About to head out on tour throughout the UK, Vola has released their new studio album, Friend Of A Phantom, today via Mascot Records. Alongside that, in celebration, is the release of an official video for the track ‘Bleed Out’ and a lyric video for ‘We Will Not Disband’.
Talking about the album release the band said, “The anticipation for this day has been building for a long time, and finally, it has come. Our fourth album, Friend Of A Phantom, is now in the world for you to listen to. To make this matter even more exciting, we will immediately start playing big portions of the new album on our European tour. With us, we bring our excellent crew and a literal ton of lights!”
Hypnotically ethereal, ‘We Will Not Disband’. was the first song written for the album. Nicolai Mogensen said, “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”. While ‘Bleed Out’ hits those Volo trademarks; pulsating electronics and sky high melodies all cascading around Asger Mygind’s vocals.
They recently released ‘Cannibal’ featuring Anders Fridén (In Flames). Talking about the song, the band said, “Vola‘s music is heavily shaped by melodic death metal, so having Anders Fridén from the legendary In Flames featured on ‘Cannibal’ is a dream come true for us. We feel truly fortunate and are enormously proud of the result.”
Anders Fridén explained how he got involved with the song, saying, “I have been a fan of Vola since their first album. They are constantly evolving and, to me, are one of the most interesting bands out right now.” He continued, “During the recording of our last album, I had the opportunity to meet the band and witness an incredible show at The Troubadour in LA. Cut to a few months later, I was approached if I would be interested in being on a song for their next album. It was a yes without hesitation. It’s an honour to be part of this monster of a song. Bang your head if you know what’s good for you!”
Vola elaborated on how the collaboration and song came about: ” When we toured North America in the fall of 2023, Anders and Björn from In Flames attended our concert at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. They came backstage before the show to chat with us, and it turned out they were big fans of the band. Quite a surreal experience, given that In Flames have played a huge part in forming our musical DNA. When we came home from the tour, we dug deep into recording Friend Of A Phantom, and during that process, we began discussing whether ‘Cannibal’ would benefit from having guest vocals. We all agreed that having some really powerful screams in there would elevate the song, and having just created a bond with Anders meant that it was the easiest decision in the world to ask him if he wanted to be a part of the track. Anders quickly said yes to participate, and eventually, he both recorded vocals and came to Denmark to shoot the video with us. We were thrilled, to say the least!”
The song marries the euphoric and epic but complex and crushing sound that has become distinctively Vola with a visually stunning video to accompany the song. “Working with Vertigo and Riivata Visuals on the music video was incredible,” they added. “We filmed the video in a gigantic hall in Denmark, with plenty of big lights and lasers, including a large triangle light at the back of the hall. To top it all off, Anders came to Denmark to join us and be part of the video. It was a fantastic experience, and the footage captured the heavy side of Vola in its essence.”
Their headline Friend Of A Phantom European tour began on 1st November and will call through Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the UK, and The Netherlands. Tickets are available here.
“We are thrilled to be returning on tour in Europe in November after two years,” the band said.” Europe is where we have toured the most, and it feels like we are reuniting with an old friend. At the same time, we always see and meet new people every time we play in Europe. That is the charm of it: returning home to warm festivities and embracing old and new faces. We want to bring the best possible show to honour that and show our gratitude. This is why we are working closely with our team to elevate our live show to an entirely new level in November, something to match the latest chapter, Friend Of A Phantom.”
They have already released three singles from the album. ‘Paper Wolf’ sees an old-school metal atmosphere creep into their blend of sounds. ‘Break My Lying Tongue’ offers a deep dive into themes of misalignment and emotional vulnerability, whereas the ‘Don’t Know How We Got Here’ single interweaves stories about tragic events in society with a story about a relationship slowly dying out. “It seeks to portray the feeling of disbelief that follows when something valuable vanishes right in front of us,” explained Mygind.
It has been three years since the release of Vola‘s defining album, Witness. 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, L.A. and Chicago. 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. The Danish-Swedish quartet – Asger Mygind (vocals/guitar), Martin Werner (keys), Nicolai Mogensen (bass), and Adam Janzi (drums) – are now to set free their fourth studio album. Their strength has always been combining a multitude of ideas within a single song, packing it in with a grandiose power that can be as ferocious as it can be delicate.
