Volbeat: By a Monster's Hand

This week on Mandatory Music, we dive into Volbeat's new single, By a Monster’s Hand! We break down what we liked, what didn’t quite hit the mark, and how Volbeat continues to wear their influences on their sleeves. Plus, we bring back some Metallica talk for the first time in a while—Kirk Hammett has a new book about his legendary guitar collection, he’s announced a full-length solo record, and we dissect the small hints about what the next Metallica album might sound like. Tune in for all this and more!

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Transcript

Good evening and welcome back to Mandatory Music for episode, I believe, 54 or if you're not counting 357. Between 50 and 300. Right, it's in there somewhere. 

Seb, how are you buddy? I'm well, how are you Mike? I'm doing very well. Yeah, so tonight we are going to talk some Volbeat, some Danish metal, if you will. Metal slash rock. 

Metal slash rock, very modern, sort of sounding rock. Yes. I'm not the biggest Volbeat fan in the world. 

And we'll get into that in a second. I have my reasons why I'm not the biggest Volbeat song or Volbeat fan either. There's a specific reason why. 

We'll get into that in a bit. But they do have a new album coming out. They do. 

And they just released, I guess it would be the first song on the new album, which is called By a Monster's Hand. Yes. And it's a cool song. 

I will say this, Mike, you can feel the Metallica influence on Volbeat. You can feel it in the riff, man, because it's literally if I, the Beholder, had a baby with wherever I may be. Oh, yeah. 

And which it's it's fine because I was going to call this song the the ultimate tribute to Metallica. It is a very Metallica heavy song. Yes. 

I guess I at first I was like, oh, cool, I like this. And then the drums kicked in and I'm like, OK, I'm like, I'm like, all right. So I play the intro before the thing you started for my son.

Yeah, I was I always make music on my computer and my hey, what do you think of this? He's like, oh, hey, what do you think of this? He's like, that you like? No, he's like, that sounds like you. I'm like, well, thank you. But no, no, it's not me. 

He's like, is it Metallica? I'm like, no, I'm like, it sounds like it could be Metallica. But I don't want to I don't want to throw shade on the fact that it sounds. It's very Metallica. 

Like, it's very Metallica. It has the main riff. Has a very understand man kind of feel to it. 

Yeah, which is fine. Like they're wearing their their their influences on their sleeve. And I'm sure when they were working this out in the studio, they all they all know, like it definitely sounds like a song that should be on the black album.

Yes, for sure. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's tuned down for a reason, I think, because a well, the heaviness and be if it wasn't tuned down, it would literally be understand, man. 

Yeah, it's got also a very sad, but true vibe to it, too. Yeah, like it's this whole like homage to the 1991 masterpiece in itself. But I do like Michael Polson's voice is it's so. 

It's it's distinct, like he has a good way of saying it. Yeah, he's a good singer. He is a good singer, but it's so different than anything that's even out there because he's like like his Danish accent doesn't come through, but it's just sort of the tone of his voice is so unique to him. 

And you know, modern rock, it's like, oh, well, that's Volbeat because that's Michael Polson singing. Yeah, it Volbeat suffers from. I mean, they're not the same band, but it's kind of like I feel when I listen to Volbeat the same way as if I listen to Merciful Fate. 

The singer occupies a very high register, which is very unusual in the metal world, like the same thing with Dave Usain from Megadeth, he occupies a very high register in his singing. And typically metal singers go in like a lower pocket of of notes because they sit like down in the garage, you know, that sound right. But Volbeat, they he sings very high. 

So it's a bit odd when you listen to metal and you listen to Volbeat because you're like, whoa, wait a minute, like this is like such a higher register than I'm used to in this world. Right. And there's nothing wrong with that. 

That's their sound. So and some people like it and some people don't. So Bruce Dickinson is actually the same way, too, because he sings in a high register for Iron Maiden. 

But that's Bruce. He's one of the most amazing vocalists ever. Yeah. 

And there's also this like big rockabilly feel. That's why like that's another distinguishing factor with these guys. It's kind of like, OK, we're going to be influenced by Metallica and like the Stray Cats and the Brian Sets Orchestra. 

And that's we're going to fuse those two, especially in their earlier works, which I like the first couple of records, but then I haven't listened to them in years. And then this popped out the other day, like last week or whenever it was. And I was like, oh, cool. 

I'm like, I tell you, you have to listen to song and it's I mean, it's a good song. I don't mind the song at all. It's another one of those ones where it doesn't overstay its welcome.

It just comes in. I think, honestly, it could have been a little longer. That's it's just there's I don't know, it's just something about the that open, in this case, the open D that chugging and that the simple just four on the floor drum beat that just gets your head moving. 

It's like, OK, now we're talking. Yeah, there's nothing overtly complicated about this song. Like it's pretty straight arrow song. 

