| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Temple Of Ekur Wait A Minute My Girl The Sacred Stones Shotgun Blues The Devil Rages On Say No More Heaven's Descent Dagen For The Passenger Step Into The Light Becoming Mindlock Lasse's Birgitta Release Date: December 3, 2021 Label: Republic Records / Website: www.volbeat.dk |  |
VOLBEAT IS:
Michael Poulsen - Lead vocals & rhythm guitars / Rob Caggiano - Lead guitars & backing vocals
Kasper Boye Larsen - Bass & backing vocals / Jon Larsen - Drums
Michael Poulsen - Lead vocals & rhythm guitars / Rob Caggiano - Lead guitars & backing vocals
Kasper Boye Larsen - Bass & backing vocals / Jon Larsen - Drums
The last bunch of years saw Volbeat experimenting with a bunch of different directions with each album they released. Michael Poulsen has always been a very dynamic songwriter, and has one of the most distinct voices in rock today, which is like a mix of the swagger and croon of Elvis Presley and the snarl of James Hetfield. It's obviously not everyone's cup of tea, but it's damn identifiable. The band started off as a really heavy groove-based rock band with a ton of melody and hooks, and by the time they got to Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies, they started incorporating influences from all over, resulting in what is their most diversified and best album in my opinion. That album, and the two albums that followed: Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie, and Rewind, Replay, Rebound split the fanbase between the new fans they acquired with those albums, and the old fans who wanted them to return to their heavier and crunchier roots.
With touring for Rewind, Replay, Rebound being cut short in 2020 due to the pandemic, the band wasted no time, got the creative juices flowing, and began writing for their eighth album Servant Of The Mind. This album is much more of a return to their heavier sound, while still having a handful of songs in the vein of what they've been doing for the last decade. On previous albums, you can hear a great mix of influences within the songs, but this time around, they stuck with the basics and just wrote fun songs that will work great with rock/metal fans. While some may call these songs more "run of the mill", there's plenty of memorability within these songs, from the stomping groovers like "Shotgun Blues" and "Mindlock", to the melodic pleasers like "Wait A Minute My Girl" and "Dagen For", and the heavy ragers like "Say No More", "The Passenger" and "Heaven's Descent".
"The Devil Rages On" is one song where Poulsen really lets his Elvis vocal influence come into the spotlight. It's funny because I can actually picture Elvis singing this song if he played in a heavy rock band. "Becoming" is without a doubt the most dynamic track. Starting off with a fast-paced thrash/death metal style riff, it transitions into a more mid-paced stomping riff in the verses, and a highly melodic chorus. It's one of those songs that is sure to impress and confuse some listeners. It was also written in tribute to LG Petrov of Entombed, who passed away in early 2021. It's obvious that Volbeat's goal with this album was just to offer something for fans to enjoy rather than reinvent the wheel. Servant Of The Mind certainly turns the time machine back to the band's earlier roots while also still maintaining elements of their current sound. A couple of songs felt like they could've been left off, but it's another solid rock album by one of Denmark's finest.
With touring for Rewind, Replay, Rebound being cut short in 2020 due to the pandemic, the band wasted no time, got the creative juices flowing, and began writing for their eighth album Servant Of The Mind. This album is much more of a return to their heavier sound, while still having a handful of songs in the vein of what they've been doing for the last decade. On previous albums, you can hear a great mix of influences within the songs, but this time around, they stuck with the basics and just wrote fun songs that will work great with rock/metal fans. While some may call these songs more "run of the mill", there's plenty of memorability within these songs, from the stomping groovers like "Shotgun Blues" and "Mindlock", to the melodic pleasers like "Wait A Minute My Girl" and "Dagen For", and the heavy ragers like "Say No More", "The Passenger" and "Heaven's Descent".
"The Devil Rages On" is one song where Poulsen really lets his Elvis vocal influence come into the spotlight. It's funny because I can actually picture Elvis singing this song if he played in a heavy rock band. "Becoming" is without a doubt the most dynamic track. Starting off with a fast-paced thrash/death metal style riff, it transitions into a more mid-paced stomping riff in the verses, and a highly melodic chorus. It's one of those songs that is sure to impress and confuse some listeners. It was also written in tribute to LG Petrov of Entombed, who passed away in early 2021. It's obvious that Volbeat's goal with this album was just to offer something for fans to enjoy rather than reinvent the wheel. Servant Of The Mind certainly turns the time machine back to the band's earlier roots while also still maintaining elements of their current sound. A couple of songs felt like they could've been left off, but it's another solid rock album by one of Denmark's finest.
FINAL RATING
| | |
RSS Feed
