members of voyager (australian band)

Who are Voyager, the band representing Australia at this year's Eurovision?

The synth-metal group will represent australia at the 67th eurovision song contest in liverpool with their song promise..

Perth-based synth-metal band Voyager will represent Australia at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. Source: Supplied / Michael Dann

• SBS has announced Perth-based synth-metal group Voyager as Australia's 2023 Eurovision Song Contest pick.
• It's the first time a band will represent Australia at the contest, to be held in Liverpool in the United Kingdom.
• The contest will be held from 9 -13 May.

'Dream come true': Australia's Sheldon Riley through to Eurovision grand final

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Who are metal band Voyager? Australia’s Eurovision entry set to rock the contest

Australia has a short but impactful history in Eurovision , and its 2023 entry looks set to be among its most memorable.

Metal band Voyager have been trying to get a place on the show since before Australia was even competing, so when Europe was extended to a land down under for the show in 2015, they were keen to join the fun.

Bass player Alex Cainon told the NME : “The most common feedback we get is that we look like we’re having fun onstage – which we’ve found, over the years, translates into the crowd themselves having fun. And that’s exactly what Eurovision is about, you know?”

Voyager formed in 1999 in the Western Australian city of Perth - a place other Aussies will tell you is in “woop woop” (a million miles from anywhere). And perhaps as geographical outsiders they have had what it takes to form a cult following which has seen them release eight albums - most recently Fearless in Love this year.

There is a huge Eurovision following in Australia and the country was set to compete only once in 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary, but has returned every year since - although it has yet to win. While it is not unheard of for a metal band to win the competition (remember Lordi in 2006?) Voyager are considered outsiders for this year’s competition which begins, for them, on Thursday, May 11 with the second semi-final.

But winning is not everything and the band are instead hoping to put Australian metal onto the global stage.

“Eurovision is the kind of thing you can do and come out of with a completely new fanbase,” guitarist Scott Kay told NME .

“If they’re into more obscure types of music, hopefully they’ll see us and then check out all the other amazing talent we have in Australia.”

Voyager will enter the 2023 competition with their song Promise which they hope will provide a solid entry point for fans. The band have crossed the boundary and are now in the host city of Liverpool hoping to make the final which will be on Saturday.

To find out more about Eurovision 2023 click here .

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Voyager (Australian band)

Australian progressive metal band / from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, dear wikiwand ai, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:.

Can you list the top facts and stats about Voyager (Australian band)?

Summarize this article for a 10 year old

Voyager are an Australian progressive metal band from Perth , Western Australia , who were formed in 1999. The band has released eight albums. Their eighth studio album, Fearless in Love , was released worldwide on 14 July 2023 through French American metal record label Season of Mist . [2] They represented Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the song " Promise ", finishing in ninth place. [3]

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INTERVIEW: Daniel Estrin & Ashley Doodkorte – Voyager

Bloodstock   Festival 2018 was easily one of the best festivals we have been to in recent years, it was genuinely incredible. Now that our review of the full weekend is officially live, it’s time to start sharing the interviews we had with some of the amazing bands over the weekend. We had the chance to chat with  Daniel Estrin [Vocals]  and  Ashley Doodkorte [Drums]  from Australian progressive metal veterans  VOYAGER to discuss the pains of touring the land from down under, and how the band have developed past the standard writing blocks as their career has progressed!

Thank you for bringing the Perth sun with you! 

Daniel: You’re most welcome

Ashley: It’s funny, the guys we spoke to at the last festivals we went to said the same thing, last month!

VOYAGER have had a very busy festival season this year. Where have you played in total? 

Daniel:  Yeah we’ve been all around this year. We’ve done Tech-Fest , Ramblin’ Man . Ramblin’ Man was a cool one, it’s kinda like bluesy, much older crowd.

Ashley: I think it was THE CULT  that were headlining

Daniel:  Yeah THE CULT  were headlining so it was that kinda vibe. It was weird cause we were easily the heaviest band on the line up, and people were kinda taken back but you could see them get into it!

Ashley:  It was weird being the heaviest band on that line up and then over here we’re probably one of the lightest bands!

Would you rather be a band that can play anywhere or be a true scene hero? 

Ashley: I think being able to play anywhere is one of our strengths. I’d always rather be a band that can have all different kinds of shows rather than playing the same stuff.

Being at a through and through metal festival like Bloodstock, do you think prog is a bit of a dirty word? 

Daniel: Dirty word is probably a bit much, I don’t think people pay too much attention to the labels.

Ashley: Everyone I’ve spoken too has seemed to have no issue with the labels at all!

Daniel:  Yeah I think it’s a label that describes something different, something a bit more out there. But I don’t think it’s a dirty word, we’ve always just been playing what we want to play.

You probably get asked this a lot but what is it about Australia that makes it have such a thriving music scene? 

Ashley: I think a lot of it has to do with the isolation. For the longest time we had to entertain ourselves, we didn’t have bands flying over and international touring was almost unheard of, so we had to do something, and I think that has really helped the music scene over there grow into what it is now. It’s crazy, you see festival line ups with like six-seven Australian bands on there and it’s almost like when did this happen?!

With the death of Soundwave in Australia, what do you think it is about the country that makes it difficult to have a festival? 

Daniel:  Geographically and logistically it’s very very hard. The country is just so massive, it’s a five/six hour flight from Perth to Sydney and you’re still in the same country!

Ashley:  There was recently a festival that had nothing but Australian bands on it. Bar LEPROUS  I’m pretty sure every band on the line up was Australian, which is awesome y’know!

Coming back to the eclectic sound you guys have, you still maintain a real sense of structure and catchy melody. Is this intentional? 

Ashley: When we go to write, we never think we have to do anything at all. We just let it happen and let ourselves create.

Daniel: We write what we want to hear and what we like. I love catchy choruses so I write them and put them in the songs!

Ashley: Sometimes we write something takes us off guard though. Makes us kinda go ‘oh’ a little bit.

Daniel: Yeah but then the sound becomes us.

Being in a band for so long, where do the struggles lie in the writing process? 

Ashley: I don’t actually know, I don’t think there are any real problems at all!

Daniel:  Yeah I don’t know! You’re a perfectionist so we know where your difficulties lie!

Ashley: I think one of the biggest problems is too many cooks spoil the brew! If all five of us are working on a song, it can be far less productive than if just three of us were say.

Daniel: Yeah absolutely, I would also say one of the hardest things is getting to grips with a song. I was talking about this recently, and there was this one song we had that I was jamming last year and just couldn’t get it into it, just nah. And then this year…

Ashley:  Oh this was a couple of days ago!

Daniel:  Yeah, and I listened to it in the hotel room and I just got it, it all made sense finally, and that’s a really hard thing.

Ashley:  Yeah there have been songs that I’ve hated, but only after I’ve recorded and heard the final mix that I’m like “ahhh now I get it. This song makes sense now”.

Daniel: ‘Kinda like the Bohemian Rhapsody effect of song writing. “ Freddie , what the hell are you doing now?”

We have to talk about crowdfunding because it went so well for VOYAGER. Would you ever do it again? 

Daniel: No I don’t think we would…

Why’s that? 

