CD: Volbeat - Rewind, Replay, Rebound | reviews, news & interviews
CD: Volbeat - Rewind, Replay, Rebound
CD: Volbeat - Rewind, Replay, Rebound
Scandinavian Elvis-metallers try out a new sound, with mixed results
Thursday, 01 August 2019
Volbeat: surprisingly mainstream
In metal circles, Volbeat are a phenomenon. For almost 20 years the Danish rockers have been filling venues with their iconic combination of bulldozer riffs and hip-shaking Elvis swagger. It's the tension between these two contrasting influences that underpins their success. Or, at least, so far. Now, the recipe has changed: the tension has gone. The flavours have merged. It all sounds a lot softer.
Fans won't be altogether surprised. Songwriter Michael Poulsen's music has been getting progressively lighter for years. What really strikes you is how mainstream it now feels. Other than the occasional obligatory rockabilly-metal number, the album is split between soft and contemporary rock.
The soft rock tracks fare the best. "The Last Day Under the Sun", about Johnny Cash, is a real windows-down, wind-in-the-hair West Coast rocker. "Cheapside Slogger" is an invigorating glam stomp. The rockabilly/psychobilly numbers aren't half bad either. "Die to Live" has a rich aroma of Brylcreem and engine oil. "Sorry Sack of Bones" feels almost like King Kurt. But, "Pelvis on Fire", the Presley pastiche, is way over the top.
The album's most lacklustre moments come where the boys flirt with a more contemporary rock sound. "Rewind the Exit" ends up sounding like Snow Patrol. "Leviathan" and "7-24" are colourless and uninspired. The limpest song on the LP, "When We Were Kings", could practically be by The Fray.
It's curious, then, that the band gave the album the title Rewind, Replay, Rebound which sounds like an attempt to evoke the early days. The LP is certainly not that, or even close. And yet, it's not a bad album either. It may be patchy, with frequent excursions into almost unpardonable blandness, but at its best, there's also the air of consummate musicians cutting loose. That, more or less, redeems it.
Overleaf: Volbeat's video for "The Last Day Under the Sun"
In metal circles, Volbeat are a phenomenon. For almost 20 years the Danish rockers have been filling venues with their iconic combination of bulldozer riffs and hip-shaking Elvis swagger. It's the tension between these two contrasting influences that underpins their success. Or, at least, so far. Now, the recipe has changed: the tension has gone. The flavours have merged. It all sounds a lot softer.
Fans won't be altogether surprised. Songwriter Michael Poulsen's music has been getting progressively lighter for years. What really strikes you is how mainstream it now feels. Other than the occasional obligatory rockabilly-metal number, the album is split between soft and contemporary rock.
The soft rock tracks fare the best. "The Last Day Under the Sun", about Johnny Cash, is a real windows-down, wind-in-the-hair West Coast rocker. "Cheapside Slogger" is an invigorating glam stomp. The rockabilly/psychobilly numbers aren't half bad either. "Die to Live" has a rich aroma of Brylcreem and engine oil. "Sorry Sack of Bones" feels almost like King Kurt. But, "Pelvis on Fire", the Presley pastiche, is way over the top.
The album's most lacklustre moments come where the boys flirt with a more contemporary rock sound. "Rewind the Exit" ends up sounding like Snow Patrol. "Leviathan" and "7-24" are colourless and uninspired. The limpest song on the LP, "When We Were Kings", could practically be by The Fray.
It's curious, then, that the band gave the album the title Rewind, Replay, Rebound which sounds like an attempt to evoke the early days. The LP is certainly not that, or even close. And yet, it's not a bad album either. It may be patchy, with frequent excursions into almost unpardonable blandness, but at its best, there's also the air of consummate musicians cutting loose. That, more or less, redeems it.
Overleaf: Volbeat's video for "The Last Day Under the Sun"
At its best, it's the sound of consummate musicians cutting loose
rating
Explore topics
Share this article
The future of Arts Journalism
You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!
We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d
And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more New music
Albums of the Year 2024: Samara Joy - Portrait
From Grammy triumphs to sonic odysseys: nine of the year's most transcendent jazz albums
Albums of the Year 2024: Mercury Rev - Born Horses
An exploration of inner space, freeze-dried electronica, French nursery rhymes and more
Albums of the Year 2024: Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso - Baño María
Art that creates it's own (deliriously wild) lane
Albums of the Year 2024: Kneecap - Fine Art
The music sector finely emerges from the long shadow of Covid with a bumper year
Albums of the Year 2024: Kenny Barron - Beyond This Place
Consistently glorious - nothing less than a very great album
Music Reissues Weekly: Vanilla Fudge - Where Is My Mind The ATCO Recordings 1967-1969
A wild ride with the ‘You Keep me Hanging on’ hitmakers
Albums of the Year 2024: Meemo Comma - Decimation of I
A concept album from the perspective of an infected planet provides succour and sustenance
Albums of the Year 2024: Amelia Coburn - Between the Moon and the Milkman
An array of albums that have set 2024 alight for this writer
Album: Ajukaja & Mart Avi - Death of Music
Estonian electronica duo enter a domain where nothing is explicit
Jesus & Mary Chain, O2 Institute, Birmingham - Reid Brothers refuse to join the heritage industry
Noise veterans deck the halls with feedback and dry ice
Album: Ben Folds - Sleigher
Folds’ nuanced originals are much better than the by-numbers seasonal covers
Vampire Weekend, OVO Hydro, Glasgow review - a mixture of brilliance and self-indulgence
The New Yorkers offered dancers, covers and great songs in a lengthy set
Add comment