{"id":29043,"date":"2013-04-18T18:45:32","date_gmt":"2013-04-18T23:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=29043"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:35:08","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:35:08","slug":"volbeat-outlaw-gentlemen-shady-ladies-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/volbeat-outlaw-gentlemen-shady-ladies-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Volbeat | Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Volbeat\"It\u2019s been nearly three years since Volbeat released Beyond Hell\/Above Heaven<\/em>, and the Danish band has certainly not been idle. The album was a huge success, thanks in equal parts to extremely catchy and unique metal songs and almost nonstop touring, especially in the US. Now the band is back with their highly anticipated follow-up. Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies<\/em> is their fifth album overall, and it is the first Volbeat album to feature former Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano, who replaces Thomas Bredahl on lead guitar. Caggiano also produced the album alongside Jacob Hansen.<\/p>\n

On Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies<\/em> (and how great is that title, by the way?), Volbeat\u2019s core sound \u2013 that unique mix of Metallica, Johnny Cash, Social Distortion and Motorhead – is very much intact. As with Beyond Hell\/Above Heaven<\/em>, there\u2019s a major focus on melody and enough radio-friendly rock songs to balance the album\u2019s heavier tracks. You can tell right off that \u201cLola Montez\u201d and \u201cCape of Our Hero\u201d are this album\u2019s \u201cHeaven Nor Hell\u201d and \u201cFallen,\u201d and the surprising but wickedly infectious cover of Young the Giant\u2019s \u201cMy Body\u201d has the potential to be a huge radio hit.<\/p>\n

Beyond the obvious singles, Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies<\/em> is a very strong album full of songs that are very easy to get into. The band knows exactly where the line should be between heaviness and melody on each song, so you\u2019ll get a full-on Metallica thrasher like \u201cDoc Holliday\u201d after a more radio-friendly song like \u201cThe Sinner Is You,\u201d and a song like \u201cThe Hangman\u2019s Body Count,\u201d which sounds like it could have been written by (or for) Johnny Cash, right after the darker \u201cRoom 24\u201d and before \u201cMy Body.\u201d Not once do you lose interest or start to tune out, and with 14 songs on the album that\u2019s no mean feat.<\/p>\n

Like previous Volbeat releases, Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies<\/em> is more or less a concept album. You can enjoy the album without getting into the story, and the songs absolutely stand on their own, but a pass or two through the lyrics does enhance the overall experience, and helps bring this Western ghost story to life. Songs about gunfighters, stage coach robbers, saloon dancers and an undead avenger are given the perfect accompaniment by slide guitar, harp, banjo and double bass, and guest vocals by Sarah Blackwood and King Diamond help add to the conceptual feel of the album. That and it\u2019s just extremely cool to hear King Diamond singing with a band he undoubtedly inspired.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to imagine Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies<\/em> disappointing many Volbeat fans, unless you\u2019re looking for a return to the much heavier The Strength\/The Sound\/The Songs<\/em> days. This is a natural progression of Volbeat\u2019s sound, and it\u2019s just a fantastic experience overall. There are those rare albums that you know on the first listen that the songs you\u2019re hearing are going to be part of your life\u2019s soundtrack for quite some time, and Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies, like the Volbeat albums before it, is definitely one of those albums. Once you put this one in the player, it\u2019s going to be a long time before you\u2019re willing to take it out.<\/p>\n

Edition Notes: There are multiple versions of Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies<\/em> available, including digital, CD and vinyl. There is a deluxe CD version (exclusive to Best Buy stores) that has a second disc featuring four bonus tracks that are well worth hearing. It has the new (and quite heavy) studio song \u201cEcotone,\u201d a harp version of \u201cLola Montez\u201d that\u2019s even better than the album version, a live recording of \u201c7 Shots\u201d (featuring Kreator\u2019s Mille Petrozza) and the demo version of \u201cEvelyn\u201d that has Michael Poulsen instead of Barney Greenway handling the growled vocals. For the truly hardcore, there is a deluxe hardcover book edition that comes with an exclusive 45rpm vinyl single.<\/p>\n

Genre: Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nMichael Schon Poulsen (v) (g)
\nJon Larsen (d)
\nAnders Kjolholm (b)
\nRobert Caggiano (g)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tLet\u2019s Shake Some Dust
\n2.\tPearl Hart
\n3.\tThe Nameless One
\n4.\tDead But Rising
\n5.\tCape of Our Hero
\n6.\tRoom 24
\n7.\tThe Hangman\u2019s Body Count
\n8.\tMy Body
\n9.\tLola Montez
\n10.\tBlack Bart
\n11.\tLonesome Rider
\n12.\tThe Sinner Is You
\n13.\tDoc Holliday
\n14.\tOur Loved Ones<\/p>\n

Label: Vertigo<\/p>\n

Website: www.volbeat.dk<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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