Vola for Heavy Prog

Danish experimental rock band VOLA features Asger MYGIND on vocals and guitar, Nicolai MOGENSON on bass, Martin WERNER on keyboards and programming, and Felix EWERT on drums. The Copenhagen-based quartet grew out of a common interest in eclectic, groove-oriented music which draws inspiration ranging from 70's progressive rock to modern day electronica, industrial and extreme metal. 

     VOLA's music exists in a borderline area of rock that is as high-flying (the name “vola” means “flying” in Italian) and melodically fulfilling as it is itchy and heavy. The band forms quirky trails of distorted ‘djenty’ bass and 7-string guitars—tuned to each other in played in the same octave—entangling synth lines and constantly groove-driven drums that play up against wide vocal harmonies and deep-blue-textured electronica. 

VOLA took its first baby steps about ten years ago when vocalist/guitarist Asger started jamming and writing music in the Gymnasium of Birkerod (a Copenhagen suburb) with a few friends. It wasn’t until the EP Homesick Machinery in 2008 hat things started to get really serious. Apart from Asger and keyboardist, Martin, the lineup was different back then and the sound was more hard rock-ish.

     It was on Monsters in 2011 that VOLA started using down-tuned 7-string guitars and the sound got heavier than their initial hard rock sound. By that time bassist Nicolai had been in the band for some time and drummer Felix had joined recently. The band believes that their mutual understanding and attraction towards similar music is what helps them progress into a new genre and write such coherent music. The process of making all the instruments compliment each other perfectly is another point that brings about the best about VOLA. They like to consider the bass and guitars as one instrument and are thus tuned to the same octave. The guitars form the meat of the sound while the bass is the bone. VOLA believes that it’s all about the perfect punch and all of this just adds such an intensified punchyness to one-note riffing. Asger adds, “When you add a kick-drum to this you get a very satisfactory, meaty sound. The keyboards are a great tool for building orchestrations around the sparse harmonics of the riffs. While the riff notes might suggest different chords, the keyboards can easily substantiate these chords and make the soundscape much bigger”.

    After the release of a well-received EP in 2011, “Monsters,”  VOLA finally released their debut full-length studio album, “Inmazes,” on the 2nd of February 2015. For lovers of MESHUGGAH, TOOL, and PROGHMA-C if they don't mind the melding of DEPECHE MODE, TEARS FOR FEARS and NEW ORDER into the mix.