Like a lot of other bands in the progressive metal and rock spaces, VOLA has transformed significantly from their earlier days. Each of their albums has explored different elements, with more recent material like Witness incorporating a bit more rock and electronic elements and trying to find that sweet spot between heavier riffs and accessible melodic hooks. Some of the beats and softer elements did raise the question as to whether VOLA would eventually move fully into progressive rock and leave some of the heavier metallic sheen behind like other groups like Klone, but with this year’s Friend of a Phantom the band has made it clear that for now they’re content to continue to blur the lines between the two. Coming in as more of an incremental change rather than another evolution, Friend of a Phantom once again emphasizes huge, room filling hooks with some heavier and louder moments, and while it doesn’t quite reach the same level of its predecessor there is still plenty of substance to keep listeners returning.
Opener “Cannibal” feels like a direct response to the question of whether VOLA would fully mellow out by album four, as it has some of the heaviest grooves and keeps things firmly on the metal side of the aisle for its five-minute run. This holds true even on the chorus, which has a sense of power and weight to it even as the keyboard and guitar work heads into mellower territory. “Break My Lying Tongue” is another early highlight which utilizes a driving rhythm and more angular sound that falls more into alternative/progressive rock territory with its sweeping melodies and driving basslines but still retains some of the heaviness at key points. Admittedly the further in you get, you do get the sense that since Witness VOLA has created something of a standard pattern for themselves with the way that the softer verses lead into booming choruses, but there are still some unexpected moments that do break things up. “We Will Not Disband” and “Bleed Out” are both great examples of this, as the former brings in some very dense grooves and metal riffs in a less predictable way, while the latter emphasizes electronic beats that almost sound trap influenced but transform into a more explosive rock and metal mixture by the end. When everything comes together the material on Friend of a Phantom is just as hook filled and stylistically interesting as what the band has done before, but the second half is a bit less memorable by comparison. There aren’t any outright bad songs, but the way the melodies were woven together on the last three tracks made them blur together a bit over repeat listens. The album is once again enhanced by some well-balanced production values, which allow the subtle details of the softer passages to stand out without losing the oomph of the more aggressive ones.
Progressive rock and metal often draw people in with their instrumentation, but the vocals are what separate bands that manage to gain an audience versus fading into obscurity. Asger Mygind has been able to provide that for VOLA with powerful and airier singing, and his performance on Friend of a Phantom is just as strong as anything else in the band’s discography. Right from the start “Cannibal” makes an impression, as Mygind’s haunting singing intertwines perfectly with In Flames’ Anders Fridén and this is an example of a guest spot done right. This may be the only guest feature, but it isn’t the sole appearance of harsh vocals as there are some verses later in the album that bring back some screaming and showcase VOLA hasn’t chosen to fully mellow out. But even some of the singing has some bite to it, as the chorus of “Break My Lying Tongue” and “We Will Not Disband” have a considerable amount of energy behind them. The transitions from softer, fragile singing to more powerful and airier pitches continues to be a highlight of the band’s material, and there are plenty of sections that have been stuck in my head since the first time through.
Friend of a Phantom’s naturally expands on a lot of the ideas Witness introduced, and while the second half has some songs that run together the strength of the earlier ones make this worth listening to. There are still plenty of genuinely heavy sections even if the focus continues to be on the melodies and electronic elements, and while VOLA does run the risk of exhausting this formula for too many albums in a row this hasn’t happened yet. They continue to be masters of balancing more intricate ideas with accessibility, and it’ll be interesting to hear what elements they emphasize next. Friend of a Phantom is available from Mascot Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg