Albums of Purgatory interview Volbeat

Whats the band up to right now?

Well we have just been in sweden , and will play some few jobs here in Denmark and perhaps germany before we go into studio to record our second demo in august. we are also at the moment working with a former member of my old band "Dominus" . ( For more info about Dominus" check out www.diehardmusic.com)called Jens Peter storm. He was lead guitar player in "Dominus" but is working on some keybord stuff on some of our songs, and it has been a very interesting experience. then we are just trying to promote our demo cd Which contains 10 songs. And for now i think that we have sold and giving away about 700 copys of this demo so far, and it is groving every day, which is good when we some day sign to a label ,some people will know who we are.

How would you describe the Volbeat sound?

Well it's hard to say. We dont have a dirty Metal sound, as in "Dominus", but this is also a very different style. a style some viewers like to put on as Metalic pop rock'n'roll.
I think our sound is more dirty live than on the demo, which has a more soft sound, but a good sound for a more broader audience.

How did you get involved with the band?

well after releasing 4 albums and 2 videos with "Dominus" i was playing my last concert with the Band in 2001 , which i formed in 1991. And i told our fans that night that this was the final and last concert under the name of "Dominus", and the band will end this knight, but that i will forme a new band in the future called Volbeat, with a new sound and a new style. so i gathered some new guys for Volbeat, and we went into "Take one Studio" in 2002 to record 10 songs , and when we were finish we thought it was good tracks, but we were really suprised that so many different kind of music lovers was so op in the air about it, and they all thought that this was something speciel, and that we had our own style. The idea was to get the listeners to tell us what kind of style we were playing. But they kept asking us and we kept asking them. But Volbeat's music is 100% live music, and it's not that easy to put our karma and action down on a Demo cd, but people really like the demo, and then get something ekstra and surprising stuff out off the live shows. We like the Rock'n'Roll attitude, so it's great to see that the girls are dansing thier hooter's of like we started somekind of a fever, like back in the 50´s, when Rock'n'Roll was illegal.Some listernes understand it and some don't, and that makes the whole thing great.

Can you remember your first gig (how did it go)?

Yes it was here in copenhagen Denmark, and it was a good night where many old "Dominus" fans also got together to check this new band out. we played for about 2 hours of full action, and it was a great debut.

Are you involved in any other projects?

No, Volbeat is the only band i do.

What are your favourite Volbeat tracks?

It wil be a new song called "Another day". But if i have to take one from the demo it must be "Always".

What are your favourite all time songs?

That's really hard to say, cause it depends on my mood, but it will be some songs with Elvis Presley. He will always be the king.
well, i can tell you that i even got him tattooet on my arm. Or else it would be Metallica.

What was the first record you bought?

I think it was a album with IRON MAIDEN and "Live Evil" with BLACK SABBATH.

Which band got you into metal?

Well i thought it was "Live evil" with Black Sabbath. When i heard Tony Iommy play Hell out of a Guitar , i then knew that a new world was waiting for me, and there was no turning back. I can also remember that i saw a live concert with Anthtrax on Tv, i was just coming home from school, and me and my pal looked at each other and thought cool, and a week later i had a guitar.

What was the last CD you bought and what did you think of it?

It was a cd with an Italien guy called "Zuchero".There is a really good track on where he sings with "Jhon lee hooker" and i love Jhon lee hooker, but rest of the cd is also great.

What would be your dream band lineup?

well, all the people i would like to play with is dead. but it could be great to have Little Richard together on vocals with me.And James Hetfield and Tonny Iommi on guitars, and rogger taylor on drums.

If you could cover a song on a bands tribute album what would you choose?

It would be a Elvis Presley song, and it would mean alot to me because i growe up with his music . And if it has to be a band, it would be "Manic Street Preachers" or "Social Distortion" since they have tons of good songs. Metallica would allso be great, but it has been done so many time by others.

What do you think of the position of metal and music in general today?

I have not followed the Metal scene for some years, but i know that the scene hasn't been that good for a long time, but it seems to get better now. I think it's sad to see so many bands getting a career out of an stupid image without any good songs. But that's what the media wants and the young ones who don't understand a shit, but you can't blame the young ones ( we have all been there) . It's the people who work on the companys who make these concept bands , cause they have the money to do it, and they know there are more to earn. They do there job, and you can't blame them for that, but in the end they are the one to damage the music scene. I don't say it's wrong with an image or a concept, it can be cool. but theres to much of that shit around for the moment, and it overshadows the bands with real talent who got something to say and offer. But in the end an image or a concept isn't interssting for ever, good music is.

Which other bands stand out for you at the moment?

I have just bought the new Metallica (st. anger) and it's so fucking great, so good to hear that they still got it. But they have always been in my heart. Or else, at the moment i like the new "The Rasmus" album and the new white stribes album.Well, i have bought many new albums, but nothing besides Metallica really stands out. It is still some of the older recordings that survives in my ears. I also listen to a lots of hip hop, but it don't inspires me in volbeat.I think the new "Bruce springsteen" album is fantastic, and the last "Lifehouse" album was really really great.

Do you have any funny stories about the band you can share with us?

Anders The bass player i have in volbeat now, has also played together with me in "Dominus", and when he played with "Dominus" for the first time here in Copenhagen Denmark he was wearing a wig and some sun glasses, and we told the audience that for this knight we had Rod Steward on bass since he was in Denmark to visit his girlfriend which we new, and he will do this just for fun. And people really thought it as him, until Anders took the wig of 5 numbers later.

What do you see in the future for Volbeat?

.Well, i hope that we would be able to get signed with a good solid company and bring our songs out to so many people as possible. I hope that we will get lots of jobs, so we would be able to show people that we are the best act out of Denmark. If we don't get signed, we will proberly release our stuff by our self. But we are a hard working band so i think the future looks good. We know the interest around the band is growing every day, so we will keep on working as long as we got goals.

17. I would like to thank you for sharing your interst in Volbeat with the readers. And for the viewers check out www.volbeat.dkand order your volbeat cd now. and remember, suport good music.
take care.