Daniel: It’s just so much work. All of the work falls onto you, and it is so rewarding but it’s also a massive strain on creativity. Admin is the death of creativity and crowdfunding is just all admin.

Ashley:  I think it’s really great for bands to start out, but I think it should be a platform for bands to eventually stand on their own feet. We did it the once and now we’ve progressed and evolved past it. So it’s great, but for younger bands it should be just that, a platform for them to utilise in order to stand up.

Daniel:  It’s just the worst when you’re down the post office with a thousand CDs and it’s just like oh my god.

Ashley:  Nah what’s worse is when the cashier is just like “what the fuck”. I became very good friends with my local post office!

Like VOYAGER on Facebook .

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Voyager to represent Australia at Eurovision, as synth-metal band to sing Promise in Liverpool

A band will represent Australia for the first time at the Eurovision Song Contest, with WA synth-metal group Voyager named as the entrant for the 2023 competition with the song Promise.

This year will be the eighth time that Australia has participated as a contestant at the world-famous TV music festival — for the first time since 2018, host broadcaster SBS has opted for an internal selection, without holding a public national final.

"As a long-time Eurovision fan, this is the pinnacle — Voyager gets to play the greatest show on earth!" lead singer Danny Estrin said in a statement.

"Our song Promise is made for the Eurovision stage and collectively we feel it's one of our best yet.'

The song is a progressive pop number featuring Voyager's trademark sound with big guitars, keytar solos and driving rhythms.

Mr Estrin said it was surreal to know they were going to be a part of the competition.

"It's really such an honour to be representing at Eurovision," he said.

"My own story is a migrant story, we arrived in WA in 1992 and the opportunities that this state and country have given me and the band have been absolutely phenomenal.

"For us, even going to Eurovision now is a win."

WA Tourism Minister Roger Cook said he thought the band could go "all the way".

"These guys have got what it takes to attract the world and to attract the eyes of the judges," he said.

Voyager's selection caps a long journey to Eurovision.

The Perth-based outfit has been trying to make it to the contest for eight years since Australia was first announced as a participant in 2015, after being invited as part of celebrations for the contest's 60th anniversary.

Voyager submitted songs each year to the contest. In 2020, they were shortlisted but just missed out on the final 11 for national final Australia Decides with their song Runaway.

Last year, they made it to Australia Decides with Dreamer, but lost by three votes to Sheldon Riley and his song Not the Same.

Voyager won the public vote, but lost on the combined score when votes from the jury were added in.

Riley went on to reach the final in Turin, Italy, finishing 15th.

So far in 2023, including Australia's selection, 22 of the 37 nations competing in Liverpool have named their artists and songs for the contest.   

SBS head of entertainment Emily Griggs said: "Voyager have been determined to get centre stage for the biggest song contest in the world and SBS know they will bring that grit with them along with a whole lot of fun. Look out Europe, the Aussies are coming!".

The director of SBS production partner Blink TV, Paul Clarke said:

"From the very first listen I knew it was something special — an epic, cinematic track that will take listeners on an anthemic rock voyage all the way to the Eurovision stage.

"This year, Australia’s hopes are in the masterful hands of a band for the first time ever, and I can’t wait for Voyager to rock your socks off in Liverpool.”

The band has toured around the world and released seven albums — work on an eighth will begin later this year.

Australia's contract with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) — the organisers of Eurovision — runs out in 2023, so this could be Australia's last year as a contestant.

The contest will be held in the United Kingdom , at Liverpool Arena in Liverpool, as last year's winners, Ukraine, were unable to host due to the war with Russia.

The contest will be held in May this year. There will be two semi-finals, on May 10 and 12 (Australian time) — Australia will be in the second semi-final, along with Albania, Armenia, Cyprus, Romania, Austria, Denmark, Lithuania, San Marino, Belgium, Slovenia, Iceland, Georgia, Greece, Poland and Estonia. 

The top 10 vote-getting countries will advance to the final on May 14 (Australian time).

Australia has never won the contest, with Dami Im producing the best result with a second place with her song Sound of Silence in 2016.

The contest will be live-blogged by ABC.

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Voyager: Meet the Eurovision die-hards finally representing Australia

Prog-rock band voyager have come close to representing their country a couple of times in the past, article bookmarked.

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Australia may have only joined Eurovision in 2015, but fans are hoping 2023 could be the country’s year thanks to the star power of prog-rock band Voyager .

The five-piece – whose current line-up features Daniel “Danny” Estrin, Simone Dowe, Scott Kay, Ashley Doodkorte and Alex Canion – first formed in 1999. Since then, the band have swapped out their members many times, releasing seven studio albums over 24 years.

Voyager are representing Australia for the first time in Liverpool in this year’s final, but this is far from their first shot at Eurovision glory.

Follow our live blog for all the latest updates on Eurovision 2023

The group were shortlisted to compete for Australia in 2020 (although they did not make it to the country’s final), only to become the runners-up in Australia’s competition last year, eventually losing out to the raven-haired belter Sheldon Riley.

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For 2023, Voyager were internally selected to represent Australia with their song “Promise”, which is part pulsing synth track, part rock head-banger.

As with many Eurovision songs, such as this year’s self-empowerment anthem “Queen of Kings” by Norway’s Alessandra , Voyager’s track imparts a positive message.

Lyrically, “Promise” speaks to the importance of companionship in a chaotic world. “Sometimes we all just need a friend, partner or family to tell us it’ll be alright,” said guitarist Scott Kay.

Voyager is set to compete in the second semi-finals on Thursday (11 May) in Liverpool, where they will be up against Denmark, Armenia, Romania, Estonia, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland, Greece, Poland, Solvenia, Georgia, San Marino, Austria, Albania, and Lithuania for a chance to compete in Saturday’s grand final (13 May).

We spoke to guitarist Kay about the history of long-haired rockers in Eurovision and the pressures of going up against Sweden’s Eurovision favourite and competition darling Loreen in Liverpool.

Hi Scott! Congrats on your Eurovision entry track “Promise” – it’s a belter! What’s the backstory behind the song?

“Promise” began as an intriguing introduction, with Danny begging the question: “Have you ever done anything like this before?” to which our answer as a band was, “Nope!”.

It felt like a great idea to explore, so we delved into it together. “Promise” lyrically is a reflection of the chaos in the world, and that sometimes we all just need a friend, partner or family to tell us it’ll be alright.

Eurovision loves a long-haired rock star, who have been some previous favourites of the genre?

We love Blind Channel from Finland. The staging was epic, and the theatrics for the performance are epic. Their performance has influenced us, and we hope to capture that same energy.

Australia is still a relatively new addition to Eurovision – how has the country embraced the madness of the competition?

By staying up to ungodly hours just to simply watch Eurovision! We’re more dedicated viewers by default, I think. Australia is such a massive cultural melting pot, so it only makes sense that Eurovision would be embraced so deeply. We love theatre, drama, the discussion about the music and the outfits.

This isn’t your first attempt to represent Australia at Eurovision. What has made 2023 the right year?

We were internally selected this year, but won the popular vote last year with our song “Dreamer” in 2022. I genuinely think we were a point of difference for Australia last year; a heavy band with a pop sheen, and our song had immediacy to it. This year, we believe it only made sense to be chosen to represent the country considering how close we came in 2022!