It's just it's and they knew they had a good riff. Oh, they knew. Yeah. 

And that riff is very good. And that's kind of been the recent narrative that we've have been going down is these like great riff songs like we did it the last two or three weeks. Yeah. 

Like I play with a tiger. And yeah, absolutely. With Lord Humongous, with Afterglow, they're they're really, really good riffs. 

Right. And that's kind of the staple of what Metallica was a riff rock riff life, basically come up with a bang, a riff and then go into that. But yeah, so I I'm not sure how I feel about his singing, to be honest with you. 

Like it's it's it's different. Right. And it's, you know, but I guess they don't just want to be in that vein of like the standard metal band where they just have like that gurgly metal voice. 

So I have to give them props for having a different vocal sound, because when you hear the Volbeat singer, you know, it's Volbeat. Like it's so different than what you're used to in the metal world or the rock world. Right. 

So. Yeah. So, yeah, it's it's it's a good song. 

I don't mind. I'm curious to see what the rest of the album is going to sound like. Yeah. 

Yeah, me too. I'm I'm almost willing to bet it's probably not going to sound much like this. And that's my guess. 

This is maybe this. Well, of course, you have crazy titles. Yeah, it's the title track of the album. 

Right. So, yeah, actually, it's not the title track to the album. Well, I guess it's the first one that they released. 

That's the first thing anyways. But so. It's sort of we're going to be referencing Metallica a lot. 

And then, well, they're one of their I mean, they tour with Metallica. They do open for Metallica on several tours, I think, in the past. So and even when it gets into the bridge, like it's such a like, well, I'll reference it's like sort of sanitarium kind of thing with that.

All of a sudden, it just it speeds up and the trains just yes, just to just to chugging along. And it's kind of it almost goes double time at some point, I think. Yeah, maybe not double time, but it does speed up. 

You're right. And it's got this like real sanitarium riff vibe to it, which is fine. And then the solo is like, I don't know who the the they got a it's not their regular lead guitar player because they're sort of in between guitar players, apparently.

So the guy that played these solos is just a guy they know. And he's really good. The solos are cool. 

Yeah, like they're short and there's like there's some cool guitar harmonies between the two of them that the wonder is going to end up touring for them. I think he was on their last tour and I think he's going to tour this time, too. Yeah. 

But yeah, I love a good solo with the tail end of the solo having. Yeah. Harmonies of two guitars kind of has. 

Oh, man, you don't have to tell me twice. That's why I live in that harmony. I love harmonies. 

Right. It is more harmonies. As I'm listening to this, I will throw seek and destroy out as well, because, you know, they have the short solo riff, short solo riff, and that's kind of the but so many songs do it.

I don't want to say this whole song is a is a blatant, but it's just I think they're just showing their. They're not their love, but there is so much Metallica and Megadeth influence in this song, man, like it's you can tell they were big fans of these when they were kids of those two bands. So without a doubt. 

Yeah. But yeah, but there's not like aside. So we've already talked, you know, it's just basically riff, verse, chorus, riff, verse, chorus, bridge, solos and then chorus and the song's over. 

Yeah, there's nothing complicated about it. You know, it's three minutes and 40 seconds. This could be our shortest, shortest episode of all time. 

But yeah, like it's again, it's it's it's like Lord humongous. It's like it's it's built around this simple, chugging, heavy riff. Yeah. 

And they just add it on a few parts. And let's just not let's not bloat it. Like I just said earlier, like I would have liked it to be a little longer. 

Just have a little. Yeah. Have like some fun outro of some, you know, some chuggalicious something. 

It does have like the Volbeat standard where they'll play something and then the lead guitar will play like a bunch of lead single notes really up high. That's kind of to kind of mimic the singer's vocal track. Like they do that quite a bit in a lot of their songs.

So like the voice, the vocal track will sing something and then the guitar will mimic it like really high up on the guitar. Yeah, they do that quite a bit, I believe, from memories of Volbeat. But. 

Yeah, the opening riff is such a banger, for sure. Have you seen the video for it? Yeah, the video is cool. I guess it's like psychopath walking through, walking through neighborhoods. 

He's got like a cart. It actually reminded me a lot of Terrapfire with art in his garbage bag. Yeah, because he's just constantly smiling. 

Hey, how's it going? Yeah. Where are you picking flowers? Oh, right. Can I help his face? Yeah, exactly. 

Yeah. It just reminded me of some sort of like maybe the next song they release will have part two of the video of actually of the story of I think it's going to go on for multiple songs quite possibly. If you if you go to the track listing for because the album is called God of Angels Trust. 

Yeah. The last song on the album is called Enlightened, but enlightened the disorder. And then in brackets, it's by a monster's hand. 

