Following on from 2018’s Applause From A Distant Crowd, Witness is Danish quartet Vola’s third album. Mixed and mastered by the Grammy-nominated Jacob Hanson (Volbeat, The Black Dahlia Murder, Amaranthe), the album has both depth and polish, and it makes for a taut, engaging listen. One of those bands who just seem to quietly bubble under the surface, only to emerge with a work of genuine depth, Vola have exceled themselves with this effort, and each of the nine tracks exude quality.
Adopting a strikingly direct approach, Vola positively storm out of the gates with the elastic riffing of Straight Lines. An invigorating start, it combines progressive nous with metallic might and yet, as with Devin Townsend (whose work this echoes), there’s an airiness to proceedings that avoids things becoming too oppressively heavy. A crushing, djentish riff leads the way into Head Mounted Sideways, whilst Martin Werner’s keyboards add a stuttering, unearthly vibe that is further emphasised by Asger Myginbd’s processed vocals. However, despite the metallic weight the band deploy, melody has hardly taken a back seat, and the listener is reminded of latter-day Porcupine Tree in the way the band deftly switch between styles in order to drive the song forward. The band’s trip hop influences emerge on the beautiful, understated 24 Light Years, a perfect showcase for Adam Janzi’s skittering percussion. There’s both beauty and despair present in the piece, and the gorgeous post rock guitars with which it is clothed are sparingly used, keeping the focus on the vocals and percussion. Next up, the trippy intro to These Black Claws (feat. Shahmen) gives way to a riff so heavy, it could give Gojira a run for their money. The band’s performance notwithstanding, it is arguably Shahmen’s perfectly placed guest slot that takes the track over the top, his smooth rhymes slipping between the many layers, making for one of the band’s most inventive and genre-fluid songs to date. Following up such a monumental track is no easy task and, wisely, Vola don’t even try. Instead, they deftly change tack, offering up the gorgeous Freak, a Porcupine Tree-esque track rich in melody and vocal harmonies.
If Freak sees Vola at their most mellifluous, the woozy synth tones that introduce Napalm only serve to obscure the searing riff waiting in the skies above. A tough rocker with a catchy melody at its core, it’s a strong track, although it lacks the fire of These Black Claws. As such, the devastating riff of Future Bird lands with entirely unexpected force and, although the track steadies itself, the shock of the initial impact takes a moment or two to wear off. Another great riff leads into Stone Leader Falling Down, a track that adopts a Meshuggah-esque vibe, before drawing off in a proggier direction, thanks to the layered vocal harmonies. Bruising yet graceful, Leader Falling Down is another album highpoint, although the quality of the record as a whole is so impressive, that selecting a peak seems almost redundant. The album closes with Inside Your Fur, a gargantuan pop song. Don’t get me wrong, it’s as heavy as hell and the guitars still blaze with real fire, but it’s a pop song nevertheless, complete with a HUGE chorus and melodies to die for. The sort of track that powered BMTH’s Sempiturnal, it’s further evidence that the super-talented Vola can more or less turn their hand to anything and not only make it work but frame it in such a way so as it fits within the wider context of the album – no mean feat.
Witness is an absolutely monumental achievement. Despite a coherent overall sound, the album crosses genre boundaries at will, offering up towering riffs, gorgeous vocal harmonies, smooth hip hop elements and pop melodies, sometimes in the same song. The musicianship is typically excellent, but Vola have really taken their song writing up a notch here, and the result is an album that is damn-near perfect. An emotional rollercoaster, packed with memorable moments, Witness is an essential album from a band destined for bigger things. 9.5/10
