Hello! Welcome to Sentinel Daily! Thanks for joining us in our look back at 2017… Could you first please identify yourself, and your role in the band? “My name is Brian Blake and I am the founder and chief songwriter of Eternal Voyager. I play guitar and provide backing vocals”.

First Question: What was the best album you bought this year? “Iced Earth– Incorruptible, but there were too many to mention honestly!”

Yes, it’s been a pretty good year for our kind of music… What was the highlight for you personally in the last year? “As a band honestly, our new album that will be released hopefully in early 2018. Also that we opened for HammerFall, which was a great influence and all the other great bands we have had the pleasure of being guests of this last year”.

And what about lowlights? Who stunk the place out musically in 2017? “Mainstream wise, I couldn’t tell you because I don’t pay attention, but in the real metal world, i’d say there were a few albums that didn’t meet what they were hyped up to be. It’s hard to tell cause I buy a lot of music and I can’t say too many specifics without a lot of thinking and re-listening. So hard to say, I think most have met my expectations”.

More broadly speaking, what have you found disappointing about the wider world in 2017? “Well our album, which should have been out much earlier than now. Much has happened for us personally. We had two members quit because of health and personal issues, but also I think the world has taken a turn toward madness in general. Everyone has gone crazy since the election and people seem out of touch with reality. Music I think is still better than all of that for the most part”.

It seems to be becoming ever more valuable to our general sanity! What’s on the cards for Eternal Voyager in 2018? “Our upcoming new second album Darkened Times is a big deal which will be mastered by Stu Marshall (Night Legion/Blasted To Static/Death Dealer). We will also be opening for HammerFall once again this summer. We have new band members now who are really making things work more smoothly and some other great shows lined up. So we are hoping for 2018 to be a very positive year”.

Fingers crossed! We’re now deep into the party season – what’s the better night – Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve? And what will you be drinking? “Well actually we have a show on New Year’s eve, so yes a bit of celebration will come with that I’m sure ,(laughs) and anything that hits the table will be drunk!”

What’s the first thing that springs to mind if I say ‘Australian metal’? “Great country for metal! You have killer artists like Dungeon, Death Dealer, Blasted to Static, Stu Marshall, Pegazus, Black Majesty, to name a few. I love the Australian scene”.

We’ve just started Sentinel Daily Radio – what five songs should every metal radio station have on it’s playlist? “Iced Earth – Raven Wing, Majesty – Across The Lightning, Wizard – Liar and Betrayer, Lost Horizon – Highlander (The One), Wisdom – Heaven and Hell, and of course any and all Eternal Voyager!”

Of course! Finally, is there anything else you’d like to say to the readers of Sentinel Daily? “Thank you for the interview. I really appreciate your time. Eternal Voyager is going to really hit it hard next year so be sure to check out the new album Darkened Times. Stay tuned and stay metal! Be sure to check us out on Facebook and our website www.eternalvoyager.com for updates – cheers!”

Thanks again for taking part!