Vola

It has been three years since the release of VOLA's defining album, ‘Witness.’ It was a sonic assault that captured their signature blend of thoughtful labyrinthine narratives with crushing riffs and experimental sophistication. Heavy/quiet and dark/light were combined with elements of tech-metal, progressive alt-rock, electronica, and stadium-sized choruses. After an intense touring schedule that saw them wind around Europe and, for the first time, the US, Canada, and South America. They now return buoyed with all of those experiences infused with their brand-new studio album, 'Friend of a Phantom,' which will be released on 1 November via Mascot Records. When the Danish-Swedish quartet - Asger Mygind (vocals/guitar), Martin Werner (keys), Nicolai Mogensen (bass), and Adam Janzi (drums) - released ‘Witness' it was a critical smash, surpassing an incredible 27.5 million streams. The album was lauded with international acclaim from Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, Distorted Sound and Kerrang Radio & TV in the UK, reaching 7 in the Rock & Metal Album Charts. SiriusXM picked them up for multiple tracks, also featuring on the SXM Liquid Metal Next Wave Concert Series. They also saw the album reach the Top 20 in the Billboard Current Hard Rock Charts and Top 25 in the Billboard New Artist/Heatseekers Album Chart. It was one of Loudwire's albums of the year; that was all before the band stepped foot onto the soil. They've since wrapped up two tours of the US with several venues upgraded due to overwhelming demand, as well as sold-out shows in New York, Chicago and the iconic Troubadour in Los Angeles, where the band struck up a friendship with In Flames' Anders Fridén. Their first tour of Canada resulted in sold-out shows in Toronto and Montreal, and they rounded off the continent with triumphant South American shows in Mexico, Brazil, and a sold out show in Chile. Now, the band are to set free their fourth studio album, where they've become even more ambitious and bolder. Talking about their evolution, Janzi says. "We have had the time to internalise ‘Witness’ and let its aftermath sink in, which has shaped how we approached ‘Friend Of A Phantom.’ Our personal tastes have changed, the way we approach our instruments and songwriting has changed, our lives have changed, time has passed, and adventures have been had. Whatever piece of melancholy that ‘Witness' had, has just grown and become a central part of this new album. I feel that VOLA has grown and reached a new moment in its life, maturing." "Cannibal" kicks off ‘Friend of a Phantom.’ Featuring In Flames’ Anders Fridén on vocals, it plants a marker in the ground for what you're about to experience. Mygind and Fridén's contrasting vocals majestically crossover each other, pulling you into a spiralling aural vortex. Regarding how the collaboration came about, Janzi remembers, "This was very cool for us since we're fans of Anders and In Flames. Last year, we found out that Anders is a fan of VOLA, and we met him during our show in Los Angeles. As soon as we had the beginning of the shape of this song, we knew that it would benefit from having someone from the outside join in on the song. And, of course, our minds went straight to… Anders! We are delighted and honoured that this worked out." The hypnotically ethereal "We Will Not Disband" was the first song written for the album. Mogensen says, "Asger had written a verse and intro, and we worked on creating a chorus to match. Although the chorus we created didn't quite fit the other parts, we liked it so much that we built an entirely new song around it." On "Hollow Kid", Mogensen explains the approach, "I aimed to craft a Frankenstein riff that blended the essence of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" with the low tuning and polyrhythms of Meshuggah. The song's intro riff was the result, and it inspired the rest of the track." For their sheer scope of exploratory ambition, VOLA has been one of Europe's most exciting metal bands in