Volbeat was a band I discovered back in 2009 when someone posted one of their videos in a metal forum that I read. After reading they were described as a mix of Elvis, Johnny Cash and Metallica, I had to give them a listen and wow was I blown away by how kick ass this band was. I really liked their unique sound and crunching guitar riffs and digging further into their discography they had at the time I was hooked on them and their sound right away.
Since I discovered Volbeat they released two more very solid CDs and I was able to see them live four times. At one of the shows had the fortune of winning a contest to meet and hang out with the band for a little while as they chatted with us, answered any and all of our questions, posed for pictures and autographed two vinyl album covers of theirs I had brought. Being a big fan I was very much anticipating this new release.
Volbeat has been a staple in the rotation of my local active rock station the past several years and the last few weeks the station had already been playing the first single off of the new cd, ‘The Devil’s Bleeding Crown’ and I dug it right away. This band has a solid formula for making what I think is good music and if the first single is any indication of what the rest of the new CD has to offer we Volbeat fans are in for a treat.
For this CD I thought their sound moved away from some of the rhythms and riffs dedicated to the musicians who influenced them on prior releases and was more concentrated and focused on solidifying their own sound. There was not that crunchy heavy metal rockabilly sound which they have been known for on some of their songs in the past, rather a more polished and refined jamming sound pointing Volbeat firmly on their own path in the music world. With every song you literally can feel the story Michael is portraying in his lyrics with his distinctive voice, and then Rob comes in and out with his solid guitar work and each song just flows and keeps you wanting to hear it all the way through. Many of the tracks on here have that fun and engaging Volbeat sound formula that keeps your head nodding as you are listening along.
Besides ‘The Devil’s Bleeding Crown’, the songs that really stood out to me on here were ‘Seal the Deal’, and ‘The Loa’s Crossroad’ as I like that heavier sound and these two had a definite upbeat tempo, where I think Rob is at his best. ‘Rebound’ has that previously mentioned fun, nod your head and rock out Volbeat sound as does a cover of “Battleship Chains” (originally by written by Terry Anderson and recorded by his band The Woods, then covered and made famous by the Georgia Satellites). After listening through the full CD a couple of times there were no tracks that I did not like. While the metalhead in me was hoping to hear more of the influence and Michael’s love of thrash metal combined with Rob’s history of jamming with Anthrax, with every song on here I felt like it was Volbeat jamming to sound like Volbeat, not anyone else. To me, they have a unique and proven popular and successful sound and the new CD does not disappoint.
This band is made up of some very charismatic members who truly enjoy playing live and interacting with the audience. Every member of Volbeat has a great stage presence and after seeing them play live as many times as I have I can picture the band up on stage playing these new songs to arenas full of their loyal fans. This is a CD I recommend for fans and for those not familiar with Volbeat, if you want to check out a great band get the new CD, but I would recommend to start listening chronologically at the beginning of their discography and see just how much this band has evolved over time leading up to this great new release. Also, this is a band that I highly recommend if you ever get the chance to see them live, do so. They put on a fantastic show. I have already made one trip nearly across the country to see them play and have a second planned in the near future, as when I heard they were opening for Metallica, that helped ‘Seal The Deal…’ to get a trip together ‘…& Let’s Boogie’. \m/
Rating: 8/10
“Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie” track listing:
- The Devil’s Bleeding Crown
- Marie Laveau
- The Bliss
- The Gates of Babylon
- Let It Burn
- Black Rose
- Rebound
- Mary Jane Kelly
- Goodbye Forever
- Seal The Deal
- Battleship Chains
- You Will Know
- The Loa’s Crossroad
Volbeat is:
Michael Poulsen – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Jon Larsen – drums, percussion
Rob Caggiano – lead guitar, backing vocals
Kaspar Boye Larsen – bass guitar
Volbeat “Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie” / Release date June 3, 2016 Republic Records / Website / Twitter / Facebook