RMR isn’t Prog Central, true. But the crew has visited its share of prog pieces of all couleur to at least have an inkling of the genre at large. The old geezers at the review desk fondly remember the times when Steven Wilson wasn’t yet the electronica dude, but did some real outstanding progressive work. Or when Haken’s animalistic urges blew us away with finely-chiselled technical artistry and pure savoir-faire. Caligula’s Horse visited a few times as well. But, finally, their early work mostly stuck with us. I could go on.
So, here Voidchaser hit the RMR detection radar. A Canadian trio, down from a five-piece we’re led to believe, who’re trying to flex their prog muscle with a first genuine debut called Interstellar I. And truly so, after the overly ubiquitous intro finally peters out, some resemblance of a true prog piece greets you with their second track, Welcome To Terra Corp. Progressive and Progressive Death Metal, Metalcore, and Alternative Metal, hit the loudspeaker all at once. And that’s where the first cracks already appear as well. Cracks turned crevices that continued to make the RMR crew’s life difficult throughout the somewhat lengthy 49-minute airtime.
And it’s not that Voidchaser don’t understand how to structure a good prog partition. The evil deed lies in the production. The mix – sadly – pushes everything to the forefront at the same time, and everyone is hammering and strumming lustily away at their metal hearts’ content. Seemingly. This, with the cranky, somewhat monotonous, relentless, and ever-present vox – clears, gruff growls, and rough-hewn rasps – of one Chad Bernatchez piling itself on top of everything else.
The outcome is a somewhat chaotic and bizarrely overloaded mix that the master could not repair. And, nervous laughter, the structural faults on Interstellar I crazily reminded me of the theory that time does not exist and everything is happening all at once. An unhinged wall of sound that even transforms the relatively juicy solos on this record into a somewhat strenuous affair. In other words, the record is full of different elements that jockey for attention whilst trying to win the loudness war. Adding to the confusion, the overly heavy chugs of the lead guitar, with the rhythm axe and bass wreaking havoc in the background, won’t really help matters either. Even the attempts at dissonance here and there don’t really help matters. Not at all, actually.
So, I reckon, you get the picture. Good to great prog requires songsmithing at a level of geekery not found on Interstellar I. Prog is intricately difficult and highly technical to write and – of course – play. And brute force never really works in this genre. There have been exceptions to that rule with bands such as the old Nevermore, of course. Acts that unloaded their undeniable successes straight into heavy music territory. But then again, the songwriting chops of the gang around Warrel Dane were outstanding. In this light, this here record sounds a lot like work in progress, not refined items ready for the stage. Put differently, it isn’t mass that will carry the flag, but exquisite quality.
Ultimately, Voidchanger, you need to start smoking another weed or something. Interstellar I didn’t quite hit all the right buttons over here. And no, just hitting the soundscape with MOAR of – well – everything is not always better. I talked about well-chiselled productions before. Stellar work presented by established prog bands. Outstanding songsmithing that holds its metal and can produce the most astonishing results if done right. Interstellar I, in contrast, is not atrociously bad, but it won’t have this crew sing an ode to the outstanding prowess of a young band either. Progressive Metal is one of the most interesting but also one of the most crowded genres in the metalverse. And there are a felt gazillion stellar acts already at work here for a long time. So, to succeed, this means meeting very high standards. Just throwing everything at a wall (of sound) and see what sticks ain’t going to take you very far.
Record Rating: 5/10 | Label: Self-Released | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 9 April 2026