Album Review: Volbeat - Rewind, Replay, Rebound

Few bands have been as frustrating as Volbeat. Their first three records were both great and unique, establishing them as a one-of-a-kind band that was able to fuse rock and metal, the past and the present. But after "Guitar Gansters & Cadillac Blood", without changing their approach much, they became rather bland and boring. Their profile was growing, but the music was no longer as interesting. And then the last album came, which found them going all-in on their play for the mainstream. "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie" was Volbeat's pop album, let's be honest. I loved it, but even so, I was worried by what the record meant. Volbeat didn't really sound like Volbeat anymore, and since no one else can or does sound like them, where does that leave us?

Leading into the album, there was much to worry about. The singles released in the run up fell firmly on the pop side the previous album established, and lacked the two key elements that made Volbeat a standout when they arrived on the scene. With neither the metallic crunch of their riffs, nor the elements of 50s rock and roll, Volbeat is now essentially playing the same game that every other radio rock band is engaged in. Granted, they are better at it than most of them, and Michael Paulsson's vocals will always make them stand out, but it's difficult to hear a band watering down their identity.

The album does give older fans a few treats, but even those are marred by a glaring problem. "Pelvis On Fire" is the most old-school Volbeat song in four albums, but the melody line is a direct rip-off of "Sad Man's Tongue". They give us a new classic Volbeat track, but it's actually a rewritten old classic Volbeat track. And it's not just there that the melodies are rehashed. "Cheapside Sloggers" is eerily similar to older material as well, and when the first feeling you get listening to a song is deja vu, it's not a good sign. It makes me more inclined to want to listen to the old stuff again, rather than the new songs.

There's also "Die To Live", which features hammering Jerry Lee Lewis style pianos under the guitars. That's Volbeat at their most interesting, because not only are they doing something no other band would have the thought to do, but it sounds great.

Having established all of that, any disappointment with the approach has to be taken in perspective, because the pop version of Volbeat still writes really good songs. I don't listen to a lot of mainstream rock that would be on the radio, because every time I do, it tends to all sound identical, and bland. Volbeat's melodic material is bigger, stronger, and more memorable. It's hard to listen to them and not be entertained, even if you wish they were doing things a bit differently. Good songwriting covers many flaws, and that's the moral of the Volbeat story.

We need a reference point to work with, so let's go back to "Seal The Deal..." Compared to that record, this one is more diverse, perhaps a bit lighter, and not as consistently catchy. It appears Volbeat heard the complaints about them leaving a bit part of their past behind, because they try to work a bit more of that in, but the pop material here isn't quite as strong as the last time around. It's very good, mind you, but the last album absolutely nailed the bull's-eye.

So what it comes down to, for me, is that this album's title is prescient. Volbeat rewinds the tape to bring back a few elements of their early days, they basically replay a couple of melodies from those classic songs, and they try to rebound from the cries of being sell-outs. Trying to do all of that in a single record is asking a lot, and it means we get a record that's a bit disjointed. It's clear which songs are meant to appeal to their older fans, and which their newer fans. It's another identity crisis, and it's amazing that through all of this, Volbeat still manages to make a record that's so enjoyable. It's flawed, but they don't detract. Volbeat is still good fun.