VOLA (NOVEMBER 21ST, 2024)

With ‘Friend of a Phantom’, the Danish band confirm its flawless track record since the release of its debut album in 2016, which has made Vola one of the leaders of the new progressive metal scene....


Vola's latest release is ‘Friend of a Phantom’, the follow-up to the acclaimed ‘Witness’. Were you surprised by the reception of this album, and do you measure the impact it has had on your status within the modern prog and metal scene?

Asger Mygind : It's been really cool to see the reaction to the new album, especially on YouTube where people have been commenting on our singles. They seem to be giving off good vibes and good energy (Smiles)...


We've created a trademark




And how do you explain that?

I think we've created a trademark with our sound. So much so that when people hear one of our tracks, they know it's Vola! There's a feeling of recognition, something in our new songs that they appreciate, and that's clearly the aim!


With this recognition, Vola is more eagerly awaited and sometimes under fire from critics. How do you deal with this increased pressure, both in terms of creation and communication with your fans?

I think the aim is just to create music that we're all fans of. That's always my aim when I compose: to create something that I myself would be a fan of. After that, it's clearly a bonus if the public like it too, so we can take it on tour...


Our aim is to concentrate on creating something we're happy with.




Despite your success, some listeners may have been unsettled by your stylistic evolution over the years. Do these sometimes mixed reactions influence your musical choices or do they remain on the fringes of your artistic approach?

I hope they'll always be on the fringes! I don't know if it's conscious or not, but we don't try too hard to find out what's being written about us. Our aim is to concentrate on creating something we're happy with.


Despite everything, Friend of a Phantom is your fourth album. Eight years after your first album, isn't it more complicated to make the music you love while not repeating yourself?

I think it was difficult to start the composition process for this album after ‘Witness’, knowing that this album had all the makings of the ideal album I'd always dreamed of making.


In other words, you weren't sure you could make an album as good as, if not better than, ‘Witness’?

Exactly! I didn't know where to start with Friend of a Phantom. I felt like I'd squeezed all the ideas for ‘Witness’ out of my body and I didn't know where to go from there.


And what was the turning point?

I had to go down some blind alleys, experiment and realise that certain things didn't work... And we finally came to the conclusion that we just had to write the songs we'd be proud of without having a predetermined sound, without getting hung up on ourselves....


So that wasn't the case at the beginning?

No! At the very beginning of the process of writing this album, I wanted to write something that sounded futuristic... But that didn't really work. So in the end we decided to write songs we'd be fans of and be proud of and just - without having any particular vision - just compose...
And eventually, some really cool ideas started to emerge like ‘Paper Wolf’ or ‘Break My Lying Tongue’ which were the first songs written, I think, or ‘We Will Not Disband’... And eventually, we ended up with nine songs that we're really proud of...


You've partly answered this question by saying that, since you started out, you've managed to move from atmospheric progressive rock to modern metal infused with pop and electronic textures. With this album, do you think you've found a definitive signature, a trademark as you've admitted, or are you still exploring?

I think we're still exploring. This album is a moment in time. And I really hope we'll continue to do that on future albums. But there will always be elements that come back again and again. For example, we like to have choruses with big sounds, we also like to have heavy riffs, we like to integrate electronic elements into our songs: these elements will continue to appear on our future albums.


We get the impression that Vola is trying to make its compositions ever more accessible, despite the omnipresent technical aspects. There seem to be more quiet tracks on this album. Can we expect an even more pop album in the future?

That's a good question.


Every new album is a reaction to the previous one


I hope your answer will be good too, because we've seen too many bands that haven't necessarily evolved well...

(Laughs) The next album will be all folk songs with acoustic guitars (Laughs).... I often say - and it's very true of us - that each new album is a reaction to the last. And this album has more melodic stuff, I think the next one will be heavier. In other words, if you've been exploring in a certain direction for a while, you can get bored of it and want to go in another direction. So yes, I'm sure the next album will be different from ‘Friend of a Phantom’.


In this respect, ‘Friend of a Phantom’ pushes the sound research even further with strong electronic textures, like in ‘Break my Lying Tongue’ and its hypnotic rhythm. Is this a desire to reaffirm this aspect of your musical identity?