What parts of Liverpudlian culture are you most excited to experience?

Liverpool is such an art-focused city, so it’s going to be great to be immersed not only in the Eurovision culture, but the music and art scene that already exists there. If we have time it would be great to get to a pub and watch some local talent, perhaps visit the Beatles Museum too.

Who’s your favourite past Eurovision winner?

“Euphoria” by Loreen is just such a captivating and powerful song, it’s hard to go past. It’s both amazing and slightly intimidating to be competing against her this year as well!

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Perth band Voyager to represent Australia at Eurovision 2023 with synth-metal anthem Promise

Persistence pays off for WA quintet, who have had their sights set on song contest since 2015

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A synth-metal band performing a song that takes listeners on an “anthemic rock voyage” will represent Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest.

Voyager, a quintet from Perth , will take their song Promise to the international music competition in Liverpool, becoming the first group to represent Australia.

“We filmed the music video in both the city of Perth and beautiful parts of Western Australia to showcase the majestic beauty of our home state,” their lead singer, Danny Estrin said in a statement. “Eurovisionation, we are coming!!!”

Promise is a pop number that bends the genre with trademark riffs, climactic guitars and keytar solos. The song opens with Estrin belting out the lyric: “Have you ever done anything like this before?” The singer thinks it’s fitting given the occasion.

“[Promise] is made for the Eurovision stage and collectively we feel it’s one of our best yet.”

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And the director of Blink TV, Paul Clarke, trusts the song will “deliver in spades”: “From the very first listen I knew it was something special – an epic, cinematic track that will take listeners on an anthemic rock voyage all the way to the Eurovision stage.”

Voyager have had their sights set on Eurovision since Australia first took part in 2015. The band’s route to represent the country has been a long one, submitting songs every year. They were shortlisted in 2020 but did not make the final 11 in Eurovision – Australia Decides .

Last year they came close, leading in the public vote for song Dreamer but placing second on the combined score to Sheldon Riley performing Not the Same. Riley made it to the final in Italy and placed 15th.

This time around they have been selected without a public vote.

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“Voyager have been determined to get centre stage for the biggest song contest in the world and SBS knows they will bring that grit with them along with a whole lot of fun,” said the broadcaster’s head of entertainment, Emily Griggs.

The UK will host Eurovision at Liverpool Arena in May on behalf of last year’s winner Ukraine, as war with Russia has hindered their ability to host.

Australia will appear in the second semi-final on 12 May alongside Albania, Armenia, Cyprus, Romania, Austria, Denmark, Lithuania, San Marino, Belgium, Slovenia, Iceland, Georgia, Greece, Poland and Estonia.

From there, the countries voted into the top 10 will perform at the final on 14 May.

The closest Australia has been to winning Eurovision came in 2016, when Dami Im placed second for her performance of Sound of Silence.

“I can’t wait to see Eurovision fans the world over embrace [Voyager] as much as Aussie crowds have,” Griggs said. “Look out, Europe, the Aussies are coming!”

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“We were just a progressive metal band going about our business… the next minute we’re on the world’s stage!” But playing to 160 million people hasn’t changed Voyager

Eurovision Song Contest was deep in the Australian heavy synth-prog quintet’s DNA from the start

Many artists would follow a mainstream moment with the most accessible music of their career. However, weeks after finishing in the Top 10 at the Eurovision Song Contest, Voyager have doubled down on their heavy synth-prog with new album Fearless In Love . Ahead of the last-minute cancellation of their 2023 European tour , Singer Danny Estrin, guitarist Simone Dow and bassist Alex Canion tell Prog about life after playing to more than 160 million people.

It’s early June when Prog video-calls Voyager frontman Danny Estrin, guitarist Simone Dow and bassist/singer Alex Canion, and the trio are midway through being smashed back into reality. This time last month, the Perth-based band (rounded out by drummer Ashley Doodkorte and Dow’s co-guitarist Scott Kay) were jet-setting in luxury. They were traipsing across Europe and getting interviewed by countless glossy magazines, all part of the run-up to them representing Australia to more than 160 million TV viewers live at the Eurovision Song Contest. Now they’re back home – and getting hammered by a storm so violent that it routinely wipes out their internet connection and freaks out Canion’s dog, Seamus.

“We played the WA Day festival [in Perth] yesterday,” Dow tells us, camera off to put less stress on the struggling WiFi, “and our booking agent sent us a video of the backstage area after we left. You should have seen the flooding! It was insane!”

Although Mother Nature is trying to quite literally rain on their parade, there’s no denying that Voyager became progressive music’s newest superstars this spring. Eurovision is touted worldwide as an international celebration of top-shelf songwriting (despite it frequently showcasing the most OTT pop possible) – and the synth-prog quintet had been chasing that rainbow from the moment Australia joined, in 2015.

They came tantalisingly close with their pop-prog anthem Dreamer in 2022, finishing second in Eurovision: Australia Decides , the nationally televised competition to select the country’s representative. This year, they finally got sent to the semi-finals when they were held in Liverpool, thanks to the electro- rock singalong of Promise .

Voyager advanced to the grand final and – after an 80s-throwback performance, replete with sequinned jackets, keytar solos and larking about on a Toyota MR2 sports car – finished a massively respectable ninth out of the 20 finalists.

The band couldn’t overcome the litany of public votes for Finnish rapper Käärijä, nor the jury’s collective passion for Sweden’s now-two-time winner Loreen. However, for five people playing prog in the isolation of Western Australia, it marked an underdog triumph.

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“It’s pretty incredible!” Estrin exclaims. “We were just a progressive metal band from Perth going about our business and, the next minute, we’re on the world’s stage! The comedown’s been real, but it’s been dampened by the insane amount of publicity we’ve done. It’s kept that spark of Eurovision alive: we’re selling out shows, particularly in the UK. Eurovision has given us the platform to continue doing what we were doing on a much bigger level.”

The numbers certainly agree. At time of writing, Promise is Voyager’s biggest song, with more than eight million Spotify streams. The music video’s been watched two million times on YouTube, with the footage of that grand final performance firmly in the seven-digit mark.

Estrin’s vow of his band sticking with what they’ve always done going forward isn’t hollow, either. A week before Voyager played Eurovision, they released another single called Prince Of Fire . It was every bit as proggy and high-energy as longtime fans would expect. Plus, with its leaps from synthy verses to sturdy rock choruses, it was powerfully dynamic. No kowtowing to the masses with simpler songwriting or a saccharine ballad here, thank you very much!

“It showed that we hadn’t vastly changed,” Canion says. “I did see some comments when we released Dreamer: people were worried that we were gonna change our sound. But Prince Of Fire is an indication that we’re still the same band. We still have the same melancholy and dark heaviness about us.”

The single, alongside Eurovision entries Dreamer and Promise , appears on Voyager’s eighth album, Fearless In Love . And said album doesn’t just mark Voyager continuing to be Voyager despite the newfound mainstream intrigue: it contains the most out-there and genre-agnostic music of the band’s career.

