VOLA – Witness

Horrible noisy sounding record. I can’t even listen to this album which is such a shame because it’s my favorite release of 2021. A repress/reissue is badly needed.

If you want a great looking record to look at, or collect Vola records, buy this. If you want a positive listening experience, avoid this.

This is an amazing album, totally let down by some of the worst sounding vinyl I’ve had the displeasure of listening to, even when compared to other coloured and picture vinyl. Mushy, haphazard mixing with boxy mids, swollen bass, and overshadowed treble leads to a very disappointing listening experience. A perfect example is the epic, symphonic keys in the chorus of These Black Claws getting completely lost to a sea of muddy and indistinguishable lows.

The vinyl also has so many imperfections out of the box it makes listening experience even worse. For example my side B came with an audible crackle, that I guess is from poor production quality, that can be heard on every revolution over the music. Another copy may be better, but I’m not about to spend more to find out. Avoid this for anything other than collection and display.

Very bad sounding press...unfortunately...if i did not order from abroad I would claim my money back...very very saaad...do not recommending...

Can definitely agree with people here in the comments. Through my monitors via iTunes this album is huuuge, but played on my SL-1500C and Sony amp, It's not as punchy, not by a long shot. Lots of surface noise which you wouldn't expect on a new record. Had to really crank it above what I'd normally would. It's alright to listen to I suppose. Hope they repress it better.

Another confirmation that the sound is unfortunately flat and compressed. Lacks dynamics and vocals are often drowned out by the other instruments. This indicates either bad mixing for vinyl or the lack of it. Clearly a money grab and not worth the 2 months of delivery time suffered. I would recommend getting the WAV edition of the album on Bandcamp where the mixing is much better.

Sadly I can confirm poor sound quality on this edition. Flat and compressed. This album deserves better. I feel sorry for the band.

As per the other reviewer, I can confirm that this press is unfortunately fairly noisey. Even after a thorough cleaning and a couple plays its still noisey. Pretty disappointing given the solid mix on other platforms.

Too bad this album has such a bad mix. Really lacking in dynamics. Sounds flat and compressed.