I like some Volbeat tracks ("The Hangman's Body Count" and...others) and there were a couple I enjoyed on this album but to me, they're not really a certain genre. They're too light to be Metal and too heavy to be Hard Rock; if anything, their music is Soft Metal but I doubt they'd embrace that classification with open arms.
Anyway, enough from me. Here's Sarah!
Hello readers!
I'm back again and still no better at reviews, but I'm going to give it a bash anyway.
So, Volbeat's latest album Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie didn't exactly leave me wanting to dance the night away. Upon listening to the album for the first time I found myself listening to a familiar sound, reminiscent of their last album. Whereas I absolutely loved every track on Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies this album left me feeling rather underwhelmed. None of the songs really caught my attention as tracks that would become a firm favourite, instead I found myself zoning out. I would best describe this album as "background music".
The first seven songs on the album flow really well in a sea of Volbeat's signature sound (albeit a rather unexciting one). It was only when the eight track on the album, "Mary Jane Kelly", started that I came out of my daze and my ears pricked up a little. The song itself sounds like it would have fit well on the previous album, in a good way. It's punchier than previous tracks on Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie, and seems to have more of a Rock N Roll vibe. I became more hopeful that the album was going to get better as it went on.
The next song on the album ("Goodbye Forever") followed the same theme as "Mary Jane Kelly". A decent, punchy Volbeat track. Yes I like the song, but in the same breath, it's easily forgettable. I definitely don't find myself humming it in the shower that's for sure.
Track 10, "Seal The Deal" starts off fast and loud and rather heavy compared to the previous nine songs. I liked it a lot, but feel that this far into the album, it's a rather strange addition. It felt more like an album opener than one you'd put near the end of a tame album. I thought that this track was going to be the heaviest on the album, oh how wrong was I. Fast forward to the 14th song on the (deluxe edition) album and you're in for a surprise. "Slaytan" starts with a riff I can only describe as thrash. Thrash! And you're in for yet another surprise. "Slaytan" is a measly 59 seconds long. Christ, I think a nervous virgin would last longer than that. Just when you think things are changing for the better, it ends. Abruptly. I have no idea what the reasoning is behind this track, and feel it would've been better for them to keep it, work on it and bring the track out on another album quadrupled in length.
There's a nice little cover slipped into the middle of the album too, "Battleship Chains" by Georgia Satellites. Now I'm not going to slate this at all. In fact it helped ease the disappointment of the album! The song sounds great covered by Volbeat and I'd actually go as far as to say that I prefer the cover to the original.
Overall, this album (for me anyway) was a massive letdown. After the release of their previous album, Volbeat got me excited. They had a sound I'd never come across before, they were original and fresh. This album though was like a wet weekend. I felt like the majority of songs on the album were ones that didn't quite make it to Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies and were just shoved on here for good measure. If I were to describe the album in a body movement, it would be a shrug. One giant shrug. I will revisit the album again, maybe I will learn to love it, who knows. Until I do though, I'm afraid it's going to get put away, probably to be forgotten about for a long time. Oh and it gets a 5/10.
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