Volbeat is without any comparison THE most successful Danish metal band in recent years. Despite the incredible quality and diversity on the Danish metal scene right now there are a couple of reasons for that: Their sophomore album, ‘Rock The Rebel/Metal The Devil’, is first of all a motherfucker of an album. Second it’s easily heavy enough to please the metal crowd and melodic enough to make the rock audience happy. Very happy that is. The unique sound of ‘Rock The Rebel/Metal The Devil’ earned Volbeat platinum status in Denmark which is totally unheard of for a heavy metal act in Denmark. It has quite simply never happened before.

So what’s all the fuss about then? A couple of things really. Charismatic frontman Michael Poulsen insists on writing songs and not just tracks. Take a song like ‘Radio Girl’ – a 1950s style love song wrapped in roaring guitar riffs and thundering bass drums, but if you peel away all the thunder-and-lightning-instrumentation you have an insanely catchy melody that you will find yourself whistling on your way to work and humming in the shower. How often can you say that about a metal song? (Clue: Not that often).

The band’s cool blend of heavy metal and 50s rock certainly also helps the band along the path of success. The sound draws on numerous influences and you can rest assured: If Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash were alive they would be standing in the front row at the next Volbeat concert pumping their fists and nodding in appreciation.

Volbeat have toured almost non stop since the release of ‘Rock The Rebel/Metal The Devil’ – warming up for Metallica and Megadeth and playing numerous festivals around Europe – but somehow found the time to make their third album, ‘Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood’, at über-producer Jacob Hansen’s studios. The album will feature cover versions of Hank Williams’ ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ and ‘Makin Believe’, made popular by Social Distortion, and is due in September. We predict wall-to-wall ass kicking.

Genre: Heavy metal/hard rock
Who: Volbeat
Title: Rock The Rebel/Metal The Devil
Label: Mascot Records/Target Distribution
Year: 2007
Country: Denmark
Language: English
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Recommended tracks:
The Garden’s Tale – Radio Girl – Sad Man’s Tongue – Soulweeper #2