Volbeat
The Strength/The Sound/The Songs

THE REVIEW

Looking at Michael Poulsen's photos, I glimpsed, among his arm tattoos, the famous face of Elvis Presley and the conspicuous "Social Distortion" inscription. It doesn't surprise me that his singing style resembles those who are undoubtedly his idols. Especially Elvis, whom he imitates very well. What surprised me is that he sings in a heavy metal band: Volbeat.

These four Danes have produced, so far, three good albums, similar in quality and music offered. In Italy, they are almost unknown, yet they have had great success in their homeland, and word is spreading to the rest of Europe. The best hits of Volbeat are found in the two most recent albums, namely "Rock The Rebel, Metal The Devil" and "Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood," released in 2007 and 2008, respectively. However, the debut album, from 2005, "The Strength / The Sound / The Songs," denotes a more consistent quality of the tracks, despite there being 15. Moreover, I prefer it to the other two for its slightly more aggressive imprint.

This is about hard-hitting metal, played at tempos not too fast, but enough to make you want to dance (or slam into the wardrobe). The musicians play, without pretensions, simple riffs or short solos that are anything but virtuosic, giving the supreme protagonist role to Mr. Poulsen's voice. The singer crafts engaging melodies that often remind me of the Wild West (though I've never been there). His voice is so distinctive that it makes Volbeat recognizable among thousands of bands. It is a clean, deep voice, no-falsetto, mesmerizing for its Elvis-like style (listen to the sample). In many parts of the album, a 3/4 tempo is used, which is very rock n' roll (did I say something silly?). The main flaw of this album is its lack of longevity: the riffs are similar from one song to another, tiring quickly. And the voice, both a blessing and a curse, is at times redundant, monotonous, especially when he extends the vowels at the end of the verse.

Nonetheless, the final result is an album that surprises, both for the fresh air it brings to a genre often a clone of itself, and for the carefree and benign spirit, which contrasts with the typical aggressiveness of metal. To understand what I mean, listen to track 13: "I Only Wanna Be With You." It's the song that best embodies the "carefree" concept.

Fun!