A SCENE IN RETROSPECT: VOLA – “Inmazes”

‘While other bands were producing djent album nº67,  VOLA came out with something that had a breathing identity and dared to be itself.‘

Release date: February 2, 2015 | Mascot | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Website

The early-to-mid days of the djent explosion were a glorious time to discover a diverse array of approaches to progressive metal. From flat-out eccentric to irrestistible catchy, you could pick and choose whatever flavor you wanted for a good while. The kings of catchy djent songs were the fine Danes in VOLA, whose début Inmazes left a huge impact crater in the scene’s collective consciousness when it dropped. Humongous riffs and hooks for days – how could anyone resist?

Lo, the year was newly turned to fifteen past two thousand, and a young scribe of the digital age did chance upon a melody most bewitching—its name, “Gutter Moon”. Enraptured by its spectral charm, he did sing its praises to his brethren, fellow chroniclers of sound, yet little did he know that his own rapture was but a feeble ember beside the great conflagration of joy that soon engulfed them all. A treasure he had uncovered, of this he was most certain, and with fervent heart, he took it upon himself to spread the name of the Danish minstrels far and wide, that their music might grace many an eager ear.

Some time thence, the band took to the festival stage, and their artistry did strike wonder into the hearts of those who beheld them. By then, Vola, the troubadours who were the creators of the magical sounds, had acquired a new steward—one whose path had been guided, perchance, by the young scribe’s impassioned proclamations. Coincidence, say ye? Mayhap. But fate oft moves with a subtle hand. And so it was that, ere long, a noble house of music took Vola beneath its wing, re-releasing Inmazes to the world’s delight, and the tale unfurled as though written by the stars themselves.

Never hath the young scribe laid claim to the mantle of architect in this grand design, yet should some soul make such a bold assertion, he would not hasten to silence them. Power to the people, so the cry goes. In the hearts of those who cherish this tale, he shall ever be the unsung hero of its telling. And even now, it is whispered, he roams the vast, uncharted realms of sound, ever in pursuit of that rare and golden magic he once found within Inmazes. Few indeed are those who stumble upon such wonder, and fewer still who can harness its might. Yet, let it be known—the fire kindled by Inmazes shall ever light his way.

I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t know Inmazes was turning 10 this year. I always thought it was released in 2016, until I found out (because of this article) that it was self-released in 2015 and then re-released by their label in 2016. This won’t stop me from celebrating its birthday, though!

Anyway, I wasn’t around for any of those release dates, as I only met VOLA during the Applause Of A Distant Crowd days. While they are firmly recognized as a progressive metal act nowadays, they were mostly listed as a djent band around Inmazes’ release, and while I do enjoy myself some Tesseract and some other stuff, most djent fails to capture my interest. So I ended up passing on checking VOLA for quite a while.

Some years later, I saw a friend who’s pretty much a walking encyclopedia on good music speaking highly of Applause, so I checked it out. I was mesmerized and entranced by it, as I’d never heard any modern progressive metal sounding so organic, so inspired, so new. Naturally, I hungered for more, so I quickly jumped into Inmazes too.

While songs like “Stray The Skies” and “Your Mind Is a Helpless Dreamer” were instant favorites, it took some time for me to fully grasp the album. While Applause is a very easily digestible album, Inmazes is, ahem, a bit of a maze indeed. It was, however, fascinating from the very first listen.

You’d see many people throwing comparisons like ‘Meshuggah meets Steven Wilson‘ and while there is some truth to that statement, time crowned Inmazes as some of the most original and unique music in all of prog metal history. From its dirty, djenty riffage, to the incredibly grand and beautiful vocal melodies and its fascinating song structure, there’s not a second of Inmazes that sounds uninspired. While other bands were producing djent album nº67,  VOLA came out with something that had a breathing identity and dared to be itself. And that’s what pulled me in the long run: there’s nothing quite like it out there, including everything else the band has released since then.

That’s not to say that VOLA lost their touch after Inmazes. Perhaps it is their most unique record, but something that made the band an all time favorite for me is how they explore different sides to their songwriting in each release. All four of their full lengths so far sound a bit different to each other, and I’m very happy about that. Still, I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss some things they did in their debut. I just know some stuff from Friend Of A Phantom would slap even harder with some of that tasty, nasty dissonant riffage back in the mix. Can we get it back for a bit, Asger? As a treat?

Even if it is a lightning in a bottle kind of thing, I’m perfectly fine with Inmazes being unparalleled. It adds to its uniqueness, to its identity as a cornerstone in progressive metal, and it is endlessly revisitable. For what it wants to do, it’s a damn near perfect piece of art.

Also, I have to mention how much this album slaps lyrically. From tattoo worthy passages like ‘Few are the divers having air enough to never drown’ (I have that one on my Instagram bio) in “Stray The Skies” to the forever iconic ‘Why are you still trapped inmazes you designed?’ in the title track, the album is endlessly quotable for me.

Even as my music tastes changes and evolves throughout the years, my love and admiration for VOLA and Inmazes never gave in. In fact, as time went on, the album further solidified itself as an all time favorite for me. They’re my comfort band, right alongside Devin Townsend, and I know for a fact that I’ll come back to Inmazes forever. I have it tattooed on my arm for a reason: not just because the cover is damn cool, but because I can hardly imagine my life without VOLA’s music.

Ah, the mid-2010s, a time when progressive metal was living its best life with countless acts dropping some absolute heaters—Periphery had just released their dual album Juggernaut , TesseracT welcomed Dan Tompkins back into the team for Polaris, and Intervals returned to being an instrumental band after a short (but still kinda cool) experiment with Mike Semesky on vocal duties. A lot of people were also patiently waiting for Plini to finish his Things trilogy in the summer of 2015 when out of nowhere, a Danish band by the name of Vola dropped their debut full-length Inmazes, an album that instantly claimed the hearts by many in the scene.

Five seconds in and the title track “The Same War”, immediately sets the tone with its massive, chugging riffs and haunting vocal harmonies, until finally giving way to the instantly memorable “Stray the Skies”. To this day, I firmly believe that this song features one of the finest choruses in progressive metal history ever. About midway through, “Your Mind Is A Helpless Dreamer” then introduces djenty feelings with a stank face-inducing groove sprinkled with angelic melodies that finally ends with a synth-solo – such a cool track and perfect testament of what makes this record so unique.

To me, the main thing that makes Inmazes so special is its seamless fusion of styles. The album effortlessly switches back and forth between crushing djent grooves, atmospheric electronics, and insanely catchy choruses. It’s a record that doesn’t just flirt with different genres but fully embraces them, resulting in a sound that is both heavy and ethereal, intricate yet accessible. Revisiting this album now, it becomes clear why so many – myself included – fell in love with it in the first place.

I still remember the impact Inmazes made when it came it out. Back then, when we were still known as It Djents, the record easily and without a lot of discussion made it to our album of the year list, a stunt that only very few records ever pulled off.

If you haven’t spun this album in a while, now’s the perfect time to revisit one of the best records the progressive music scene has ever seen once again.

Bonus tip: go and watch the music video for “Gutter Moon” as it is one of the finest looking videos in recent memory 😊.