Reviewed - 11/05/05
The
Strength, The Sound, The Songs
[Rebel Monster/Mascot Records]
Who knew? Who could have guessed that a band like this could even exist let alone rock so fucking hard? Hailing from Denmark (aka – Metal’s next Mecca), Volbeat somehow manages to take hard rockin’ heavy metal and blends it with 50’s and 60’s rock n’ roll spirit without being a big gimmick. Sound too weird to work? Trust me, it works. You just have to hear it. Now, let’s check out their title and see how fitting it is:
The Strength - First and foremost, when I say it’s metal, I mean it. This is almost an hour of heavy, heavy riffs and songs that simply rock as hard as possible. This whole album keeps that classic metal feel, but modernizes it with today’s heaviest sounds. Basically, you have a band that remembers that metal started out as really loud, really heavy rock and wants to carry that torch. It might be dark, it might be gritty, it might intense, but that doesn’t mean metal can’t be a little bit fun.
The Sound - Speaking of fun, when I say 50’s and 60’s rock, I’m mainly referring to Elvis. Volbeat simply has an Elvis obsession that becomes more apparent the more you look into them. This is perhaps because vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulsen seems to be channeling a healthy dose of Elvis in his vocal performance. Imagine a great metal vocalist from the 80’s putting some Elvis-like swagger into his voice while he sings and you’ll have a good idea what to expect. What’s so surprising is that it sounds so cool and so metal. I just wouldn’t have expected that. I think the mix itself is part of the success when it comes to the vocals. They aren’t too up-front which might have made them seem a bit obnoxious. Instead, the guitars are allowed to be the real stars here and they are big, bold, and perfect for Volbeat’s Metallica meets Priest meets Scandinavian metal meets rock-a-billy sound. I am quite impressed with Jacob Hansen’s production and I think he might be one of those producers who everyone needs to keep an eye on.
The Songs - Of course, a great sound means nothing without good songwriting (or, it shouldn’t, though many bands defy that). To put it simply, there isn’t a throwaway song on this album. There’s plenty of variety as well. Some songs are riff-heavy and aggressive enough that you might expect growling or screaming vocals to pop up (though they never do) and some songs are surprisingly radio-friendly (if radios had good taste, that is). Through it all, the melodies stay strong, the songs are always memorable, and their sound is always heavy.
What more can I say? I’m sure this won’t appeal to everyone as strongly as it appeals to me, but you simply have to give Volbeat a chance. This is metal the way it’s supposed to be: heavy, loud, fun, original, and heavy.
[Rebel Monster/Mascot Records]
Who knew? Who could have guessed that a band like this could even exist let alone rock so fucking hard? Hailing from Denmark (aka – Metal’s next Mecca), Volbeat somehow manages to take hard rockin’ heavy metal and blends it with 50’s and 60’s rock n’ roll spirit without being a big gimmick. Sound too weird to work? Trust me, it works. You just have to hear it. Now, let’s check out their title and see how fitting it is:
The Strength - First and foremost, when I say it’s metal, I mean it. This is almost an hour of heavy, heavy riffs and songs that simply rock as hard as possible. This whole album keeps that classic metal feel, but modernizes it with today’s heaviest sounds. Basically, you have a band that remembers that metal started out as really loud, really heavy rock and wants to carry that torch. It might be dark, it might be gritty, it might intense, but that doesn’t mean metal can’t be a little bit fun.
The Sound - Speaking of fun, when I say 50’s and 60’s rock, I’m mainly referring to Elvis. Volbeat simply has an Elvis obsession that becomes more apparent the more you look into them. This is perhaps because vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulsen seems to be channeling a healthy dose of Elvis in his vocal performance. Imagine a great metal vocalist from the 80’s putting some Elvis-like swagger into his voice while he sings and you’ll have a good idea what to expect. What’s so surprising is that it sounds so cool and so metal. I just wouldn’t have expected that. I think the mix itself is part of the success when it comes to the vocals. They aren’t too up-front which might have made them seem a bit obnoxious. Instead, the guitars are allowed to be the real stars here and they are big, bold, and perfect for Volbeat’s Metallica meets Priest meets Scandinavian metal meets rock-a-billy sound. I am quite impressed with Jacob Hansen’s production and I think he might be one of those producers who everyone needs to keep an eye on.
The Songs - Of course, a great sound means nothing without good songwriting (or, it shouldn’t, though many bands defy that). To put it simply, there isn’t a throwaway song on this album. There’s plenty of variety as well. Some songs are riff-heavy and aggressive enough that you might expect growling or screaming vocals to pop up (though they never do) and some songs are surprisingly radio-friendly (if radios had good taste, that is). Through it all, the melodies stay strong, the songs are always memorable, and their sound is always heavy.
What more can I say? I’m sure this won’t appeal to everyone as strongly as it appeals to me, but you simply have to give Volbeat a chance. This is metal the way it’s supposed to be: heavy, loud, fun, original, and heavy.
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Tracklist:
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| Rating: 10/10 | |
| Release Date: 2005 | |
| Length: 55:11 | |
| Review By: Kerry Ledbetter | |
| Total Reviews: (1) | |
| Bands Website: Go Here | |
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