Volbeat - Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood Review

Here's a hot tip if you're going to one of Metallica's North American tour dates this autumn: Be there early. Denmark's Volbeat are low men on the bill but pack good iron on their third album: speed-metal essentials — compressed-fuzz guitars; guitarist-songwriter Michael Poulsen's operatic Captain Ahab vocals — dusted with country love (a Kitty Wells cover, steel guitar) and rockabilly-Ramone swagger. Poulsen is not being ironic when he barks, "Time to light up this joint with some boogie woogie," atop the stuttering thrash of "Find That Soul." Like Social Distortion, Volbeat have a solid grip on the long, strong line that runs from Sun Records through CBGB and Ride the Lightning....full text Nima: Since the band’s debut album in 2005 the Danish Volbeat has been a rising star and their popularity seems to be only growing. Personally I understand why; the band took the goods of different worlds and mixed them into something original! The combination of hardrocking metal with influences from the fifties rock n’roll made a sound like Metallica meets Life of Agony meets Elvis meets Johnny Cash!!! Well, sorry… I have no idea how else to describe it.

Although the band certainly have come up with something unique and original, surely knows to reproduce catchy tunes and their energetic life shows are very convincing, I never thought they were as special as most want to make believe. I can say the same thing about this third album and maybe even less than before. Why the same? Well, because the album definitely sounds like Volbeat and the band doesn’t do anything “shocking” in comparison with the earlier album. Of course there is nothing wrong with that, because why change a good thing? Right? But anyway, Volbeat is Volbeat and I don’t see a reason why I should reconsider.

And why even less? Because it seems that the smell of success has had the every fan’s worst nightmare effect, and that is when a band continues in its own sound, but also make it a bit more accessible for a larger audience. That’s exactly what seems to be happening to Volbeat! Sure the band still sounds heavy and combines that with what I mentioned earlier, but at the same time sounds happier in songs like ‘Back To Prom’, ‘We’ or the ballad-like ‘Light A Way’. I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear some of these songs on the radio or a commercial TV-station soon. This by the way goes for most of the songs that generally put are more “hitability” and accessible than the previous albums. And I’m sory for saying; but some of the songs even have the hippie-dippie bullshit fun-punk Blink 182 level. Only better. However, the album does contain some moments that even a purist like me can appreciate. Good examples are the fantastic title track of ‘Halleluja Goat’, which just out because of its great vocal melodies, but also the great lyrics in ‘Still Counting’ and the heavy riffing in ‘Find That Soul’....full text To be honest I'm still wondering how Volbeat is so popular. I tried and tried to listen to their albums but even if I cannot say that it's terrible, I just can't understand how they're so praised. I'm really open-minded in general and like a lot of different music but I can't understand how this band is simply labeled as a Hard Rock combo and even sometime Heavy Metal. Sure some of their songs are clearly influenced by those genres but all in all, when I listen to their last album "Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood", I have the feeling that I listen to Offspring and nothing else… It's a matter of taste I agree but then this is not for me!

I know that a lot of you like Volbeat and their previous releases but if I can concede that the music of the Danish combo is really "happy" and can be fun to listen to I don't really understand how a song like "Maybelenne I Hofteholder" with its cheesy US Punk riffs and terrible commercial chorus can be attractive. I know of course that Volbeat wants to mix Metal with Rock a Billy and that they're clearly influenced by Mr Elvis but I don't know this just is really repulsive for me and that's weird because in general I like to be surprised and yes definitely Volbeat is surprising. I won't be naughty to be naughty and I think honestly that this kind of release can have a lot of fans but as a fan of Hard Rock, I really prefer to listen to the last The Answer or Pure Inc (two real releases of classic Rock) instead of Rock which is too influenced by boring US Punk.

One other thing that I don't really like is the voice of Michael Poulsen. I cannot say that the guy doesn't sing really well but his voice is too similar to the ones of the US Punk singers (sorry to do this comparison again). This is a bit weak and not really outstanding really and since that the lyrics are not really amazing too, it doesn't help a lot… In the end I only think that a song like "Wild Rover Of Hell" is interesting for me here. With its thrashy big riff, this is cool Metal (despite one more time a really commercial and Pop chorus) but that's all… The production is good at least…...full text