The Best Intentions opens Fearless In Love with a pulsing dance beat, joined by Estrin’s graceful vocals before the band dive into some heavy, off-kilter rocking. Submarine smacks you into a wall of guitar hefty enough to belong in a TesseracT or Devin Townsend tune, before Twisted ’s synths and irresistible hook feel comparable to Signals -era Rush . That’s all before semi-title track Gren (Fearless In Love) wraps these 45 minutes up with an atmospheric and guitar-powered symphony. It’s arguably the most nuanced, evocative song Voyager have ever put their name to.

“ Fearless In Love is one of our synthiest and most melodic albums, but it’s also the heaviest,” Estrin summarises. “It was during the Eurovision process that we wrote it, so I guess we had a bit more focus on song structures and making sure there’s no extra fluff. We’ve got playful guitar solos and more prog than was on the last album [2019’s Colours In The Sun ].”

Dow adds: “We started writing around the time of Australia Decides and [the release of] Dreamer , and the writing process was very different. We did it all at Scott’s little studio in his house. That way we could edit and change things as we went along, rather than doing it all in the rehearsal studio. Then, when we recorded the album, everything was all done. It’s been a huge process, but it was one of the most rewarding and creative processes we’ve gone through with an album.”

It comes as no surprise that Eurovision hasn’t changed Voyager since Estrin, who formed the band in 1999, says that the contest was one of his very first musical inspirations. He was born in the North German town of Buchholz In Der Nordheide before his family relocated to Perth, and while growing up in Germany, Eurovision and classical music were his two greatest musical loves. “That knack for melody and a really catchy chorus came very early on and stayed with me from the very beginning,” he says. “It’s why I’m the catchy chorus guy in Voyager!”

Estrin started the band at just 18 years old – by which point, he says, “I was living and breathing metal.” As a result, their 2003 debut, Element V , packed more high-speed power metal drumming than later albums. However, it also flaunted a love of operatic melody, prog and keytar playing that still defines their sound to this day.

“The goal was to make music sustainable: to write and record music and tour around the world,” Estrin remembers of the early days. “Living in one of the most isolated cities in the world has made that very, very difficult because, wherever you go, it’s very, very expensive. It’s even more difficult when you play a niche form of music.”

Making things even harder was an Australian underground that seemed more smitten with extreme metal than anything else, as well as Voyager’s revolving-door line-up. Dow (friends with then-guitarist Mark De Vattimo) joined in 2005, six years after the band formed, and is today the second-longest serving member. Canion, who played with Dow in a thrash act called Psychonaut, joined in 2007.

“I immediately recognised that Voyager were one of the top bands in the scene,” the bassist says. “Danny had this X-factor that no other band had. He was driving forward a sound that was almost too daring for the metal scene to adopt.”

By 2012, Kay and Doodkorte had completed the line-up, which hasn’t shifted since. Three years later, with the announcement that Australia would become an honorary competitor in Eurovision, the band began campaigning to represent their country. They started the Twitter hashtag #VoyagerForEurovision and submitted songs every year, to no avail. Even after being the runner-up to singer-songwriter Sheldon Riley on Australia Decides in 2022, though, they were never disheartened. “It was never like, ‘We have to do Eurovision or we’re a failure!’” Estrin says. “It was more like, ‘However far we can get, that’s awesome!’”

Australia Decides was canned in 2023. Instead, Voyager were simply told over the phone by broadcaster SBS that they’d be going to Liverpool. When there, they had the same outlook: a win would be nice, but simply representing prog and band-made music to millions of people is already brilliant enough. “If you’re a Eurovision fan, you know the juries don’t like heavy music, or bands in general,” says Estrin. “So the fact that we came sixth in the jury vote is incredible.”

That casual attitude made its way on screen. When Voyager won the second round of Eurovision’s semi-finals, they sprayed people around them with water that they’d put in a champagne bottle. During the final, almost as talked-about as Promise was the fact that, when the band were given top marks by the Portuguese jury, a camera caught them snacking on some ham sandwiches. Cue memes aplenty across social media.

“It was Marks & Spencer’s, so it was a quality sandwich,” Estrin chuckles. “We were told off after the semi-final for the splash incident, so we thought, ‘If we can’t drink, we’re going to eat something.’ These are gruelling nights and days, so there’s nothing like having a little sandwich in your pocket.”

Voyager were far from the first heavy rock band to play Eurovision. Rock’n’roller Freddy Quinn represented the genre (and Germany) at the inaugural Contest in 1956. Then Finnish masked monster mash Lordi and Italian glam bunch Måneskin won the whole thing in 2006 and 2021, respectively. Even this year, Voyager were contending with German gothic metal quintet Lord Of The Lost, who sadly finished in last place.

However, competing in a mainstream programme mostly reserved for pop singers/songwriters has led to purists sometimes denouncing bands as ‘Eurovision groups’, like it’s a derogatory term. Dow claims Voyager haven’t weathered any such pushback, though.

“The feedback we had during the whole process was super-supportive,” the guitarist says. “People were stoked that we were putting progressive metal on the map. Now, we’ve got sold-out shows across Europe and Australia. You could not ask for anything more than that.”

Currently, Voyager are only weeks removed from Eurovision, but they already have a full touring cycle directly ahead of them. Eager to see their litany of new fans in the flesh, Estrin, Dow and Canion are all impatient to get onto the road. “I hope Eurovision will allow us to keep upgrading with each subsequent tour,” the bassist says. “I hope it’ll let us craft the kind of show that I’ve wanted to put on with Voyager since I joined.”

Looking beyond this year, they want to have a legacy as the band that brought both fearlessness and consistent quality to not just Eurovision, but the broader rock and prog scenes. “I want us to go down as a band that doesn’t sound like anyone else, regardless of at what point you pick up a Voyager album and listen to it,” Estrin states.

“We’ve always done things differently, but we’ve always sounded quintessentially Voyager,” Canion adds. “I think that, now we’re eight albums in, that’s never going to change.”

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.

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• May 11, 2023

Voyager's Top 10 favourite songs from their back catalogue

Voyager are a familiar name to Eurovision fans - being both the Australian Eurovision representitives this year and participating in the Australian national final 'Eurovision - Australia Decides' in 2022. For many of us, 'Dreamer' and 'Promise' might have been the only Voyager songs to have graced our ears...today that's going to change!

The Perth based progressive metal bands career spans over four decades, seven albums and dozens of songs - there is no shortage of ripper Voyager tunes to sink your teeth into!

In some exciting news - they've announced an eigth album 'Fearless in Love' - details here .

We went to the band members Simone (Guitars), Ash (Drums), Alex (Bass & backing vocals), Scott (Guitars) and Danny (Vocals and keytar) and asked them: "Which three songs from Voyager's back catalogue do you think fans should check out?" and these were some of their suggestions:

'Ascension': Ghost Mile (2017)

Track Number: #1

"If it’s our best songs for grabbing a listener's immediate attention, I’d say 'Ascension' from our sixth album Ghost Mile" -Simone

"You can’t really go wrong with 'Ascension'; it’s still one of my favourite songs to play live." -Scott

'Broken': The Meaning of I (2011)

Track Number: #4

"Before I was a member of the band, I got hooked on the song 'Broken', it’s a great modern-sounding fusion of EDM and metal that’s become a big part of our sound." - Ash

'Prince of Fire': Flearless in Love (2023)

Track Number: #2

Fresh off their new album 'Fearless In Love' set to release July 14 2023. The new album will also feature previously released singles 'Submarine' and their Australia Decides 2022 entry 'Dreamer' .

