Volbeat : Rewind, Replay, Rebound (Deluxe Edition)
10th August 2019Before I even start the review, I want to make something very clear. I really like Volbeat. However, after about 20 minutes I tend to get really bored and I lose interest. Why? Sadly, Michael Poulson’s voice. It’s not that it’s bad, it just gets very samey quickly and that makes it annoying. The faux-elvis impersonation gets a bit boring track after track and for this I blame the production as his vocal track always has a slight delay/echo on it.
To be fair, he’s Danish and singing in English which is impressive. However, normally I can only listen to 4 or 5 tracks in a row before needed a break.
The Review
Upon picking up the album to review I knew it was going to be tough to give it the proper listen that I do when reviewing new albums. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to do just that. Yes, the echo/delay is still there and there are some weak songs, but overall there was enough variety to keep things interesting.
This is Volbeat’s seventh studio album, so there is little surprise that they know what they’re doing after all, they are the kings of Metalbilly (yes, it’s a real sub-genre). They have a style and feeling to their songs that mean you know from the off that this is Volbeat.
We were sent the Deluxe version of the album to review and with that you get three new tracks and some demo’s of the album’s main songs. The new tracks are ‘Under the Influence’ ‘Immortal but Destructible’ and a version of ‘Die to Live’ without Neil Fallon which is weird. The two new tunes are okay, you can certainly listen to them, indeed the solo on ‘Immortal but Destructible’ is very nice. Would I pay extra for a bunch of demo’s and two tracks that weren’t good enough to be on the main album and a version of a song without Neil Fallon? Probably not.
Highlights
First off the bat, the album’s opener ‘Last Day Under the Sun’ is an upbeat perky little number. I can imagine that it would be played at a summer BBQ frequented by rockers. It’s a really good summer song with an opening lick that I could imagine being written by Keith Richards or Angus Young. As mentioned the song is perky, which given that the song is based on Johnny Cash crawling into a cave and wanting to die is impressive. It’s a great way to start the album.
The out and out Elvis tribute ‘Pelvis on Fire’ is up second which is just a fun song.
One of my two favorite tracks is ‘Die to Live’ which features Neil Fallon from Clutch. This is a proper Metalbilly tune and I can well imagine Gene Vincent approving. The addition Neil Fallon is a nice change in vocal style and this helps to reduce the issue I mentioned with Michael’s vocals. And the solo, being a combination of hard rock, stomping piano and a saxophone is really good. It’s a great tune and makes my playlist.
The second of my favorite tracks was a bit of a surprise. ‘The Everlasting” is possibly the heaviest song on the album. Big chugging riffs into a fast heavy verse leading to a slower paced chorus. However, it’s around the 2:50 mark where the song really kicks off. This makes the playlist.
There are other good songs on the album, specifically ‘Cheapside Sloggers’ and ”Sorry Sack of Bones’. Both of these songs add variety to the album which make them well worth a listen.
Lowlights
Sadly, there are three tracks that I just don’t like .
The worst of the bunch is ‘Rewind the Exit’. It’s a poor song, sickly sweet and just awful. The intro is really promising, but when the verse and chorus kick in, uuurgh. No thank you. I would be happy to never hear it ever again.
Talking of sickly sweet, ‘When we were kids’ is not a pleasant listen. It’s sung in both a high voice and a low voice and with lyrics such as “Hello. Hello Innocence, where did you go? The child that I know is still here. He is still here, now set him free, let him fly.” It’s awful.
‘Parasite’ and ‘leviathan’ are also tracks that I’d be glad to ignore. They are just a bit, meh.
Conclusion
Overall there are a few missed steps on the album, but that doesn’t detract that it is a half decent album from a mature band who know what they want to do and how to do it. They have a style and sound that belongs to them. True, it isn’t ground breaking or unique, but there is enough there to be worth your hard earned money.
Score 7.5/10
Track Listing
1. Last Day Under the Sun
2. Pelvis On Fire
3. Rewind the Exit
4. Die to Live (Feat. Neil Fallon)
5. When We Were Kids
6. Sorry Sack of Bones
7. Cloud 9
8. Cheapside Sloggers (Feat. Gary Holt)
9. Maybe I Believe
10. Parasite
11. Leviathan
12. The Awakening of Bonnie Parker
13. The Everlasting
14. 7:24
CD 2
Disc 2:
1. Under The Influence
2. Immortal But Destructible
3. Die To Live
4. Last Day Under The Sun (Demo)
5. Rewind The Exit (Demo)
6. When We Were Kids (Demo)
7. Maybe I Believe (Demo)
8. Leviathan (Demo)
Vertigo
2 August 2019
