the video clip is also on the CD, so check it out! Its the gothic touch which makes them differ from melodic progressive metal bands.
The band played in 2006 at ProgPower Europe - beside many shows in their home country through the years - and is already on the billing for ProgPower U.K. 2008! They plan to hit the European clubs, too.
Check out: Sober, Cross The Line and Falling.
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