Review Summary: Solid album, but slightly below par for Volbeat
Volbeat is an incredible band by any standard. Musically, they'd hold up against pretty much anyone, barring maybe Led Zeppelin, but even that's a close one. This album, though, is a little disappointing. Don't get me wrong, all the musicianship is here. The drums kick ass, there's some wonderful guitar shredding (see The Devil's Bleeding Crown and Seal the Deal), and the slower, smoother guitar on tracks like Black Rose and Marie Laveau is arguably even better.
Despite this, there is an air of staleness that permeates some tracks. Not in a huge way, mind you, but it's not the fiery, savage, creative Volbeat we've seen in the past. The covers of Battleship Chains and Rebound really emphasize this point for me. They're good covers, but there's little to no originality to them. They sound exactly like the originals, but heavier. Rebound in particular is almost identical to when the Teenage Bottlerockets did it, which is wonderful as a tribute, but not really to listen to. Even covers should have a little distinction to them. I've also heard complaints that Mary Jane Kelly is essentially a copy of Lola Montez, and while there are definitely differences between the two of them, they're just a little to similar to be completely excusable.
That said, tracks like Goodbye Forever and The Loa's Crossroads that incorporate entirely new elements into Volbeat's repertoire go a long way towards repairing the damage done by the average tracks on the album.
On the whole, the album is very solid, and there's not one track that's bad or even mediocre. In fact, most are still absolute bangers, and the ballads (or as close as they get) do the job very well. There's just a few tracks that are subpar for musicians as impressive as Volbeat.
Recommended tracks
Black Rose
The Bliss/For Evigt
The Loa's Crossroads
