The Eurovision submission of progressive metal five-piece Voyager is a history-making moment, as it marks the first time ever that an Aussie band has represented the country.
Voyager – made up of Daniel Estrin, Simone Dow, Ashley Doodkorte, Alex Canion and Scott Kay – know just how monumental their submission is and they aren’t taking the honour lightly.
“I’m really, really excited that SBS went out on the limb and shook things up and decided to send Voyager,” Estrin told Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
Speaking of the iconic upcoming performance where they will play “Promise”, Estrin shared some insight on how he believes this year’s Eurovision will vary from previous years.
“I think this is the year for heavy music and rock music to really shine like it probably hasn’t really ever before at Eurovision. So I’m very, very excited from that perspective,” he said.
Voyager has a distinct sound, which even Estrin struggles to define himself, but the band’s music is generally referred to as progressive metal.
“We’re technically progressive metal in the true sense of the word [but] the pro prog metal purists will say, ‘oh, it’s not progressive enough, because you’ve got verse, chorus verse and your songs are not 15 minutes.’
“But, I think if you’re talking to metal nerds or people who are in the know with metal, yeah, it’s progressive. It’s like an 80 synth metal, progressive kind of electro metal type. Whereas if you’re talking to people who really don’t understand a lot of the subgenres of metal, I guess it’s kinda like saying it’s eighties pop.”
During the interview, Daniel drew attention to Germany’s submission Lord of the Lost, which he says is a great example of why he believes this year’s Eurovision is “the year for heavy music”.
“Germany was announced, which is another metal band, [but they are] vastly different to us. People have been saying, ‘That’s your biggest competition at the moment.’ I don’t really see it as competition. I’d see it more like a celebration of heavy music.”
The vocalist says that Voyager is concentrating on performing the best they possibly can, rather than on their competition. “I don’t think our style has a direct competitor,” Estrin insists. “I think we’re different enough to be in a league of our own.
“I don’t want to sound maniacal or ego artistic, but I think we’re different. What we do is vastly different to what any other artist is doing, I think.”
If you haven’t already seen Voyager play live, you should probably head over to YouTube and check them out immediately. The band manages to expertly tie in all the showy parts of a performance, like lights and choreography, while still delivering, pure, raw talent. Daniel warns that Voyager’s performance at Eurovision, which airs from May 10th-May 14th on SBS and SBS On Demand, will be “what we do normally live but on steroids.”
“When Voyager plays live, we have a great time. We have fun and we love the music, we love the audience, and we love the people that we play music with. When you get a chance to do that on the biggest stage on earth with the biggest musical song contest on the planet, you have to step it up and you’ve gotta amplify whatever you do by a thousand,” he said.
“I want people to have the same [excited] feeling, whether they’re in the crowd or watching it on tv. At the end of it, I want people to go ‘That song took me on a journey, that staging took me on a journey, and I’ve come out of it feeling elated and happy that this music is in my life.'”
