Christmas came early for Volbeat fans this year and for me, an early birthday present. On December 3rd, 2021, Danish rock and roll band Volbeat released their eighth studio album, Servant of the Mind. Needless to say, this has been the only album on my mind since it came out.
We started strong with singles Becoming, Dagen Før, Shotgun Blues, and Wait a Minute My Girl earlier in the year. After the release of the album, they announced the opening song Temple of Ekur as a single as well. It’s very difficult to pick a favorite, but it’s probably a tie between Becoming and Wait a Minute My Girl.
Becoming has a very groovy drum and guitar “solo” to kick off the song, then almost a minute in enters sassy vocals from frontman Michael Poulsen. I absolutely love the offset from the snare and cymbal beat in comparison to the rhythmic guitar. There are lots of melodic shifts in this song which keep it very interesting.
Wait a Minute My Girl is a very special song; it begins smack dab in the middle with the chorus and it almost sounds like when your CD accidentally skips, but that’s actually the beginning of the song. The first time I heard it I was delightfully confused and as I listened to it more and more, I fell in love.
I adore the lyrics in general, especially the chorus with “Wait a Minute My Girl, wait a minute my lover, summer’s up and I want you to know that I won’t live a minute without ya.” However, the saxophone and piano solo in the middle of the song is an honorable mention; I love when rock songs use unconventional instruments.
However, my top three on the album are none of the singles but The Passenger, The Devil Rages On, and Say No More. One thing all three of these songs have in common are eccentric vocals, entertaining instrumentals, and energy beyond belief.
The Passenger has so many unique instrumental elements that make the song so much fun. When I was first listening to the album, my jaw dropped during this song. There is a chromatical decline in both guitar and vocals that sound absolutely unreal. Also, in the chorus there’s a melody change and I love the triplet rhythm played on a cymbal. The song truly shows musical talent by taking all these features and making it not sound like a hodgepodge of melodies.
The Devil Rages On starts out low and slow with a chilling, wavering guitar. After the first verse, the guitar is ringing out and Poulsen speaks, “Now hold on fellas, it doesn’t move me, let’s get real, real goin’ for a change,” then the pace quickens and livens up; that part sends chills up my spine every time. This song reminds me of an old western fight with the rhythm in the guitar, snare-focused drumming and attitude in the vocals. I love how the format of the song is like a hill, it builds up to the peak then gradually falls back down to the beginning point.
Say No More starts with a sick drum beat, and that’s the easiest way to catch my attention. Any sort of drums with cool tom fills will always entertain me. I also love the lyrics in this song, especially this one section in the chorus: “I feel I lived a life before, the memories are spoken from a deadly soul, say no more. I recreate, accumulate, determinate the passing of the lonely one, say no more.” Those rhyming words specifically make it very unique.
Overall, this album is a good representation of Volbeat and their sound. They have a very unique European sound and lyrics to match. This album is easily one I can listen to and never get sick of, and it will give me energy as I need. It has lots of great singles; I would give Servant of the Mind a solid 8.5/10.