VOYAGER w/ Cephanic, Thundasteel and Darker Half

The Lewisham hotel has always been a very memorable venue for allot of young and aspiring Australian bands and tonight showcased some of Australia’s finest.

The first band to play the night was a Newcastle band called cephanic. Only a young band that apparently has played a handful of gigs showcased their unique style to the masses of the Lewisham hotel. They provided a sound of unique melody combined with lamb of god/pantera vocals. The sound at times with guitar seemed to be a bit out at times but they managed to improve in that field throughout their set as the music became more tight and energetic. The crowd seemed to take more focus on the band towards the end of the set. The band has a strong future ahead of them no doubt but obviously it takes time for these things to improve.

Thundasteel were up next. The band has gone through a few line-up changes over the past 6 months so it was quite interesting to see what they were like now. The band now have the dark order bass player and a new lead guitarist who proved to lack a bit of stage presence but made up with it by playing a tight sound. The band continued to play through their 3 inches of blood/judas priest sound crushing through with harmonies and intense solos proving they have developed stronger with the new line-up. New songs were added to their set list and they look like getting a bit more of a following with the new and faster sound.

Darker Half came crushing through with a brilliant set as always proving they are one of Australia’s most powerful live band. Just recently releasing their first full length album, they have been working hard as a live band to promote their music and give the audience a feel to what they are all about. They were showcasing a majority of their music from their latest album and got a good response from the audience to say the least. Having also come off a successful tour with queensryche, they have developed a larger fan base and are moving more forward musically as a band. The band has a brilliant future ahead of them.

Voyager took the stage right after darker half. Having come from Perth, it’s always a great opportunity for an interstate band to play in Sydney with an enthusiastic crowd that thrives off live bands. Voyager were playing Sydney in support of their latest album I am revolution, which is a powerful sombre of prog power with catchy chorus’s and rhythmic verses, Songs that came off the latest album included “land of the lies” and “close your eyes” as well as showcasing their back catalogue of nearly a decade spanning career. They seem to be enjoying the vibe from the audience and even showcased a medley of led zeppelin and deep purple songs which proved a crowd a favourite. Dan, the singer/keyboardist, put allot of energy into his performance and the rest of the band worked off him throughout the set. The set ended quite early as they were playing overtime but still gave the crowd a new feel to the style of pro power. No doubt this band will continue to grow bigger in the next few years and attract a wider audience.