Since their inception in 2005, Volbeat have remained a rare breed of heavy rock music. Their crazy combination of rock ‘n’ roll, country, rockabilly, punk, and metal, they’ve carved themselves a unique niche in a genre that can be very vanilla and watered down at times. Combining jackhammer guitar riffs, feel-good rockabilly rhythms, and the legendary folklore of cowboys and gangsters, Volbeat are one of the loudest and truest rock bands in the land. In the wake of the released of their much-anticipated fifth studio album, I got a chance to sit down with The Outlaw Gentleman himself – frontman Michael Poulsen.
First and foremost, I had to ask where such a badass album title came from for the new record. “My twisted mind,” Poulsen stated jokingly, at first. “I’ve just been watching a lot of old western movies and gangster movies. When I start writing, I can definitely hear a lot of inspiration coming from those old western soundtracks, and when I start working on some lyrics, I wanted to bring some of those old legendary outlaws to life, and some of the shady ladies at that time.” Michael expanded on the album title, telling me how it truly defines what the record is about. “It’s just the whole universe behind those badass cowboys. They were always gentlemen. But we haven’t heard that much about the ladies from that time.”
This time around, Volbeat have really broadened their sound and mixed more melody with their riffs. “We definitely took out the punk
elements this time, and made some more space for the riffs,” Poulsen said. This is also the first album to feature new lead guitarist Rob Caggiano (formerly of Anthrax). “He [Rob Caggiano] is such an amazing guitar player and style-wise he and I are going hand-in-hand really well together. I think you can really here on this album; you can hear that there are two guitar players.” Michael went on to elaborate more about the band’s new recording process and more about the album in the interview.
Volbeat have always received widespread acclaim in Europe. The band’s debut album, The Strength/The Sounds/The Songs, won the award for Best Debut Album at the 2005 Danish Metal Music Awards. Their second album, 2007’s Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil, was certified platinum and the band won the award for Best Live Band and Best Album at the 2007 Danish Metal Music Awards. Their third album, Beyond Heaven/Above Hell, went platinum in Finland and Germany, gold in Sweden and Austria, and double-platinum in their native Denmark. The record also broke the band into the mainstream in the U.S. with the hit single, A Warrior’s Call, which garnered massive play on rock radio nation-wide.
Over the past few years, Volbeat have been touring relentlessly, playing some of the world’s biggest festival stages including Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Download Festival, Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, and Metallica’s Orion Music + More Festival. In February 2013, it was announced that Rob Caggiano, who had been producing the band’s new album and playing guest solos, had officially joined the band. Just a few weeks ago, Volbeat released their fifth studio album, Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies. The record has taken the band to whole new level, giving them their first Top 10 debut on the Billboard Top 200 at #9. The band is currently on their North American Tour in support of the new album, and will be hitting two of America’s biggest festivals – Carolina Rebellion and Rock On The Range – in May. It was a privilege to sit down with Michael, who in my book is a certified badass American Cowboy. And much like my favorite Volbeat song, this interview only fuels me further to continue to interview and write, and let the stories forever roll off of my Sad Man’s Tongue. – by Matt Bishop (Photography by Matt Bishop)