Part two. So it's like a continuation. I'm assuming it's a continuation of this song. 

So I'm curious to see what that's going to sound like. Could be some demonic concept album. Maybe we have a guy's descent into madness. 

And. Yeah. I hope so. 

Right now. But I don't know how much else we can really talk about this song. We really know it's just the look. 

The look itself is is because we were commenting on it before we started. It's like he looks like a cowboy, like he looks like a country singer. Oh, yeah. 

Yeah. The aesthetic of the band. So like when you think of metal, you know, you think of metal. 

But I guess Volbeat isn't technically a full metal band. They kind of fill the rock slash metal. So they're kind of like fit in between. 

You know, they're probably usually lighter music wise than a lot of the things we cover on this channel. Well, especially compared to what we did last week. Like it's. 

Yeah. I mean, they're no archenemy. They're not in that vein at all. 

So no. But yeah, that's going to be a polarizing cons or a polarizing thing, too. It's like, how do you do you like his voice? Do you not like his voice? And so I think that's a lot of like it reminds me a lot of Alice in Chains for me personally. 

Back when Alice in Chains was in the 90s, when everyone was listening to them, I did not get the Lane Staley voice back then. Right. I just didn't see what was the appeal of it. 

Now I do. Obviously, you know, I understand more of Alice in Chains and like the beautiful music that they created. So it's it's a lot of people I'm going to say aren't going to like the Volbeat voice because it's just different. 

It's different. It just fits a different vein. Right.

But I like the fact that they stay with it because it separates them from every other metal band in that vein. That's how he sings and that's how he sounds. And I think it's just it more or less it's probably his band. 

So it's kind of like you don't like my singing. I would assume so. Yeah.

Right. I played the song for my wife. She's like, yeah, it's OK until you start singing.

I'm like, well, see, that's what I'm saying. A lot of people probably also she can't stand Bruce Dickinson. And yeah, which I partner can't stand Bruce Dickinson either. 

Right. It's I can totally see that, though. Right. 

It's like Hatfield, like a sick Hatfield, for example, his voice is so different because he's a really good singer. I'm not saying Michael Polson is not a good singer. He's a really good singer, but it's just something about the tone doesn't really. 

It's merciful fate, man. Like it's that merciful fate thing. Like when you listen to merciful fate, he's so high in that register.

You're just like, this is kind of jarring. A song came on randomly on one of these playlists I was listening to, and it was merciful fate. And I was like, oh, this is cool. 

But also like, oh, Mike, seriously, like I just I don't get it. Like it's so I guess like glass shattering. It's like, dude, come on. 

Just like think about 30 years from when you're saying this, are you going to be able to sing this anymore? No. Oh, man. Yeah. 

Come on, man. But I'm trying to think of like a good merciful fate song for people to listen to. The Metallica cover version of the medley of merciful fate songs called merciful fate. 

Well, that's my Metallica, though. Right. So that's a good one. 

Just just Google merciful fate if you don't know who they are and just like listen to his singing and you'll be like, why is he singing so high? So. But yeah, so that kind of suffers this. That goes so high. 

I know. So so I think we've covered Volbeat. I got some news things. 

I got things I want to throw at you. First thing is concert was announced today. Tell me. 

It's October 1st. I guess we're going. I don't know. 

We'll see. I'm really on the fence. It's Korn and Gojira. 

Oh, yeah, I saw that now and another band, but I don't know. Lowe's, I think Lowe's. I've never heard of them. 

I'm afraid I'm afraid to. Now, is this something you would be interested in going to? Because I like I like Korn somewhat like I can't listen to. An hour and a half, I've never listened to an hour and a half straight while you go to half if you go to the concert, right? So I'm pretty on the fence if I actually want to go or not. 

And I mean, there's so many other bands I would rather go see than Korn and Gojira, but I mean, if you're going to go, I'll always go with you, right? So, of course, I'll leave it up to you. And if you want to go, I'll go. For sure. 

I'm honestly not. I'm super on the fence. I'm also not the biggest Korn fan either. 

No. So I would basically go be going just to see Gojira. Yeah. 

I don't know. So, well, yeah, we can we can talk about that. Yeah, I need. 

When it's closer to the day. Yeah. It's at Rogers, you said? It's at Rogers Arena.

What the hell? This this loathe band is classified as relaxation anyways. I think that's the wrong band, Mike. I think that's the wrong loathe.

In other news to Kirk Hammett has a new book out about his guitar, similar to what James Hetfield put out with Messengers. He also announced he's doing a full solo record. Kirky? Kirky Poo is doing a full solo record. 

And then he also. Yes, I think it's all his EP. I can't remember what it's called. 

My God, whatever. Doesn't matter. Passengers, passengers, I think. 

