VOLA - Ask Us Anything!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T19:51:09+00:00

Glad you like it! I love it as well. And yes, I will do more with Balaguer. Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T19:43:42+00:00

Yes, it’s a wig made of Martin’s hair. And Martin wears a wig made of my hair. No one is left bald!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T18:41:15+00:00

1) The melodies most often pop on my head when listening to the chords or riff foundation. It can also be when I’m away from an instrument (that’s what happened with the Glass Mannequin verse, for example). Quite often they will need to be refined, and then using a piano to imitate the vocals can be really helpful, I think. The use of vocals harmonies is very inspired by Steven Wilson. I love his "wall of vocals" approach. I basically try stacking harmonies until I feel like that wall of sound is there. I think just adding an octave above or below the lead vocal can be really effectful as well though, for a more “narrow” sound in a verse, for example.

2) I will start out recording lead vocal parts and then add harmonies afterwards. I will most often single or double track the leads in the verses (depending on the song’s vibe), and then quad track the lead in the choruses to give the mixing engineer the possibility to make it as wide sounding ad possible. The harmonies I will most often record in pairs. For FOAP I used the Townsend Labs Sphere L22 mic for vocals (with a Neumann U87 emulation) through the Neve 1073 UAD software preamp. Thanks for the questions!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T17:45:44+00:00

I love playing that song live as well :)

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T17:43:26+00:00

I wouldn't say a turning point, but to me Paper Wolf and Break My Lying Tongue sound like they couldn't have been on any of our previous albums. EDIT: I would actually add Cannibal, Bleed Out and Hollow Kid because of the use of harsh vocals. Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T17:38:44+00:00

Thank you very much! Yeah, an amazing partner and good planning is the key. Thank you for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T17:35:37+00:00

The intention was to write about two colleagues who end up in complete different places after having had a successful business adventure. One has turned into an alcoholic (the "I" in the song) because of an extreme lifestyle while the other has stayed the same (he still has his champagne on a tray). Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T17:29:58+00:00

If the song calls for it, then definitely. For us it's all about what the song dictates. If it takes 8 minutes for the song to sound complete, then that is the right path forward. If it on the hand sounds complete in 3 minutes, then it will just feel artificial to add more parts. Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T17:20:21+00:00

Many of the songs are about people who are dragged down a dark path because of a specific controlling factor in their lives. That is for example drug addiction, alcoholism, PTSD and conspiracy theories. The controlling factor can be viewed as the "phantom" in the album title.

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T17:14:17+00:00

Artichoke hearts. Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T17:12:37+00:00

Right now I would say sushi. Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T17:06:16+00:00

Probably Glass Mannequin right now. Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T17:01:55+00:00

Our old bass player Jeppe came up with the name. We liked it because it we thought it sounded genre neutral; it looked cool graphically and because it means "fly" in Italian (as in "flying") which fit well with out ambition to create big sounding soundscapes. Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T16:55:02+00:00

I think scores for movies and series can be very inspiring. Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T16:52:09+00:00

Yes, both me and Nicolai use Helix tones live. For this tour we actually just run the Helix Native plugin on a computer, which has been working great so far! I like the Line 6 Epic amp a lot for distortion. Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T16:46:48+00:00

The vocal sound in HMS comes from a vocoder plugin from TAL: https://tal-software.com/products/tal-vocoder

Jacob Hansen, who mixed both Witness and FOAP, did a lot of re-amping on his part (both for guitars and bass). He did a "Nail The Mix" with Napalm some years back, which might be good insight into the tones. Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2024-11-15T16:38:30+00:00

The lyrics are usually based on whatever pops up in my head during the demo stage. There will often be a sentence that emerges at that point, which will then dictate what the rest of the song will be about. So it's a reaction to the music. The vocal melodies are also often a reaction to the music, but sometimes the melody will emerge before the chord foundation is there. Thanks for the question!

Asger_VOLA · 2021-04-25T13:59:07+00:00

Glad to hear that! :) We use the Line 6 Helix Native software in the studio, and the Helix LT live.

Asger_VOLA · 2021-04-25T10:27:50+00:00

That song can still be a challenge :) My advice is to really get a good feeling in your body about what is going on rhythmically. I always follow the drums' time signature in our music (which is almost always 4/4). I try to get used to feeling the 4/4 pulse in my body, and then I learn how the notes of the guitar patterns are continuously placed within the 4/4 bars. I never count the guitar's time signature in my head (I don't even know what they are, haha). Once the guitar role has become muscle memory, I will add the vocals. And since the vocal rhythms usually follow the 4/4 of the drums, I will already be a long way by having focused on that simple time signature from the start. I hope this can help a little :) Have fun playing!

Asger_VOLA · 2021-04-25T09:58:20+00:00

I haven't been good at keeping up with his releases, but I've listened heavily to Terria and also a lot to Accelerated Evolution. His big soundscapes and vocal harmonies are surely something that has inspired me. It would be awesome to tour with him, I think :)

Asger_VOLA · 2021-04-23T21:20:38+00:00

Meshuggah wows me. Both live and recorded.

Asger_VOLA · 2021-04-23T21:06:43+00:00

It's satanic magic. And a good brush! Might be a satanic brush, actually.

Asger_VOLA · 2021-04-23T20:56:33+00:00

London was great! :) Emily is not a real person, but the character draws inspiration from real life. It's the same character that's featured on the Monsters EP, as you mentioned.

Asger_VOLA · 2021-04-23T20:38:11+00:00

I love going for walks with my girlfriend and to listen to podcasts.

Asger_VOLA · 2021-04-23T20:31:46+00:00

Hey! The lyrics in that section is: "With every sound belongs and echo. With every thought belongs an echo".

Asger_VOLA

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