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Danish-Swedish quartet VOLA throws up a lot of conundrums; the eclectic nature of their material for one, and the excellent contrast between light and darkness that causes those who like things to be straightforward to scratch their heads, is another. But the biggest one would have to be that although you want major success for them on every level, you still want to keep them a bit of a secret so that gigs remain intimate and personal.
Tonight, a last-minute upgrade saw the gig moving from one of the smaller rooms in this multi-room venue to the main room upstairs. Smart thinking considering not only how uncomfortable it would have been crammed into the original room, but also there is zero chance that the retina-blitzing (and in the case of the lasers: Cataracts-resolving) futuristic stage production would have fitted onto the smaller stage.
The recently released studio album, ‘Friend of a Phantom’, finds VOLA expanding on the electronic touches that they flirted with at times on 2021’s ‘Witness’ album, and pushes the synth work from Martin Werner more to the front of the soundscape that unravels throughout the album.
As bizarre as it sounds, there is also a shoegaze vibe here and there – especially on the dreamy set opener ‘I Don’t Know How We Got Here’ which sticks a middle finger up to the notion that a set opener has to be full-pelt. Instead, it builds on Werner’s gentle keyboard fills, and the soothing, hypnotic vocals from vocalist/guitarist Asger Mygind (tonight, the part of Matthew McConaughey will be played by Asger Mygind). The glue holding the song together though – as it is all night long – comes from the impeccable Adam Janzi behind the drum kit, which features the incredible artwork for ‘Friend of a Phantom’ on the kick drum decal; insert that well-known “Hang it in the Louvre” meme around about now.
Mygind opens the immediate follow-on (and another new track) ‘We Will Not Disband’ with some gentle strumming before an explosion of sound and bright lights combine to give the neck muscles a proper workout. Janzi’s footwork on the kick drum mid-song is in tune with bursts of strobe lights from the impressive lighting set-up and as a visual, damn, it is stunning. Combining well with the thick bass licks from Nicolai Mogensen, this is the very definition of how the backbone of a band should work together.
The industrial-tinged ‘Stone Leader Falling Down’ is the first visit of the night to ‘Witness’ and sees the first pits of the night opening up, thanks in main to the razor-sharp riffage from Mygind that opens the song. Mygind’s vocals at times spark comparisons with the much-missed Peter Steele, and with Martin Werner’s synth adding dark, atmospheric touches, it is difficult not to pick up a Type-O-meets-Mode feel here and there; especially on moments such as the euphoric ‘These Black Claws’. VOLA are much more than simply a Progressive band – the lack of self-indulgence helps – and these forays into industrial/electronic territories are most welcome. In the hands of most Progressive bands, the beautiful ‘Glass Mannequin’ would come with multiple key changes and 10 minutes’ worth of noodling, VOLA though, keep it simple and the result is staggering.
The latter stages of the set bring many standout moments such as ‘Alien Shivers’ that lights the room up in swathes of green light; a monstrous version of ‘Head Mounted Sideways’, which sees one guy in the queue for the bar turn tail and head straight into the pit as soon as Mygind asks “Are you ready?”; a guest appearance from Rebekah Kirk of Glasgow Djent/Alternative/Metalcore outfit Sixth Wonder on a crushing live version of ‘Cannibal’ where she reprises the role of Anders Fridén of In Flames on the original studio version (such a classy move from VOLA, and lifetime memories for a young performer embarking on their adventures in the music industry); ‘Bleed Out’ which engulfs the room in a warm, red glow; and a version of ‘Stray the Skies’ that crushes as much today as it first did back in 2015 on the debut album ‘Inmazes’.
Whisper it – or shout it from the rooftops – but VOLA are rapidly becoming one of the most important bands in Metal today.
After a most bodacious use of sliding into VOLA’s DM’s, the special guest slot on this month-long jaunt around the UK, Europe, and Norden territories is filled by Dutch singer-songwriter Charlotte Wessels and one of the tightest bands that you are as likely to encounter for quite some time…and, also, one of the happiest.
With the recent release of her critically acclaimed debut album ‘The Obsession’ (preceded by two Patreon-curated collections), Wessels is finally back on the road again and bringing the songs to life with the same musicians that birthed the songs in the studio. Alongside Wessels are fellow ex-Delain band members Timo Somers (guitars), Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije (bass), and Joey Marin de Boer (drums), with the atmospheric keyboards from Sophia Vernikov completing the line-up. Given the connection between the four ex-Delainers, the chemistry is obvious for all to see, and the smiles between them are infectious. They know that with ‘The Obsession’ they have cooked up something special and throughout the 45-minute set, Wessels constantly uses “We” instead of “I” – “We made this album, and we would like to play some songs from it”…that kind of thing. That is the difference between ‘The Obsession’ (also the name of the band) and countless solo projects where the material is performed by hired gunslingers.
The set opens with the same intoxicating one-two that opens the album; ‘Chasing Sunsets’ followed by ‘Dopamine’, and thanks to the stellar work from whoever is on the sound desk (incredible sound for all three bands tonight) the powerful, soothing vocals from Wessels are washing over the audience; which judging by the t-shirts on display, includes a fair amount of fans already onboard with ‘The Obsession’.
Having road-tested a lot of the material, some songs have particularly grown in stature since the release of the album; ‘Praise’, and ‘Ode to the West Wind’ immediately spring to mind. The heavy hitters from the album still hit hard; ‘The Crying Room’ is majestic. No other word for it. One of the songs of the year. And there is the closing duo of ‘Soft Revolution’ and ‘The Exorcism’ where during the latter Wessels unleashes harsh, guttural vocals to expel the demons. But for all the bombast, and heaviness on display throughout the set (Joey Marin de Boer, Jeez, that guy hits hard) the highlight is perhaps the tenderest moment when during the outro of the stunning ‘Soft Revolution’ it is just Wessels accompanied by Sophia Vernikov for a few minutes and once the last note fades, Vernikov comes out from behind her keyboards to embrace Wessels in a warm, heartfelt moment.
Rather than looking to the past, Wessels has her attention firmly set on the future, and with this band, that future looks bright.
Opening act for this last run of dates are German Alternative/Progressive quartet The Intersphere. There’s not much room onstage for the band to move; mainly because vocalist/guitarist Christoph Hessler’s pedal board is bloody massive and could do with an extension built onto the stage simply to house it. He puts it to good use though, with lots of different tones and effects on offer throughout the short but well-received set. ‘Antitype’ stands out, with loads of contrasts – ultra-light moments mixed with gnarly big-assed riffs, all before the band crashes straight into the pulverising ‘The Grand Delusion’ which lands in complete contrast to the gradual build of set opener ‘Wanderer’. Further exploration is mandatory.
Remaining dates:
28.11 – Eindhoven, Netherlands @ Effenaar
29.11 – Hamburg, Germany @ Markthalle
30.11 – København, Denmark @ Store Vega
Tickets available HERE
VOLA photo credits: Heli Andrea
Charlotte Wessels photo credit: Tim Tronckoe
