Year: 2021
Total Time: 61:15
Label: Vertigo/Universal

I don’t know if it was the fans’ complaints, the cover of “Don’t Tread On Me” for the “The Metallica Blacklist” or if Michael Poulsen missed playing heavy, but VOLBEAT’s new album is the most Metal (and perhaps the best) they have released in almost 10 years.

They don’t reinvent the wheel of course, but they play ball where they know best: Mixing Metal, Punk and Rock n Roll. “Temple of Ekur” that opens the album sets the tone for what’s to come. Heavy riffs are succeeded by melodic Rock choruses and the characteristic smooth but powerful vocals of Poulsen. Even from the most Rock n Roll track on the album, “Wait A Minute My Girl” full with piano and saxophone, it is obvious that the Danes have an appetite for more up tempo songs and heavy guitars.

In “Servant Of The Mind”, VOLBEAT brings back the elements that made them popular to the metal fans in the past. The influences from METALLICA, SLAYER and BLACK SABBATH are more than evident and they go along greatly with their more Rockabilly and Psychobilly elements. It is always admirable how easily they move from catchy Rock parts to more Metal where on this album they even go to Thrash Metal territory (“Say No More”, “Shotgun Blues”) as well as old school Death Metal (“Becoming”).

I don’t know if this shift to a less mainstream sound took place consciously – always within the commercial success of a band like VOLBEAT – but this new album features the longest-lasting tracks they have ever written: The six-minute “The Sacred Stones”, a dark groovy track with the guitars reminiscing a little bit of the legendary “Heaven And Hell” and the eight-minute “Lasse’s Birgitta” which is perhaps the most progressive composition of the Danes.

VOLBEAT have returned to the sound that characterizes them and truth be told suits them the best. The album, of course, continues to suffer from the same problem that their last albums had, the cheerful / sweet choruses that sometimes sound a little bit out of place. In addition, with a track list of 13 songs, it is almost inevitable that there are 1-2 filler songs. Fortunately, most of the compositions are inspired, with riffs for plenty of headbanging and melodies for singalong at the concerts. I hope that Michael Poulsen and his friends will continue riding their Cadillac on the same roads in the future.

Rating: 8/10
Editor: Dimitris Benetatos
Related Link: VOLBEAT – Official Page