There’s not a whole lot that distinguishes the band from others at the moment. Volbeat proved early on they aren’t a gimmick band, but fifteen years in, their music isn’t as interesting as it was, either.

Michael Poulsen’s unique voice, Jon Larsen’s and Franz Gottschalk’s aggressive drums and guitars, and Anders Kjølholm’s excellent bass support were all things that were just weird enough to be interesting, but familiar enough that I could get into them.īut in the latest albums, I find the novelty’s worn off. Back when I needed to know the genre of everything, I remember finding “Elvis Metal” in a description for Volbeat. The first album is fantastic because it’s something I’d never heard before. It’s definitely an exercise I’d recommend to anyone, and one I’ll definitely be doing again.Īs for what I found out over the course of the last six week? I’d listen to the albums on repeat for two or three days at a time and not even mind. Hearing those old albums all the way through again (and one or two for the first time), I felt like I was hearing a new band for the first time. This is exactly what drew fans to Volbeat in the first place.Īs I was listening to and reviewing Volbeat’s back-catalog, I rediscovered the band. Dusty’s original is almost an old-school big-band/swing tune, but with some extra energy and a unique voice Volbeat’s cover is successfully geared toward fans of Metallica and the like, but with a unique voice and elements from as far back as 60s pop. It’s almost a thrash metal song, but sung by a singer with a voice unlike anything else out there.īoth versions are memorable because they’re novel without being unfamiliar. It’s a catchy cover of a great tune, Michael Poulsen has a great voice, and the instrumentation is top-notch.

Just over 40 years later, Volbeat’s very first music video defines what modern mainstream metal could be. It’s catchy, Dusty’s got a great voice, and she’s backed by a talented big band. It’s a great tune, and a fantastic snapshot of the best of pop music in 1963. Recently, I heard Dusty Springfield’s “I Only Wanna Be With You” for the first time.

Volbeat album review