Gramercy Theatre New York, NY
Contact: john@bands.management
Web: volaband.com
Players: Asger Mygind, vocals, guitar; Martin Werner, keys; Nicolai Mogensen, bass; Adam Janzi, drums
In the midst of their 2025 tour, Danish-Swedish band VOLA delivered a fully immersive show to fans. Performing songs from their new album, the band leaned heavily into lighting design, incorporating it as an extension of their sound and an instrument in its own right. During “Napalm,” deep reds drenched the crowd, while “Alien Shivers” featured rays of a severe, white light slowly spread out from Mygind. Other tracks featured bursts of colors or specific spotlights to punctuate each song. A semicircle of thin LED strips framed the band, morphing the set to fit each track.
The lightshow rendered VOLA incorporeal—beamed in from another realm. Known to write their music in secluded areas of Denmark, the isolation and introspection echo through the performance. They seem untethered, just out of reach. And yet, despite appearing otherworldly on stage, VOLA remained connected with the audience. Mygind made a point to engage with the crowd, encouraging dancing, moshing, and singing along. VOLA’s fans were deeply devoted, drinking in every note.
Throughout the show, the band moved fluidly between headbanging metal guitar, distorted vocals, dreamy synth, and simmering drums—sometimes all within a single track. “Alien Shivers,” for example, required these quick switches between textures. As vocalist and lead guitarist, Mygind set the tone, shredding in “Cannibal” or practicing haunting restraint in “These Black Claws.” Reverb and distortion played key roles, texturizing his vocals and guitar. As a whole, VOLA toyed with genre, incorporating glittering ‘80s rock influences and new-age ambiance with their metal grit.
Their ability to create lush soundscapes on synth sets the group apart from their peers. Warner deftly moved from flowing runs on “We Will Not Disband” to blanketing the audience in “Stray the Skies.” Quintessential to creating the mood for each track, the keys sat below the guitars but never buried. On bass, Mogensen added gravitas, grounding the group with rumbling riffs. Bass and synth lines played off each other, bubbling below the surface and creating tension, released only by explosions of sound in Janzi’s drums. Seething cymbals and unyielding bass drums urged the group forward, sometimes snapping them back to reality after a particularly dreamy synth section. A true heartbeat, Janzi kept the swimming layers of sound together, containing the chaos without restraining it.
Although VOLA has wrapped up their North and South American tour, they will be traveling to Australia in 2026, kicking off in Newstead, Brisbane this February. Their album, Friend of a Phantom, recently celebrated its first anniversary, so be sure to give it a listen if you haven’t already.