Yes, keyboards are a big part of who we are. Being the only guitarist in the band, my main objective is to make riffs. And as far as the head sounds are concerned, it's often Martin (NdStruck: Martin Werner) - our keyboard player - who does them. It provides a contrast with the distortions that we particularly like: if one verse is very guitar-heavy, it's interesting to dive into an electronic universe on the next verse, it creates a dynamic. I think that's something we're going to continue to explore in depth.


Rhythm is in the DNA of what we do: we're very focused on rhythm and groove.




The album features a rhythm section that is as refined as it is technical, even when it ventures into slower tempos. Do you share this perception, and if so, how do you work on this balance?

In terms of rhythm, we have an adventurous drummer. Adam (NdStruck: Adam Janzi) creates some really cool patterns and that creates a nice texture to the whole thing. Rhythm is in the DNA of what we do: we're very focused on rhythm and groove. When I was a teenager, I discovered Meshuggah and today that's at the heart of what I think about when I'm making riffs, which is that it has to get into my body and make me want to move.


And you mentioned Meshuggah. It wasn't Jens Kidman that you invited on the track ‘Cannibal’, which stands out for its power and the voice of Anders Fridén from In Flames. How did this collaboration come about? And why did you choose a guttural voice for this track without repeating the experiment elsewhere on the album, even though there are a few more ‘shy’ voices on other tracks?

To answer the first part of your question, we met in Los Angeles during our US tour in 2023. Anders and Björn (NdStruck: Björn Gelotte) came to see our concert and we found out that they were big Vola fans. It was incredible!


And the next step is to meet Jens Kidman and find out he's a Vola fan?

(Laughs) I hope so, but I'd be pretty surprised if he was (Smiles).
We kept in touch with Anders. And when we finished the tour and had to work on ‘Friend of a Phantom’, we decided to have a guest vocalist on ‘Cannibal’. I had a demo and we thought the track was going to take off with some very aggressive screams like Anders is capable of. We suggested it to him and he agreed to do it.


But why didn't you repeat the experience on other tracks on the album?

We really like the songs to contrast with each other and, as you said, I did a few other screams on the album too. In general, this album has more aggressive vocals than in the past. But yes, you're right, this is the only song that really called for these types of screams. If any other song had had that same ‘vibe’, shall we say, there would have been screams.


The guitar is an omnipresent element of the rhythm section and there are very few solos. Was this a choice to concentrate on the vocals, particularly during live shows?

It comes down to what the song demands. We decided that none of the songs really needed a guitar solo. Otherwise, we would have added one. But it's fair to say that there's a kind of dogma that there can only be one guitar at a time because I'm the only guitarist. So we replace them with keyboard solos instead, which can blend in with my guitar distortions.


But have you ever thought of recruiting a second guitarist to have a rhythm guitar and a soloist at the same time?

A few years ago we had two guitarists but it didn't work out so well...


Because you just don't want to share the spotlight...

(Laughs) That's true! No, but even though I do a few solos here and there, I also love a good synth solo and I can add my string distortions to it.


I imagine it may have come as a surprise to some people that there are some very quiet elements on this album.




This album seems to deepen the contrasts that give you your charm: strong melodies, whether instrumental or vocal, as in the tracks ‘Glass Mannequin’ or ‘Tray’. Did you realise - when you were composing it - that you were taking your artistic symbiosis to a new level?

I suppose it may have come as a surprise to some people that there were some very quiet elements on this album, but that was already the case on the ‘Applause Of A Distant Crowd’ album, so it's not so new to us. And as I'm very much in love with ambient music and bands like Ulver who are a huge influence on me, I also often quote David Sylvian who's done a lot of ambient stuff and who I think has a great voice.
It creates a great contrast on an album to be able to alternate calm passages with very heavy ones like Opeth, who also inspired me enormously.


But which Opeth?

(Laughs) You're more open to inspiration when you're young and ‘Blackwater Park’, ‘Damnation’, ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Ghost Reveries’ have a special place in my heart.


