UMUR "Paper Wolf" is a one-track digital single use by Danish rock/metal act Vola. The single was released through Mascot Records in August 2023. It´s the follow-up release to Vola´s third full-length studio album "Witness" (May 2021). It´s possibly the first single from a forthcoming fourth full-length studio album, or it could be a standalone single, similar to when they released the "Glasswork" single all the way back in 2010, which was also a track exclusive to that single release. Since at this point the fourth full-length studio album hasn´t been released yet, your guess is as good as mine.

Stylistically "Paper Wolf" pretty much continues the slick, polished, and melancholic rock/metal style of the material found on "Witness". So if you´re familiar with "Witness", you won´t be surprised by what you hear when listening to "Paper Wolf". Asger Mygind´s strong and paatos filled vocals dominate the track, and atmospheric keyboards and electronic effects are complimented by mellow/loud dynamic rock and metal sections. It´s not a particularly heavy track, but Vola still produce some relatively heavy riffs and rhythms when that is called for.

"Paper Wolf" is a well produced track (produced by Mygind and mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen) and a nice little breather before Vola opt to record and release their fourth full-length studio album. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Witness" is the third full-length studio album by Danish rock/metal act Vola. The album was released through Mascot Records in May 2021. It´s the successor to "Applause Of A Distant Crowd" from October 2018. A few videos were released to promote the release of the album.

Stylistically this is unmistakably the sound of Vola. Melancholic and atmospheric rock/metal with the strong and paatos filled vocals of Asger Mygind in front. Influenced greatly by artists like Katatonia, Riverside, and fellow Danish art/progressive pop/rock act Mew (although the influence from the latter was stronger on the preceding album). Compared to the more mellow and electronic tinged "Applause Of A Distant Crowd", Vola have opted to include more heavy distorted guitars and heavy drumming again like they had on their debut album. Keyboards and electronic effects are still a big part of the band´s sound as well as atmosphere enhancing choirs and harmony vocals. The tracks are predominantly vers/chorus structured and for the most part easily accessible. The strong melodies and melancholic atmospheres are the greatest assets of Vola´s music.

The album features a gorgeous, polished, and powerful sound production, which perfectly suits the material. This is not the type of music which would benefit from a more gritty and raw sounding production job. So upon conclusion "Witness" is another high quality release from Vola. To my ears it´s maybe a bit too formulaic and a few more musical experiments wouldn´t have hurt (including a rap part on "These Black Claws" does not qualify as being experimental IMO). A 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved though.

UMUR "Applause Of A Distant Crowd" is the second full-length studio album by Danish Danish rock/metal act Vola. The album was released through Mascot Records in October 2018. It´s the successor to "Inmazes" from February 2016 and features one lineup change as original drummer Felix Ewert has been replaced by Swedish drummer Adam Janzi.

The material on "Applause Of A Distant Crowd" is, although it´s not as heavy and riff oriented as the material on "Inmazes", and generally features more electronic pop/rock music influences, still the sound of Vola. Melancholic and atmospheric rock/metal with the strong and expressive vocals of Asger Mygind in front. This time around just focused less on heavy riffs and rhythms (although they do appear on some tracks like they do on "Smartfriend"). Katatonia is an obvious influence (the Norwegians in Manes could be another valid reference and other times the Polish in Riverside), but also fellow countrymen in Mew are a big influence on Vola´s sound. Vola is often described as a progressive rock/metal act, but they are generally (at least on this release) a pretty straight forward vers/chorus structured rock/metal act with big catchy melancholic choruses, sophisticated choir- and harmony vocal work, and a great understanding of songwriting dynamics. There are a few exceptions on "Applause Of A Distant Crowd", where Vola treat themselves and their audience to some unconventional time-signatures and some pretty heavy riffs and rhythms, but it´s not the dominant sound on the album.

While some listeners may miss the heaviness of the debut album, this slighly more mellow and electronic tinged sophomore release is still a high quality album, which is wrapped in a powerful, clear, and detailed sound production, which perfectly suits the material. The melancholic melodies and atmospheric songwriting approach work really well, and although not used that much on this release, the heavy riffs and rhythms occasionally provide some needed bombast and edge. It is overall a soothing, beautiful, and mellow melodic rock/metal release though, so don´t come to this expecting something that´ll kick your teeth in. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Inmazes" is the debut full-length studio album by Danish rock/metal act Vola. The album was originally independently released in February 2015, but saw a label release through Mascot Records in September 2016. Vola formed in 2006 and released their first official release in November 2008, which was the "Homesick Machinery" EP. It was followed by the release of the March 2010 one-track digital single "Glasswork", and the October 2011 "Monsters" EP. Then nothing was released for a few years until "Inmazes" appeared.

Although especially the "Monsters" EP featured some pretty high quality material, it´s obvious when listening to "Inmazes", that Vola were only in their formative stages as a band, when they recorded and released the three early career releases. They weren´t finished developing their sound and style, and "Inmazes" in all departments sounds much more fully developed and well thought out, than any of the preceding material from Vola.

Stylistically Vola play a melancholic and atmospheric rock/metal style which features both mellow and epic melodic sections and harder hitting and heavy chugging sections. The strong voice of lead vocalist/guitarist Asger Mygind and the catchy melody lines and supporting choirs and harmony vocals are great assets of the band´s sound in addition to the well composed and memorable tracks. It´s interesting to note that in addition to foreign artists like Katatonia and Porcupine Tree, who are obvious influences on Vola´s music, there is also a strong influence from fellow countrymen Mew. The track "Gutter Moon" is almost an ode to Mew or at least strongly influenced by the quirky progressive pop/rock melodies of that band ("Owls" is another example). The Mew influence is heard pretty much throughout the album when Vola don´t play their most heavy parts, then it´s other influences who are at play.

"Inmazes" features a clear, detailed, and powerful sounding production, and it´s a sound production perfectly fitting the material. Upon conclusion "Inmazes" is a strong debut album from Vola, and they immediately land on their feet with this release. They had a few years and releases building up to this album, and this is the perfect culmination of those years and the efforts made to come to this place. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Monsters" is the second EP release by Danish rock/metal act Vola. The EP was independently released in October 2011. It follows the release of the band´s November 2008 debut EP "Homesick Machinery", although the two EPs are bridged by the March 2010 one-track digital single "Glasswork". The EP features four tracks and a playing time around the 20 minutes.

Vola pretty much continues the electronic/keyboard tinged mellow rock/metal style, which is occasionally spiced up by heavier chugging metal sections, which they initiated on "Homesick Machinery", but they´ve become both heavier and more hard hitting while also becoming more pop/rock mainstream oriented, which is a bit of a feat really. I´m not sure how they do that, but it works pretty well with the heavy riffs and rhythms and the melodic and melancholic atmospheric pop/rock oriented sections. Some tracks work better than others, but when Vola strike the right balance between the mellow/melodic and the heavy, they strike gold (like they do on "Controllable"). I´m sometimes reminded of a less progressive oriented Caligula´s Horse, because of the balance and dynamics of the music.

"Monsters" features a high quality production job. Powerful, detailed, and dynamic. A professional sound production like this one is needed for Vola´s music to be given the best conditions to shine. This kind of music wouldn´t work with gritty and murky sounding production values. Compared to the otherwise good quality of "Homesick Machinery", Vola have taken a good step forward on "Monsters". Some of the immaturity of the songwriting and the production techniques of the debut EP have been weeded out here, and the added heaviness suits Vola well. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.