Pre-save and pre-order 'Fearless In Love' here .

'Severomance': Colours in the Sun (2019)

"'Severomance' is a song that really gets under my skin and gives me the feels." - Ash

'Close Your Eyes': I Am the Revolution (2009)

Track Number: #5

"'Close Your Eyes' is a song that the band wrote before I joined, and I think it’s amazing. The chorus has this awesome vocal layering that sent chills down my spine the first time I heard it." - Scott

'To the Morning Light': Element V (2003)/'The Morning Light': V (2014)

Track Number: #2 (Element V) & #11 (V)

"'To The Morning Light ' was the first Voyager song I ever heard, and we re-recorded it for our fifth album, V . It’s a Voyager classic, yet still encapsulates what Voyager does even today." - Scott

'Misery is Only Company': Ghost Mile (2017)

"I’m very proud of the song 'Misery is Only Company', the chorus is so anthemic and the song is quite intricate under the surface." -Ash

'Sober': from Univers (2007)

Recommended by the enthusasic bassist and backing vocalist Alex who gave us MANY song suggestions. Fair enough - with a back catalouge like Voyager's it's almost impossible to choose just a handful!

'Colours': from Colours in the Sun (2019)

Track number: 1

"I’d say 'Ascension' from our sixth album Ghost Mile, 'Hyperventilating' from our fifth album V and probably ' Colours ' from our last album Colours in the Sun. All three are tunes that have stayed in our set list since releasing, and not just because they are fan favourites, but some of our favourites to play live too and really encapsulate everything that makes a Voyager tune." -Simone

At Eurovison

The band have been busy rehearsing for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Voyager will be competing in semi-final 2 on May 11 (May 12 early morning in Australia) .

Get to know each member of Voyager in our Q&A profiles.

Follow and support Voyager at: https://ffm.bio/voyagerau

For continued updates on all the Eurovision 2023 news follow Aussievision on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. All links at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet

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© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett

Quick Facts

Members Daniel Estrin Simone Dow Scott Kay Ashley Doodkorte Alex Canion

Founded 1999

Nationality 🇦🇺 Australian

National Selection Eurovision – Australia Decides 2022 Internal selection 2023

In Eurovision 2022 Liverpool

Song Promise (2023)

Voyager is a progressive metal band from Perth, Western Australia .

Voyager formed by Daniel Estrin, Mark Baker, and Adam Lovkis in 1999 . In 2003 , after several line up changes, they released their debut album “Element V”.  The band at that moment consisted of Daniel Estrin (keyboards, vocals), Mark De Vattimo (guitar), Jennah Graieg (bass), Geoff Callaghan (drums) and Emanuel Rudnicki (guitar). The album was released in Australia in 2003 . One year later, “Element V” was noticed by Dutch label DVS Records and released in Europe. Another label, Woodbell/Experience, released the album in Japan. Voyager’s popularity increased rapidly.

After the release of “Element V”, Jennah left the band and was replaced by Melissa Fiocco. At the end of 2006 , Emanuel and Geoff left the band. They were replaced by Simone Dow and Mark Boeijen.

In early 2006 , Voyager entered Sovereign studios to record “uniVers”, with Boeijen and Dow as firm members of the band. Voyager released a video clip to the radio edit version of the song “Sober”.

In October 2007 , the band signed to German label Dockyard 1 Records in Hamburg, who released “uniVers” worldwide. The album was voted album of the month by Belgium ’s Mindview magazine and album of the week in Finland ’s Imperiumi magazine. The band was nominated in the Top 10 of the MusicOz Awards.

After the release of “UniVers”, Melissa Fiocco left the band. The band parted ways with bass player Melissa Fiocco shortly after the release of uniVers, a split which was not without controversy. Fiocco was replaced by Alex Canion.

Voyager made a European tour throughout Denmark , Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland in spite of the cancellation. In June 2008 , guitarist Mark De Vattimo left Voyager.

Voyager released their album “I Am the ReVolution” on 20 September 2009 . The album was immediately received very positively. The album was named album of the week by Romania ’s MetalFan website and the song “Total Existence Failure” picked up the Song of the Year from the West Australian Music Industry Awards. Voyager released a new video for the song “The Devil in Me” in October 2009 .

In 2010 , Voyager was nominated three times as a top 10 finalist at the Australian MusicOz Awards for “Lost”, “The Devil in Me” and the video for the latter. The band also picked up a nomination for 2010 WAMI “Best hard rock/metal act” presented by the West Australian Music Industry.

Chris Hanssen leftg Voyager in 2010 , with Scott Kay taking over guitar duties. In October 2011 the band released “The Meaning of I”. The album is the first to feature new guitarist Scott Kay and the last to feature Mark Boeijen on drums who left shortly after the recording. 

At the end of 2013 , Voyager unveiled a crowdfunding campaign for their album “V” and unveiled clips of pre-production recordings of new songs. The campaign’s goal was reached within three days of its launch. “Breaking Down” was the first single from the album.

In May 2015 , Voyager toured through Australia . nationally, supported by French progressive rock band Klone. 

A new album called “Ghost Mile” was released on 12 May 2017 .  Voyager were shortlisted to the Australian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song “Runaway”, but they did not reach the last 10. However, in 2022 they did take part in Eurovision – Australia Decides. The band was the runner up in the contest with the song “Dreamer”.

On 21 February 2023, it was announced that Voyager were internally selected to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the song “Promise”. The band reached the final and became 9th there.

Country 🇦🇺 Australia

Language English

Lyrics Alex Canion Ashley Doodkorte Daniel Estrin Scott Kay Simon Dow

Music Alex Canion Ashley Doodkorte Daniel Estrin Scott Kay Simon Dow

Backings –

Results Semi

Points: 149 Position: 1 Running order: 16

Results Finals

Points: 151 Position: 9 Running order: 15

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Who is Australia’s Eurovision entry Voyager?

• Jessica Knibbs
• Published : 10:21, 11 May 2023
• Updated : 10:21, 11 May 2023

EUROVISION has had a total of 52 countries taking part over the years with Australia joining the lineup since 2015. 

Metal band Voyager will be representing their country for Eurovision 2023 and will be performing on Thursday, May 11, for the competition’s second semi-final.  

Who are the members of Voyager?

Voyager are a progressive five-piece metal band formed in Perth, Australia , in 1999.

Daniel Estrin is the lead singer and front man who when not performing in the rock band is also a partner in a law firm. 

Estrin is married to Halinka who were friends for over 17 years and have two daughters aged six and two. 

Guitarist Simone Dow is the only female in the band and she is joined by fellow guitarist Scott Kay.

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Alex Cainon is the band’s bass player and on backing vocals with Ashley Doodkorte on drums.

What are Voyager's hit songs?    

The band are no strangers to hit songs over the years including seven albums spanning over four decades. 

Their eighth album will be released in July 2023 and is entitled Fearless In Love.

