Artist: Now,Voyager
Release: Seas (EP)
Release Date: Out Now
The first thing that strikes you about Now, Voyager is that actually, they’re pretty good. They aren’t brilliant but unlike most bands they aren’t terrible or hopelessly derivative. For this alone someone should get these guys some sort of certificate.
The band’s sound is something akin to a semi-techy approach to metalcore, the massive emotive choruses sit alongside the obligatory flashy tapping sections and strained yells. It’s no bad sound to go for, but its one that often finds itself limited by its own self imposed genre limitations and the key thing that evades so many heavy bands – song writing.
For most of ‘Seas’ the band are somewhat guilty of this. These songs aren’t terrible by any means, but mostly its a case of lots of cool parts without the cohesive aspect of the seasoned or natural song writer. In particular this is felt most in the band’s more melodic and soaring sections where they could be near interchangeable for many of their peers, particularly their American peers, which given the band hail from Brussels is something. During the band’s heavier moments they achieve something a bit more unique in that they aren’t obtusely heavy. Walls of distortion and horrendously low tuned guitars playing bolt on breakdowns are for the most part exchanged for more frantic and somewhat melodic riffs. On some of the tracks the band display a real knack for a catchy riff, but they never quite catch fire and really take off. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly why, because the band can clearly play, even if the performance does sometimes seem somewhat phoned in.
At the end of the day if you’re fan of the latter day generation of American metal acts blending the technical approach of metal with the agression of hardcore and the occasional soaring melodic moment there’s a good chance you’ll get something out of Now, Voyager. If you’re looking for something to really catch you and invigorate you like no band has before…well, you’re better off casting your eye to elsewhere on the continent.
6/10
Reviewer: Calum McMillan
