Volbeat
Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady
Ladies
Michael Poulsen – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Anders Kjolholm – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jon Larsen – Drums, Percussion
Rob Caggiano – Lead Guitar
Europe here
we come! Volbeat has burst onto the scene in the past couple of years. Hailing
from Copenhagen they are inspired by an array of sounds. In 2000 Frontman
Michael Poulsen was fed up with the death metal scene and his band broke up. In
the following year he formed a new band and Volbeat was born. In 2005 the band
released their first album The
Strength/The Sound/The Songs. After positive reviews and a high charting
experience the band came back with Rock
the Rebel/Metal the Devil in 2007. The album debuted #1 on the Danish top
40 while the band was playing festivals and opening up for Metallica as well as
Megadeath. 2008 seen their third album while 2009 they supported Metallica on
the North American leg of the World Magnetic Tour. The band’s forth album
Beyond Hell/Above Heaven was released in September 2010. After
touring much of the next several years the band came storming back with their
fifth release in 2013. Outlaw gentlemen
& Shady Ladies was released early that year and features 14 tracks that
spread nearly an hour. They get the album going with “Let’s Shake Some Dust”
which is a little intro. The minute and a half tune includes a lot of different
sounds that I can only imagine that we will hear the rest of the record. “Pearl
Hart” really gets the album going with a great vocal performance and tunes that
draw you in. The tune rolls along with ease and keeps you interested in it. The
smooth vocals coupled with grooving music makes for a perfect sounding tune. “The
Nameless One” opens up just a bit as the guitars are a bit more hard rock in
this tune. The track is still relatively calm, but they spice it up some. The
vocals are still as smooth as the last tune, but musically it’s opened up more.
The little solo section could use just a bit more juice, but overall it’s a
track that I would let run when it presented itself. “Dead But Rising” opens up
the music even more. There are harder drums and more guitar riffs throughout
the track. The vocals even change slightly, although they are still smooth and
clean. You can jam out to this one a bit more and the end really hits hard. “Cape
Of Our Hero” opens up with some cool guitars that grab your attention. I really
like the control that they have during the track. The guitars spike up a time
or two and sound really good. They give off a great sounding vibe with ease and
precision. The drums just hammer along in the back driving the track down the
road. It’s another one that I can see just chilling out in the background. “Room
24 (Feat King Diamond)” kicks up the metal influence, but also adds some female
vocals for added flavor. The hard tune cranks out the drums and flying guitars.
The track rages on with power and demands attention. Vocally the track has
voices flying all over the place. Its kind of hard to keep everything straight,
but if you manage to do it it’s a nice tune to get lost in. “The Hangman’s Body
Count” begins slowly and draws you in with ease. The vocals are silky smooth
while the tunes get stuck in your head and won’t leave you alone. You will be
coming back to this track time and time again. It just connects well with each
other as well as the listener. This is a top notch track that you can’t ignore.
“My Body” is a catchy tune with huge vocals and smooth music. The track rolls
along with ease giving up great guitars and pounding drums while they mix in
the soothing vocals. It just continues this easy going album. “Lola Montez” is
a killer tune with a huge presents. This is a top notch tune and I’m sure you
have heard it raging all over the radio. The music is once again so laid back,
but sounds so strong. The vocal set though is the star of the tune. They burrow
into your brain and stay there for a very long time. The track cruises along
and will pop up from time to time. It’s a great sounding tune. “Black Bart”
turns up the tempo some and really gets the album moving. The drums race along
while the guitars try to keep up. The vocals are left in the dust as they pick
up the pieces. It’s not as smooth as the other tracks, but it changes things up
just enough to warrant a listen from time to time. The guitar solo is also
another aspect that will have you coming back. “Lonesome Rider (Feat Sara
Blackwood)” is an odd sounding tune with some extra vocals courtesy of Sara
Blackwood. The lyrics are strange, but they work with the style of vocals that
they offer up. The music goes hand and hand with the lyrics and the vocals. I
don’t see it catching on with the masses, but the true fans might fall in love.
“The Sinner Is You” is an okay track that just seems to be a little bit of
filler. It sounds good, but also sounds like the others. I didn’t see much
value. “Doc Holliday” begins and you will be stopped in your tracks. It caught
me completely off guard. The old school banjo adds some new flavor to the album
and is greatly received by this guy. They then transition back into the heavy
stuff and really hit you hard. The guitars rage along while the drums hammer
home some great strikes. They keep bringing in the banjo back in from time to
time as well. The tune is very unique for the most part and a listen every once
in a while is warranted. “Our Loved Ones” closes out the album with some more
surprise instruments. The harmonica makes an appearance this time. The track is
a slow moving number that sounds decent, however I don’t see if taking off.
Overall the album is solid with lots of great tracks that you can pluck from
the ranks and insert into you own personal mix. The vocals are so smooth they
can’t be ignored as some of the best. The music is so perfectly worked that
they sound like they could be played in their sleep. Blended together they make
a near perfect match. You can tell that time was spent on every aspect of the
record and the product is superb because of it.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Tracks to Watch:
Room 24, The Hangman’s Body Count, Lola Montez
Track
List:
- Let’s Shake Some Dust
- Pearl Hart
- The Nameless One
- Dead But Rising
- Cape Of Our Hero
- Room 24 (Feat King
Diamond)
- The Hangman’s Body Count
- My Body
- Lola Montez
- Black Bart
- Lonesome Rider (Feat Sara
Blackwood)
- The Sinner Is You
- Doc Holliday
- Our Loved Ones
Website (s): http://www.volbeat.dk
; http://www.facebook.com/volbeat
