Danish/American rock and rollers VOLBEAT will release their eighth studio album, “Servant Of The Mind”, on December 3 via Republic Records. The effort will be available in standard CD, deluxe 2LP vinyl (in various limited-edition variants) and a deluxe digital edition. To coincide with the album announcement, the band has released the new single “Shotgun Blues”, an anthemic track in which Poulsen explores the ghostly events he recently experienced upon moving into a new home.
For “Servant Of The Mind”, the band, which consists of Michael Poulsen (guitars/vocals), Jon Larsen (drums), Rob Caggiano (guitars) and Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass) took their signature heavy metal, psychobilly and punk ‘n’ roll sound up a notch while showcasing Poulsen‘s keen ability for songwriting and storytelling.
“I wrote the whole album in three months,” recalls Poulsen, “I was in a good place and mood while at home, and had a captive audience of myself… There are a lot of VOLBEAT signatures in it. If you go back to the first record and compare it to where we are now, you can hear how the band has developed its style, while keeping the signature sound.”
“Every time you move into a house, you bring dead people with you,” he explains. “Weird stuff happens when I move into a [new] house… it’s very otherworldly.”
The album also includes the “double barrel” of summer songs the band released this past June: “Wait A Minute My Girl” and “Dagen Før” (featuring Stine Bramsen), the former of which became the band’s ninth number one single on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
Other songs on the album weave intricate and fascinating tales. “The Sacred Stones” tells the story of “an earthly being who has committed himself to the dark side. He is on a mission, speaking to darker forces and fallen angels.” Meanwhile, “The Devil Rages On” looks at the idea of the devil taking human form. Album opener “Temple Of Ekur” returns to the ancient themes explored in past songs such as “The Gates Of Babylon”, while the epic album closer “Lasse’s Birgita” explores the story of the first witch burnings to occur in Sweden in 1471.
“Servant Of The Mind” standard edition track listing:
01. Temple Of Ekur
02. Wait A Minute My Girl
03. The Sacred Stones
04. Shotgun Blues
05. The Devil Rages On
06. Say No More
07. Heaven’s Descent
08. Dagen Før (feat. Stine Bramsen)
09. The Passenger
10. Step Into Light
11. Becoming
12. Mindlock
13. Lasse’s Birgitta
Deluxe 2 CD/2 LP and digital deluxe bonus tracks:
14. Return To None (WOLFBRIGADE cover)
15. Domino (THE CRAMPS/ROY ORBISON cover)
16. Shotgun Blues (feat. Dave Matrise from JUNGLE ROT)
17. Dagen Før (Michael Vox Version)
Vinyl variants (North America)
* Standard 180g black vinyl 2LP
* Translucent Rust 2 LP – Volbeat.dk exclusive, limited to 550
* Transparent Yellow 2 LP – Revolver magazine exclusive, limited to 400
* Mystery Color LP2 – indie retail exclusive, limited to 100
Vinyl variants (Europe)
* Standard 180g black vinyl 2 LP
* Crystal Clear 2 LP, volbeat.dk exclusive, limited to 2,000
* Glow In The Dark 2 LP, EMP exclusive, limited to 2,000
* Orange and Blue 2 LP, UMG exclusive, limited to 3,100
* Danish Red and White 2 LP – only available in Denmark, limited to 2,000
VOLBEAT is two decades deep into a career that has found them sharing stages with genre legends like BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA, MOTÖRHEAD, SLIPKNOT, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and more. They have racked up nearly three billion cumulative streams over the course of their career, notched a “Best Metal Performance” Grammy nomination for “Room 24” (featuring King Diamond) from 2014’s acclaimed (and gold-selling) “Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies”, and have grabbed multiple Danish Music Awards. Not ones to rest on their laurels, their forthcoming album “Servant Of The Mind”, which was written and recorded during the shutdown and quarantine necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is introspective but pulls no punches and is no less raucous or driving than their previous efforts.
Tomorrow, the band kicks off their “Wait A Minute… Let’s Tour” run, their first U.S. tour in two years, at Atlanta’s The Tabernacle with shows in cities including Oklahoma City, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Special guests THE HU, TWIN TEMPLE and MUNICIPAL WASTE will be joining them for select dates. Earlier this week, the band also announced their 2022 co-headlining arena tour with GHOST and special guests TWIN TEMPLE, coming to cities including Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix.
Since forming in 2001, VOLBEAT has gone from the clubs of Copenhagen to headlining stages around the world, including the famed Telia Parken stadium in Denmark (becoming the only domestic artist to ever sell out the venue). Over the course of seven record-breaking albums the band has picked up number one songs (including nine No. 1s on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and counting, the most of any band based outside of North America), multi-platinum certifications, awards and accolades all over the planet. Their latest album, “Rewind, Replay, Rebound”, was released in August 2019 and has spawned the hit singles “Last Day Under The Sun”, “Die To Live” (featuring Neil Fallon) and “Leviathan”. A live album featuring songs recorded during the subsequent world tour, “Rewind, Replay, Rebound: Live In Deutschland”, was released digitally in November 2020. Most recently, they contributed a cover of “Don’t Tread On Me” to “The Metallica Blacklist”, with all proceeds from the track benefiting METALLICA‘s All Within My Hands foundation and the Børne Cancer Fonden of Denmark.
