I can't lie, I dig Volbeat's new album Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies

I discovered Volbeat after the release of their Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil album back in 2007.  I think they were still under the radar here in the US that year.   I was really surprised to find out the band was from Copenhagen, Denmark and not some weird Metallica side band from the US.  That was pretty awesome to me that music is just that international that people can sound so similar in a country that doesn't even speak English as a first language.  Again, this is why music is so damn mystical and we should seriously appreciate how it bridges all races and religions. One of the main things that separates us from the animal world?  We can communicate through art. 

Now, let's talk about Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies which is Volbeat's newest offering.  I tend to review albums I like on this blog.  So, if you're waiting for some punchline of me bashing this album, you got the wrong review.  This is a seriously fun album from beginning to end.  This isn't pure metal to me.  I think it's in the same world as Def Lepperd's albums from the early 80's like High and Dry and Pyromania.   There are some metal moments (listen to"Room 24") for sure but it's got more of a hard rock feel to it ("Our Loved Ones" and "The Lonesome Rider").  For those that like some solid hard rock, this might be one of the year's best in that genre.   Think of this album as the soundtrack to a Spaghetti Western written by Metallica.  You really get a good taste of it on songs like "The Lonesome Rider" and "Doc Holiday." 

"Cape Of Our Hero" is the first single from Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies. The song is probably one of my least favorite from the album. It's got the most gloss and commercial feel to it and really doesn't do the rest of the album's western grit justice.   Don't judge the album by this song.  It almost sounds more Foo Fighters than Volbeat.  When I initially heard this song, I was expecting to be dissapointed by the new album but thankfully they're less cliche than this on the rest of the songs.  I really think this was a decision by the band's management to appeal to a larger audience by choosing to make this song their lead single with that video below.