Some of their hit songs have included Promise, Dreamer, Ascension, Entropy, Misery Is Only Company and Colours – to name a few. 

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What is voyager performing at eurovision 2023   .

Voyager will be hoping to make a strong impression with the judges in the Eurovision 2023 semi-final with their song Promise. 

The song has been described by drummer Doodkorte as a beacon of hope in an often complicated and heavy world. 

Speaking with Daily Express he explained how Promise is an “escape from that” and the importance of finding “the people that make you happy”. 

When did Australia join Eurovision and has it ever won? 

Australia joined the stellar lineup for Eurovision in 2015 and have participated a total of seven times since then. 

Australia has been in the top ten four times in the Eurovision contest over the years, however, the country has never won the competition as of yet.

2023 will be the final year Australia's agreed contract with the European Broadcasting Union to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Voyager are hoping to make history by making it to the finals and winning the coveted title for Eurovision 2023.

• Eurovision Song Contest
• TV explainers

Voyager (Australian band)

Voyager are an Australian progressive metal band from Perth , Western Australia , who were formed in 1999. The band has released eight albums. Their eighth studio album, Fearless in Love , was released worldwide on 14 July 2023 through French American metal record label Season of Mist . [2] They represented Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the song " Promise ", finishing in ninth place. [3]

1999–2003: Formation and Element V

2006–2007: univers and progpower europe, 2009–2011: i am the revolution, 2011–2013: the meaning of i, 2013–2017: v, 2017–2019: ghost mile, 2019–2020: colours in the sun, 2022-2023: eurovision song contest and fearless in love, band members, discography, studio albums, charted singles, awards and nominations, apra awards, national live music awards, external links.

Voyager formed in 1999 at the University of Western Australia by Daniel Estrin, Mark Baker, and Adam Lovkis. The band saw a few lineup changes before recording the album Element V in 2003 with Aidan Barton at Sovereign Studios, Willetton , Western Australia. The lineup for Element V consisted of Daniel Estrin (keyboards, vocals), Mark De Vattimo (guitar), Jennah Graieg (bass), Geoff Callaghan (drums) and Emanuel Rudnicki (guitar), in 2002.

The album Element V was released in Australia in 2003, [4] and then picked up by Dutch label DVS Records and released in Europe the following year. [5] Japanese label Woodbell/Experience licensed the album for Japanese distribution in the same year and released it with a bonus track, "Now and Forever". [6]

Voyager's popularity increased rapidly following the European release of Element V and the band secured its first major support, opening for Steve Vai in Perth in July 2004.

After the release of Element V , Melissa Fiocco replaced Jennah on bass. Voyager performed at Melbourne's Corner Hotel in late 2005 as part of a Screaming Symphony radio benefit concert, playing for the first time out of their home state of Western Australia. Towards the end of 2006, Emanuel and Geoff departed the band and were replaced by Simone Dow and Mark Boeijen respectively, just prior to the recording of the follow-up album, uniVers .

In early 2006, Voyager entered Sovereign studios to record "uniVers", with Boeijen and Dow as firm members of the band. Voyager shot a video clip to the radio edit version of the song "Sober" and released this as a limited edition single in 2006.

The band performed at the ProgPower Europe Festival in the Netherlands in 2006 and received positive responses from the media. [7] [8] As a result of this performance, Voyager were invited to ProgPower UK in 2008. In late 2006, Voyager were due to perform with Nevermore , whose Perth leg of the show was ultimately cancelled. Voyager were also due to support Yngwie Malmsteen following their return from the first European Tour, but were struck from the show at the last minute because Malmsteen did not want any support acts for his Australian tour.

In early 2007, DVS Records announced its closure and Voyager had no label to release their album uniVers , which was fully recorded at that stage. [9]

In October 2007, the band signed to German label Dockyard 1 Records in Hamburg, who released uniVers worldwide, [10] with the USA receiving the album for distribution in January 2008 through Locomotive Records. uniVers received critical acclaim throughout the world, being voted album of the month by Belgium's Mindview magazine and album of the week in Finland's Imperiumi magazine. [11] It was named as #7 of the Full Metal Racket albums of 2007 by Australia's national alternative broadcasting station Triple J . [12] The band was nominated in the Top 10 of the MusicOz Awards. [13]

The band parted ways with bass player Melissa Fiocco shortly after the release of uniVers , a split which was not without controversy. Fiocco was replaced by Alex Canion, who was 18 years old. Shortly after Canion's first appearance with Voyager in Perth, Western Australia, the band embarked on a mini-tour to Sydney and Melbourne with labelmates Eyefear, to promote uniVers . [10]

In January 2008, Voyager performed with Nightwish in Perth. The band's scheduled Australian tour with Toto in March 2008 was cancelled, apparently due to Toto's stage requirements. In late February 2008, ProgPower UK was also cancelled due to poor ticket sales. [14]

Voyager indicated that they would continue their European tour of Denmark, Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland in spite of the cancellation. Their tour included a performance with 1980s arena rock band House of Lords at the Ballroom Hamburg.

In June 2008, guitarist Mark De Vattimo quit Voyager due to personal and professional differences.

Voyager performed together with Queensrÿche in August 2009 and with Deathstars from Sweden in September 2009.

After recording new songs with Adam Round at Kingdom Studios in Maylands , Western Australia and having the tracks mastered by Sterling Sound in New York City , Voyager released their album I Am the ReVolution on 20 September 2009 through Dockyard 1 Records in Germany and Riot Entertainment in Australia. The album was immediately received with critical acclaim, [15] [16] including the popular Vampster website, [17] although some critics were skeptical about the band's strong melodic influences and their "pop" sound. [18]

The album was named album of the week by Romania's MetalFan website [19] and the song "Total Existence Failure" picked up the Song of the Year from the West Australian Music Industry Awards . [20]

Voyager released a new video for the song "The Devil in Me" in October 2009.

In 2010, Voyager was nominated three times as a top 10 finalist at the Australian MusicOz Awards for "Lost", "The Devil in Me" and the video for the latter. [21] The band also picked up a nomination for 2010 WAMI "Best hard rock/metal act" presented by the West Australian Music Industry . [22]

Chris Hanssen and Voyager parted ways in 2010, with Scott Kay taking over guitar duties. Kay's first tour was with Scottish pirate metal band Alestorm in May 2011, during which the band received critical acclaim. [23]

After recording new songs in April/May 2011, Voyager signed a deal with New Jersey-based label Sensory. In October 2011 the band released The Meaning of I . [24] The album is the first to feature new guitarist Scott Kay and the last to feature Mark Boeijen on drums who left shortly after the recording to focus on his family. The album features guest vocal performances by DC Cooper ( Royal Hunt ) and Daniel Tompkins ( Tesseract , ex- Skyharbor ). It was released worldwide on 11 October 2011, but was released early in the US at the ProgPower festival in September 2011. [24]

Voyager were also announced for a show with Creation's End in Brooklyn on 11 September 2011. [24] After returning from the US, Voyager toured with popular Finnish metal band Children of Bodom . [25]

Voyager was one of the opening bands for Epica when they played in Perth on 23 April 2013.

At the end of 2013, Voyager unveiled a crowdfunding campaign for their album V and unveiled clips of pre-production recordings of new songs. The campaign's goal was reached within three days of its launch. "Breaking Down" was the first single from the album.

