New Horizons
On the follow-up to the dream-busting Witness, Danish-Swedish quartet VOLA have worked hard to perfect their sound but have also been focused on not creating a direct sequel. Frontman Asger Mygind shares the secrets of their success and details the story behind their new studio album, Friend Of A Phantom.
Words: Cheri Faulkner
VOLA, L-R: Martin Werner, Asger Mygind, Adam Janzi, Nicolai Mogensen.
Images:
Heli Andrea
“It
was a bit difficult to write this
album,” VOLA’s singer and guitarist, Asger Mygind, tells
Prog. “Witness
fulfilled many dreams I had about making an album. I was extremely happy about the mix and, personally, I was in doubt about where to go next after that.”
Witness
came out in May 2021; it was a crushing sonic assault that perfectly demonstrated the quartet’s ability to experiment in a sophisticated yet daring way, bringing progressive tech metal, alt rock and electronica to the table before slamming anthemic choruses alongside its core elements. Although the band were eventually able to tour it almost relentlessly, their initial shows in support of it were all seated.
“Many of the gigs we would have wanted to do that year were pushed to 2022,” Mygind explains. “So, it just became a very long [touring] period, and that made it difficult to choose when to begin on the next album, because we had to start writing at some point. At the same time, we were [still] in the Witness album cycle. It was difficult to choose when to focus on either thing.”
Witness
received an impeccable fan reception, and seemed to ramp up support
for the band from further afield than they’d ever noticed before. It all began with the first single,
Head Mounted Sideways,
released at the end of 2020.