But it's true that these were the albums that mixed death metal and progressive rock, which wasn't very common...

It's true that albums like that take several listens to get into...


But you have to take risks...

Exactly!


At the risk of displeasing the fans, which is no longer the case with Vola if I listen to what you're telling me, i.e. that you only write songs you like...

It's actually quite complicated as it is to impress me as a listener, but if I feel I've succeeded, I'm happy (Laughs).


The lyrics of ‘Bleed Out’ are strikingly dark. This track surprises with its central brutality and an almost luminous chorus. What emotion or message do you want to convey through this duality?

The intention of the song was to write about two brothers, twins born just before midnight who develop very differently. Where one twin is very diplomatic and peaceful, the other is violent and confrontational. And these two different brothers are going to affect their family life, starting with the violent brother assaulting his peaceful brother because of their family bond.


Your album covers have always been meticulous, from ‘Inmazes’ to ‘Friend of a Phantom’. What role do they play in your overall artistic vision, and what's the creative process like for these distinctive visuals?

It's very important to us. The thing I care most about in a band is the songs first and then the artwork because it contributes to the whole and then the visuals can give a new perspective on the songs. It may sound like a strange process but we always try to find an image that encapsulates the vibe of a song.
But we've never contacted a designer to do a cover for us. We've always tried to find something that already exists and buy the rights to it. That's what we did with ‘Friend of a Phantom’.


The cover conjures up an intriguing image. What is the symbolism behind this title, and how does it reflect the overall content of the album?

‘Friend of a Phantom’ is a metaphor for following a certain path in life that is dangerous for you, like an addiction to alcohol or drugs, or following conspiracy theories... Some of these things can provide a little comfort and help ease your pain, like alcohol or drugs... But in the end, it's dangerous and can eventually destroy the person who follows that path.


Is this something you've experienced?

These aren't things I've experienced, but I don't necessarily need to experience the things I'm going to write about, I just need to feel the feeling. If I'm writing about a dysfunctional relationship, I'm writing about my fear of losing someone I love: I have to be able to recognise myself - to a certain extent - in those emotions.
To come back to the cover, we see a catatonic ghost, who doesn't move while the birds fly away. For me, it's a symbol of people who are stuck in their lives while everyone else is moving in the same direction.


This album is clearly sadder than ‘Witness’.




The lyrics on this album seem even more introspective and denounce an increasingly angry society, exploring themes such as loneliness and the weight of emotions. Is Friend of a Phantom your most personal album to date?

That's a fair question. It represents me in a period of my life when we created this album. But I don't think I have enough hindsight, this album is too fresh. I think I'll be able to understand all that better a bit later.
But I think this album is clearly sadder than ‘Witness’ for example even though everything we write is very often - like most of the time I'd say - a sad story but there can be a kind of light, a positivity and maybe there's a bit less of that on this album.
Our previous albums were also personal, but I think we'll be a bit more distant in the future.


In our previous interview, you said that TV series could inspire your music. What series inspired you for this latest album?

We talked a bit about Opeth earlier and I know that their latest album was inspired by the ‘Succession’ series. And I love that series too! It didn't consciously inspire me, but it made a big impression on me.


And finally, what are your expectations for this album, I suppose touring - you're playing at Le Petit Bain in Paris tonight?

Well, I hope we'll expand our audience...


In that respect, do you make a living from your music?

Unfortunately not (Smiles).


It could be the expectation that this album will allow you to reach that level...

It would be a huge bonus if we could.


And today, how do you manage to reconcile your three lives, the two professional ones and the personal one?

Exactly. It's a puzzle (Laughs)! But I love doing it. I've been doing it for years now and it's become a natural part of my life: if I didn't write songs, I'd be really sad.


But it also depends on your personal situation...

I have an amazing partner and I've just become the father of a child who's six months old.


And it's going to get harder and harder to juggle all these lives in the future...

It's true! It is difficult and it will be even more so in the future.





I hope it'll be easier when you're living from your music.

One day, I hope (Smiles)


Merci beaucoup

In French) ‘Merci'


And thanks to Torpedo and Calgepo for their contributions...