A rising star in Denmark's rock and metal world, and for good reason: this is some stadium class songwriting that should put them up there with the big boys. The modern rock pleb in me loves this overall sound they craft: like one of those modern groovy Australian groups with an unmistakably talented new Romantic-styled vocalist who really brings the melody. Their biggest influence is definitely Mew, but their focus is heavier, almost djent-ish at times but without the grating production.

The biggest standout here upon first listen is 'Alien Shivers', which has a ridiculously well constructed groove and hook that puts it into instant earworm territory when that magical chorus hits. Like their Aussie cousins Voyager, they have a knack for synth lines - second cut 'Ghosts' sparkles off the speakers and the title track brims with a Balearic, almost shoegaze-ish progression. That's not to say there aren't some legitimate metal cuts here - 'Smartfriend' has a juicy, classic Meshuggah stomp to it and 'Whaler' brings in some cool Middle Eastern styled melodies with its sludgey main riff.

There are a few others on the melodic rock / metal / prog spectrum I really enjoyed this year, but VOLA's sophomore outing stood out as an early AOTY contender and remained as such the more I listened to it. Highly recommended.