THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For Servant Of The Mind, Danish rockers Volbeat — Michael Poulsen (guitars/vocals), Jon Larsen (drums), Rob Caggiano (guitars) and Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass) — take 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.”
The 18 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 closer Lasse’s Birgita explores the story of the first witch burnings to occur in Sweden in 1471.
Volbeat are 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 streams over the course of their career, notched a Best Metal Performance Grammy nomination for Room 24 (ft. 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.
Since forming in 2001, Volbeat have gone from the clubs of Copenhagen to headlining stages around the world. Over the course of seven record-breaking albums, they have racked up No. 1 songs (including nine on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart, the most of any band outside North America), multi-platinum certifications, awards and accolades all over the planet.”
