VOLBEAT — Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies (review)

VOLBEAT — Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies album cover Album · 2013 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" is the 5th full-length studio album by Danish heavy rock/metal act Volbeat. The album was released through Universal Music Group in April 2013. It´s the successor to "Beyond Hell / Above Heaven" from 2010. There´s been one lineup change since the release of the predecessor as lead guitarist Thomas Bredahl was asked to leave Volbeat in November 2011. The band therefore went into the studio to record "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" as a three-piece with producer (and former Anthrax lead guitarist) Rob Caggiano, but came out of the recording sessions as a four-piece, as the chemistry had been so good between Volbeat and Caggiano, that the band asked him to join them as their permanent lead guitarist.

Stylistically the material on "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" ranges from 50/60´s rock´n´roll influenced heavy rock/metal, to melodic heavy rock/metal with a mainstream appeal, to quite heavy tracks like "Room 24" (featuring King Diamond on guest vocals), "The Hangman's Body Count", and "Black Bart". It´s a diverse release and in this case it´s a strength, as it all ultimately sounds like Volbeat, no matter which style they play. Because of the diversity of the material "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" is also an album which never gets tedious or feels one-dimensional.

It´s such a solid release, that it´s actually a bit hard to pick highlights without feeling like you´re leaving out some tracks worthy of a mention, but to my ears some of the highlights are "Room 24" (fans of King Diamond should love this one), "Pearl Heart", "Lola Montez", and the great rocking "My Body". Off course "The Lonesome Rider" (featuring Sarah Blackwood from Walk off the Earth on guest vocals) deserves a mention too, as it was a "hit" single for the band. The huge anthemic power ballad "The Nameless One" is a standout track too, but as mentioned above it´s hard to pick which tracks to give a special mention, as they are all high quality material.

Caggiano is a skilled producer, as has created a perfect sound for the material. When the tracks need to be raw and heavy, he makes them sound like that, but when a little sugar and polish is needed, Caggiano is also more than capable of producing tracks like that. Sometimes even to the extent that some tracks are radio friendly mainstream heavy rock. So "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" is a high quality release through and through. Strong songwriting, skilled performances (I haven´t even mentioned the great and distinct sounding voice and vocals by frontman/guitarist Michael Poulsen or the many great harmonies and choirs on the album), and a professional and well sounding production. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.
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