Ethereal Metal: Inside Voice of Glass’ First Show as a Six

Six players, one stage, zero prior shows together — and a cohesion most bands spend years chasing. A night with Voice of Glass, and an afternoon inside the studio they call home.

I went to see VOICE OF GLASS for their first-ever live performance in their current six-member incarnation. I arrived early enough to catch the band warming up in the fading dusk. They describe their sound as progressive, alternative and gothic, but hearing them live gives those labels another dimension. If I had to put my own name to it, I would call it Ethereal Metal. Dark and powerful, but atmospheric, cinematic and almost otherworldly.

Lead vocalist Olya Meek’s voice heightens that effect, giving the impression of a Queen of the Underworld. Commanding and strong, yet deeply feminine and seductive.

When VOICE OF GLASS took the stage, one of the first things that struck me was how remarkably in sync they were. With six people contributing guitars, bass, drums, keys and layered vocals, there are a lot of moving pieces.

I’ve seen a lot of live bands, and that level of cohesion isn’t something I take for granted. Even incredibly talented performers do not always achieve the same precision onstage that can be created in a studio. VOICE OF GLASS, however, played with the familiarity of people who had been sharing a stage for years.

What makes that particularly impressive is simple: this was their first time taking the stage together.

A Framework, Not a Set of Instructions

At the center of the songwriting are Olya and her husband, lead guitarist David Meek. The two met in Bulgaria and formed a garage band in 2002, beginning a musical partnership that has continued to evolve for more than two decades. Olya arranges the vocals while David composes the instrumental portions of the music.

What they create, however, isn’t handed to the rest of the band as an inflexible set of instructions. They want every member to bring something personal to the finished product. A new bassist isn’t expected to imitate the bassist who came before him, and a drummer isn’t asked to simply reproduce somebody else’s choices. Olya and David create the framework, then allow the talents and instincts of the other members to help shape what the music ultimately becomes.

The Six

David Warner has been recording with VOICE OF GLASS since 2022, contributing keys and vocals as well as the cello, violin and other string layers heard throughout their recordings. A second-generation Las Vegas local, David has spent most of his life involved in performing arts and attended LVA during his senior year of high school. He also repairs, modifies and customizes instruments for clients.

Carlos Silva began working with VOICE OF GLASS as their studio drummer in 2025 before recently becoming an official member of the live lineup. He has been performing professionally behind a drum kit since he was 12 and has even played drums in a famous residency on the Las Vegas Strip. Outside of music, Carlos works as an electrician and event producer.

Andy Beldy made the transition from bass to rhythm guitar. His connection to the band’s creative home runs even deeper. Andy works as an engineer at Electric Shop Recording, the studio owned by his father.

Chris Darakjian is one of the newest additions to VOICE OF GLASS, playing bass. By day, he is a CPA. He arrived for his audition following a car accident and proceeded to nail it, joining the group only a couple of months before their first show together.

All of those different backgrounds come together in a sound that is layered without becoming overwhelming. The vocal harmonies are particularly strong, while the combination of heavier instrumentation and atmospheric elements creates the quality that first made me think of the phrase Ethereal Metal.

Even visually, the band retains a sense of individuality. Their overall aesthetic is dark and slightly dressy without looking overly coordinated, allowing each person to maintain their own style.

Inside Electric Shop Recording

Later, I met with VOICE OF GLASS at Electric Shop Recording for an interview. The band has been recording there since 2019, and from the moment I arrived, I was welcomed warmly and enthusiastically.

The studio itself is something of a maze. Rooms and hallways lead into one another, with pieces of music history and awards displayed throughout. Well-known artists have recorded within its walls, yet for all of that history, the space doesn’t feel intimidating.

It feels like a home.

That feeling became even stronger once I sat down with the band.

There is an ease between the six of them that is difficult to manufacture. They joke with one another, encourage each other and genuinely seem to enjoy being together. For a lineup that has existed for such a short amount of time, they already feel less like coworkers and more like a family.

Olya doesn’t hesitate when talking about this version of VOICE OF GLASS. She considers it the best incarnation of the band yet.

Their influences are much harder to pin down. When I asked what inspires their music, there wasn’t a tidy list of bands or artists. They draw from everywhere. Their goal has been to move the sound in a heavier direction, but there is more happening beneath the surface than heaviness alone.

Listening to VOICE OF GLASS, and especially after spending time with the people creating it, I found a tremendous amount of heart beneath the darkness.

The Beginning of Something

That may be what stayed with me most after the interview. There was no overwhelming discussion of fame, fortune or becoming the next household name. What came through instead was a genuine love for making music, performing it and connecting with the people around them.

VOICE OF GLASS has existed in different forms for years. Some of these six have contributed to the band’s recordings for a long time, while others have only recently arrived.

Yet their first performance together didn’t feel tentative or unfinished.

It felt like the beginning of a version of VOICE OF GLASS that already knows exactly what it wants to be.