Denmark's Volbeat came onto my radar with their last album 2008's "Guitar Gangsters and Cadailac Blood". It was an eclectic mix of country,metal and pure rock and roll. I really loved their sound from the beginning and I was anxious for their new record Beyond Hell/Above Heaven to be released. Beyond Hell/Above Heaven sticks to Volbeat's formula very nicely.
Beyond Hell/Above Heaven does sound like older Volbeat records but their sounds remains fresh. Despite the similar sound, Volbeat does have some heavier than normal tracks on this record. The Slayer style of riffing on "Who They Are" was a really nice surprise and "Evelyn" rocks a guest spot from Barney Greenway of Napalm Death.In additon to Greenway, Volbeat brought in Millie Petrozza of Kreator and Michael Denner of Mercyful Fate in as guest artists. It is fucking awesome that Volbeat assembled this team of metal legends for guest spots. It's not all heavy though, Volbeat shows off their slower, country side quite a bit on this record. Songs like "A Better Believer" and "Being 1" are just as good as some of the heavier stuff on here. Vocalist Michael Poulsen sounds just as good as ever, it seriously amazes me how good his voice is. Poulsen has one of the best voices currently in the metal genre.
Beyond Hell/Above Heaven is a great record. Volbeat stuck to their guns and made a record that stays true to them but still sounds fresh and not rehashed. Volbeat is one of the most unique bands in the metal scene right now and it's great to see a band with so many different influnces succeed. Beyond Hell/Above Heaven is like Slayer,Johnny Cash,Elvis,Pantera and Metallica were all put into a blender. This record is a contender for my top 10 of the year so far, it's that good.
4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Who They Are
2.7 Shots
3.Evelyn
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