In May 2015, Voyager toured nationally, supported by French progressive rock band Klone. They returned to North America in September for the US ProgPower event and a national tour.

Ghost Mile was released on 12 May 2017.

On 21 September 2018, Voyager performed at the o2 Indigo, London, UK as part of the European Space Agency's Space Rocks exhibition/concert, giving them the chance to play "Colours" and "Brightstar" from the forthcoming album. They also performed at the 229 the following evening as part of a short seven date European tour. [26]

Voyager were shortlisted to the Australian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with "Runaway", but were ultimately not chosen as one of the ten acts to compete in the final of the selection. [27] [28] [29]

The band were selected to take part in the Australian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 , Eurovision - Australia Decides , in 2022. [30] They placed second with "Dreamer". Following its performance on Eurovision - Australia Decides , "Dreamer" debuted at number 6 on the Australian Independent Label Singles chart . [31]

On 21 February 2023, it was announced that Voyager were internally selected to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the song " Promise ". [3] While Australia has competed in Eurovision since 2015, [32] all contestants from the country had up until 2023 been solo artists. Voyager therefore became the first band, as well as the first act from Western Australia, to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest. "Promise" debuted at number 3 on the Australian Independent Label Singles chart . [33]

Ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest, Voyager performed in Eurovision pre-parties in Madrid, Amsterdam and London. Whilst in London, on April 20, 2023 Voyager performed to a sold-out show at the Boston Music Room to rave reviews. [34]

Voyager won the second semi-final on 11 May 2023, a result determined solely by televotes. [35] On 13 May 2023, Voyager was the fifteenth act to perform in the Grand Final and finished the competition in ninth place with 151 overall points, being the fifth Australian act to finish within the top 10.

In a press release from the Eurovision Song Contest published 5 June 2023, the band has arranged and composed their mix of " Te Deum " for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for use in the YouTube Premiere countdowns of the Eurovision Song Contest channel. [36]

Following their return to Australia, Voyager were announced to perform as a major act in a free outdoor public concert to celebrate Western Australia Day. [37] This announcement was greeted enthusiastically by local media but with significant criticism as to why Voyager were not headlining the concert. [38] [39] Ironically, inclement weather on the day resulted in Voyager playing to the largest crowd of the day, with excellent reviews. [40]

June 2023 saw Voyager embark on a headlining national tour, playing in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Canberra. The entire tour was sold-out, with the Perth performance needing to move to a larger venue to accommodate demand. [41] Each performance was met with enthusiastic and positive reviews as the band built on the momentum and publicity generated by their Eurovision performance. [42] [43] [44]

Voyager's eighth album, Fearless in Love , was released on 14 July 2023. An early review called it a continued positive evolution of the band's unique musical style . [45] It was the first Voyager album to chart, with an official ARIA album chart position of 35. It also achieved a position of 3 in the ARIA Australian artist chart and 7 in the vinyl albums chart. In the Australian iTunes charts it went to number 2 in the overall album chart and number 1 in the rock albums chart.

On 21 September 2023, the band announced the cancellation of their headline European tour, which was scheduled to begin in October, due to lead singer Daniel Estrin having been diagnosed with cancer. [46]

Current members

• Daniel "Danny" Estrin – lead vocals (1999–present) , keyboards, keytar (2000–present) , guitar (1999–2000)
• Simone Dow – guitar (2006–present)
• Alex Canion – bass (2007–present) , backing vocals (2008–present)
• Scott Kay – guitar (2010–present)
• Ashley Doodkorte – drums (2011–present)

Former members

• Mark Baker – keyboards, keytar (1999–2000)
• Adam Lovkis – drums (1999–2000)
• Emanuel Rudnicki – guitar (2000–2006)
• Mark De Vattimo – guitar, backing vocals (2000–2008)
• Jennah Greaig – bass (2001–2004)
• Melissa Fiocco – bass (2004–2007)
• Geoff Callaghan – drums (2000–2006)
• Mark Boeijen – drums (2006–2011)
• Chris Hanssen – guitar (2009–2010)

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.

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Make Them Suffer is an Australian metalcore band from Perth, formed in 2008. They are currently signed to SharpTone Records. Their debut studio album, Neverbloom , peaked at No. 56 on the ARIA Album charts in June 2012, and showcased the band's earlier mix of metalcore, blackened death metal, and symphonic metal. Its follow-up Old Souls debuted at No. 30 upon release in May 2015 and displayed the band beginning to transition from death/black metal to a more progressive metalcore sound. After the band signed with Rise Records, the label released an expanded version of Old Souls in August 2016, containing also an EP from their death metal era Lord of Woe and a new track, "Ether". Despite the name, the band is not named after the Cannibal Corpse song of the same name.

Alestorm are a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterised by a pirate theme, and as a result, they have been dubbed a "pirate metal" band by many critics and their fanbase. The group currently consists of lead vocalist/keytarist Christopher Bowes, bassist Gareth Murdock, drummer Peter Alcorn, keyboardist/harsh vocalist Elliot Vernon and guitarist Máté "Bobo" Bodor.

Orden Ogan is a German power metal band with folk metal elements. The band was formed in 1996 by Sebastian Grütling (drums) and Sebastian Levermann. They currently have three demos and seven studio albums and are currently signed with Reigning Phoenix Music. Prior to 2024, the band was signed with AFM Records.

Twelve Foot Ninja are an Australian heavy metal band from Melbourne, Victoria. They released their debut album Silent Machine in 2012. The band consists of Kin (vocals), Russ (drums), Stevic, and Rohan. They won Best New Talent at the 2014 Revolver Golden Gods Awards as well as two listener-voted awards from SiriusXM's Liquid Metal the year before. The band broke a world record for the most amount crowdfunded for a music video. Their first headline tour of Europe in April 2017 sold out five of the seven UK shows. In mid 2022, the band announced an "indefinite hiatus". Although, they are working on an acoustic album of Twelve Foot Ninja material. The release date is yet to be announced.

Sleepmakeswaves are an Australian post-rock band who formed in Sydney in December 2006. The group is currently composed of guitarist Otto Wicks-Green, drummer Tim Adderley, and bassist/keyboardist Alex Wilson. To date, they have released four full-length studio albums. The band have achieved notable success internationally for their energetic live performances and modern approach to the post-rock genre. They are currently released through Australian independent record label Bird's Robe Records, which is distributed through MGM in Australia and independently worldwide. In 2013, UK label Monotreme Records licensed their debut album for an international release across the UK, Europe, and North America.

Caligula's Horse is an Australian progressive metal band from Brisbane, Queensland. The band was formed by Sam Vallen and Jim Grey in early 2011. The current lineup consists of lead vocalist Jim Grey, lead guitarist Sam Vallen, bassist Dale Prinsse and drummer Josh Griffin. Caligula's Horse achieved their first chart success with their 2015 album release Bloom , with it reaching number 16 on the Australian Albums ARIA Chart and number 75 on the overall album chart. The album also reached number 73 on the Australian iTunes chart on 21 October 2015.

