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Interviews : Volbeat – “We just play what we want to play” (an interview with Jon Larsen and Anders Kjølholm)

By on March 3, 2014

Danish band Volbeat have been swinging audiences with their signature fusion of metal, pshychobilly and rock n roll since 2001. They are literally certified gold in Denmark, with all five of their studio albums reaching gold status. Their popularity stretches across Scandinavia and through Europe, recently having trickled into the American and Australian markets. Volbeat encompasses a rich tapestry of Americana throughout their albums with a particular focus on the wild west on their latest album Outlawed Gentlemen and Shady Ladies, released in April of last year.

Bassist Anders Kjølholm said about the latest record, “Michael spent a lot of time on the previous tours watching the old western movies, some new ones and obscure ones. He was also reading a lot of books on western civilization back then and I guess at some point an idea popped up and he went for it”. He also added, regarding the strong American influence in their music, “Michael was brought up with a lot of that music; Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, all the stuff that his dad was listening to, so it was natural for him to go down that path. But before he was doing that he had this death metal band, so there’s definitely an influence from that”.

Volbeat have teamed with Danish producer Jacob Hansen, who has worked with In Arkadia and Primal Fear, on all five of their studio albums. Hansen discovered the band’s demo and wanted to rerecord it. “He found a copy of our first demo and said, ‘I think I can do this better’. So with our second demo, he did. He knows us, we know him, it just works”, commented drummer Jon Larsen. Anders added, “He developed as a producer and us as a band, we grew together”.

In February of 2013, Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and The Damned Things fame joined the Volbeat ranks after having started work on production of Outlawed Gentlemen and Shady Ladies. Jon says, “We needed a new guy but we couldn’t find one. So when Rob came in the picture as a producer, why not have him play some guitar parts anyway. He and Michael clicked guitar wise. He said at some point, ‘oh by the way I left Anthrax’ and we yelled at him for 15 minutes on why you would do that but he said he wanted to focus on his producing and not tour so much. Long story short, we asked him during the recording because it just sounded right”.

‘Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies’ out now via Universal/Vertigo Records.  www.volbeat.dk

The Danes have been working on breaking into the American market after being advised that they should stay away from touring Europe for a few years. “The last couple of years we’ve done between three to four tours just to try to get America going”, Anders commented. “You can only play a certain amount of time in Europe when we’ve reached the level that we have, so it made sense to try and take on America and spend a lot of time there”, Jon added.

Volbeat definitely have a very identifiable sound with numerous styles of American rock as well as a touch of metal from front man Michael Poulsen’s first project Dominus, a black metal band. On what influences and defines their multilayered sound, Jon says, “People always think ‘oh you gotta be this or you gotta be that’, we just play what we want to play”.

The band is very fan orientated and shows a gracious appreciation for their fans. “Our fans offer us the opportunity to go on the road and tour, which is what every band should do. If they weren’t there to buy the records and go to the shows, we wouldn’t exist. They’re the salt of the earth”, Jon stated.

When asked what band Volbeat would like to work with next, Jon replied, “Well actually we’ve nearly toured with every band that we like. We’re just missing out on Iron Maiden. We haven’t done anything with Maiden yet”. The two bands would definitely make for an interesting show.

Volbeat seem very enthusiastic about their first Australian tour and had a lot of good things to say about the Soundwave Festival. The response from audiences has been quite positive for the band that is sure to make waves and gain popularity both in the Australian and American markets.

About

Amber has been a writer and photographer for 2020 BMX Mag, Reverb Street Press and 3DWorld. She has booked and managed hardcore bands and takes an interest in anything from hardcore to hair metal, particularly if it screams dirty Hollywood. Amber is also the author of a sex blog. You can follow her on Twitter Twitter or check out her blog.