" Promise " is a song by Australian progressive rock band Voyager, released on 21 February 2023. The song represented Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 after the band was internally selected by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), Australia's broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest. It was included on the band's eighth studio album, Fearless in Love . The song entered the charts in Australia, UK, Finland, Iceland, Lithuanian and Sweden.

Fearless in Love is the eighth studio album by Australian progressive metal band Voyager, released on 14 July 2023 through Season of Mist. It includes the singles "Promise", Australia's entry at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, as well as "Dreamer", which the band submitted for Australia's Eurovision song selection competition, Eurovision – Australia Decides 2022 .

• ↑ "Voyager (News, biography, albums, line-up, tour dates) | Official Season of Mist band" . Season-of-mist.com .
• 1 2 "Voyager will journey to Liverpool for Australia" . Eurovision.tv . EBU. 21 February 2023 . Retrieved 21 February 2023 .
• ↑ "VOYAGER Element V" . Discogs.
• ↑ "Tower records catalogue" . Tower Records . Retrieved 17 May 2011 .
• ↑ "Experience catalogue" . The Peco Records . Retrieved 17 May 2011 .
• ↑ "ProgPower Europe review" (PDF) . ProgPower Europe . Retrieved 17 May 2011 .
• ↑ "ProgPower Europe review" . John Tucker . Retrieved 17 May 2011 .
• ↑ "DVS announces closure" . DVS records . Retrieved 20 May 2011 .
• 1 2 "Voyager sign to Dockyard 1 and hit East Coast" . Faster Louder . Retrieved 20 May 2011 .
• ↑ "Imperiumi - Voyager universe" . Imperiumi . Retrieved 20 May 2011 .
• ↑ "The dwarf Voyager review" . The dwarf . Retrieved 17 May 2011 .
• ↑ "2010 MusicOz Finalists" . MusicOz . Retrieved 17 May 2011 .
• ↑ "ProgPower UK Cancelled" . Metal Underground . Retrieved 20 May 2011 .
• ↑ "Voyager I am the ReVolution" . Terrorverlag . Retrieved 20 May 2011 .
• ↑ "Voyager I am the ReVolution" . Music Reviews . Retrieved 20 May 2011 .
• ↑ "Voyager I am the ReVolution" . Vampster . Retrieved 20 May 2011 .
• ↑ "Voyager I am the ReVolution" . Stormbringer Austria . Retrieved 20 May 2011 .
• ↑ "Voyager I am the ReVolution" . Metalfan Romania . Retrieved 20 May 2011 .
• ↑ "2009 WAM SOTY" . Seen and Heard . Retrieved 20 May 2011 .
• ↑ "2010 MusicOz Finalists" . MusicOz. Archived from the original on 12 March 2010 . Retrieved 17 May 2011 .
• ↑ "WAMI 2010 nominations" . West Australian Music Industry Association. Archived from the original on 14 August 2013 . Retrieved 17 May 2011 .
• ↑ "ALESTORM/VOYAGER in Adelaide" . Faster Louder . Retrieved 17 May 2011 .
• 1 2 3 "Australia's VOYAGER Signs With SENSORY RECORDS" . Roadrunner Records Blabbermouth . Retrieved 9 August 2011 .
• ↑ "Children of Bodom touring nationally with Voyager" . Metal Obsession. 9 August 2011 . Retrieved 9 August 2011 .
• ↑ "Voyager to Tour UK in September • TotalRock" . 24 July 2019.
• ↑ https://www.facebook.com/voyageraustralia/videos/2586578228243231/ [ user-generated source ]
• ↑ "VOYAGER's "Runaway" Gets Shortlisted for "Eurovision - Australia Decides" " . 11 February 2020.
• ↑ "Oztix | News | This is How Close Aussie Band Voyager Came to Competing in Eurovision" .
• ↑ "Australia: Final Four Artists Announced, New Twist Means #YOU Could Compete at This Year's 'Australia Decides' " . Escunited.com . 14 December 2021.
• ↑ "Singles Chart (Independent Labels) 7 March 2022" . Australian Independent Record Labels Association . 7 March 2022 . Retrieved 7 March 2022 .
• ↑ "Australia's history at Eurovision" . Eurovision World . 8 May 2022 . Retrieved 8 May 2023 .
• ↑ "Singles Chart (Independent Labels) 6 March 2022" . Australian Independent Record Labels Association . 6 March 2023 . Retrieved 6 March 2023 .
• ↑ "Live Gig Review: Voyager & Ihlo – 20 April 2023 – Boston Music Room, London, UK - Man Of Much Metal" . manofmuchmetal.net . 21 April 2023 . Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
• ↑ "Second Semi-Final of Liverpool 2023 - Eurovision Song Contest" . eurovision.tv . Retrieved 20 June 2023 .
• ↑ "Australia's Voyager record Te Deum for EBU" . eurovision.tv . 5 June 2023 . Retrieved 6 June 2023 .
• ↑ "WA Day Festival Concert - Celebrate WA" . Celebrate WA . Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
• ↑ Naglazas, Mark (31 May 2023). "Sour note: Why are East Coast acts headlining today's WA Day concert?" . WAtoday.com.au . Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
• ↑ Varvaris, Mary. "Perth Music Fans Air Frustration As WA Day Concert Abandons Local Focus" . themusic.com.au . Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
• ↑ "WA DAY Concert June 4th 2023 with Baby Animals, Mark Seymour and the Undertow, Voyager, South Summit, Boox Kid, Dulcie, Priscilla, Mitch Santiago" . 100% ROCK MAGAZINE . 13 June 2023 . Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
• ↑ "Review: Voyager at Magnet House" . X-Press Magazine Entertainment in Perth . 21 June 2023 . Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
• ↑ Hall, Carley. "Live Review: Voyager @ The Zoo" . themusic.com.au . Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
• ↑ Mac, Cait (13 June 2023). "Voyager – Gig Review – 10th June @ Stay Gold, Melbourne Vic" . Wall Of Sound . Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
• ↑ Ang, Sheldon (18 June 2023). "Live Review: Voyager" . Sheldon Ang Media . Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
• ↑ "Album Review: Voyager – Fearless In Love" . The Moshville Times . 28 June 2023 . Retrieved 29 June 2023 .
• ↑ Ewing, Jerry (21 September 2023). "Voyager cancel October European tour in wake of Danny Estrin's shock cancer diagnosis" . louder . Retrieved 21 September 2023 .
• ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart" . Australian Recording Industry Association . 24 July 2023 . Retrieved 21 July 2023 .
• ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 22 May 2023". The ARIA Report . No.   1733. Australian Recording Industry Association . 22 May 2023. p.   9.
• ↑ "Voyager – Promise" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat . Retrieved 20 May 2023 .
• ↑ "2023 20-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA . 19 May 2023 . Retrieved 19 May 2023 .
• ↑ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 20" . Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 19 May 2023 .
• ↑ "Voyager | full Official Chart History" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved 20 May 2023 .
• ↑ "G Flip, Genesis Owusu, RVG & More Shortlisted For 2024 APRA Song Of The Year" . The Music . 22 February 2024 . Retrieved 23 February 2024 .
• ↑ "Nominees Announced For The 2023 National Live Music Awards" . The Music . 5 September 2023 . Retrieved 11 September 2023 .