Anyways, it was pretty good. Like it was it was really interesting just to hear his full ideas done and stuff like that. But he also announced he didn't announce, but he said, because I guess the question about load came up.

Yeah, because and he and he said, as the years go by, the album people talk to him the most out most about his load. Interesting. And so I guess the interviewer, I'm sort of paraphrasing, asked him, would you guys consider doing another load style album? He's like, I'm totally open to it. 

And one day we might just say, yes, we're going to do that. What? Yeah, I feel like Kirk would be the most open to that. Yes, he would. 

I you know what? I know where we don't talk about Metallica anymore. We're going to talk about Metallica for a minute. We always have to have Metallica talk. 

Well, it's been a while. It's been quite a while since we've I know why you want it. And I can I basically reading your mind right now because you want something that's different from you want them to explore music. 

You don't want them to put out the same two albums that they put out in the last two albums because it's the same tone, same type of music. It's all metal. You want them to be able to go explore into the acoustic space, into the space, into other spaces and just rock space, like all sorts of different things.

Yes. Flavor. You want different flavor. 

I want flavor, flavor. And I want tone. And I want you know what? If they want to stretch their wings and do acoustic songs again, do it. 

Just do it. I think their next album will be substantially different than 72 Seasons. God, I hope so. 

Because they're going to go back into the studio and they're going to record things together. And I think it's not just over Zoom as it was during covid, right, where they were just like, this is good enough. We can't really explore the full gamut because they don't write the way they did for 72 Seasons.

That was like an anomaly. It's a once in a lifetime thing because they had to do it that way because they couldn't be together. So they recorded everything over Zoom or created their songs that way. 

But yeah, I would I would be down for it. Sure. Like this love or hate load what you can say about Metallica and load and reload as well is that they did a lot of different things on it.

Sure. Like there's a lot of misses, but some of the songs that they wrote for both of those albums are some of the best songs they've ever written in the catalog. We can talk about Bleeding Me.

We can talk about Fixer. We can talk about the A La Torne, which in my mind are three of their top 10 songs that they've ever done. Sure. 

People will argue that we can forget Ronnie. Why? Ronnie's good. It's not. 

I don't know why you hate Ronnie. Don't listen to Mike Veronice's terrible song. No, it's just, again, it's the epitome of different. 

It's just, I don't know. Yeah, it's skinnered all day long. And I think that's cool. 

It's funny how Fuel is the one song from those two albums that has remained like a staple through like the rest of their set, which it makes sense. So because that's like a such a good pyro song. Yes. 

So and it's a fun song like it's and James loves playing that song. It seems like they all they all enjoy it. And The Memory Remains is fun to listen to live too. 

Yeah, when they don't really screw it up. Well, whatever it's it happens. Actually, Memory Remains is good. 

It was Until It Sleep that was the problem when we saw them. Yeah, it wasn't very good. But I think it'd be good just for them to stretch their stretch their creative boundaries again. 

Yeah, this is an exciting time for us, Mike, because we have we have possibly Iron Maiden coming out with a new album relatively soon, maybe. I'm going to hold out hope Metallica has to be thinking about new songs at some point in the next year or two, I think Tool is going back. Yeah, Kirky Poose said that they're going to go into the studio next year. 

See, so in the next few years, they're going to take a bit of a break. Yeah, not a long break, just a break. And then we're going to get in the studio and start making whatever's next. 

So I really believe next year or maybe two years from now, we're going to get Tool, Metallica and Iron Maiden coming down the pipeline. I don't think it's that long. Metallica will get 2030, Tool will be 2062. 

No, I think Tool next year, honestly. I hope so. I heard they've been in the studio off and on for the last couple of years.

But they're going into the studio for two or three months this summer and without Maiden. It's just three guys going in to record. That's how they write, right? Yeah, that's kind of fascinating to me. 

So for those that don't know, according to everything that I know about Tool, the lyrics come dead last in all of their songs. The entire song is done. And then Maynard's like, OK, well, where do I fit lyrics into this? It's not like they create the lyrics with the song. 

It's like the song is done. Here you go, Maynard. Throw lyrics at it. 

And he's got to come up with it, I guess, which is fascinating to me. Bananas, really. Yeah. 

Because a vocalist should be, you know, should be integral. OK, well, this like how you have to figure out where the like, OK, what part of the song is where I sing and the whole thing. And when it's just it's got to be tough to just here's a here's an instrumental and just sing to it. 

Yeah. The interesting thing about Tool, when you see them live, if you ever go see them live, is that Maynard's in the shadows. He's not the front man. 

It's Danny Carey in the middle and then the guitarist and bassist on either side. And the three of them are at the front of the stage. And then Maynard's usually in the back somewhere on a ledge just singing in the shadows because he doesn't want it to be about the lyrics. 

It's not about the lyrics. It's about the complete song. And it's more about the musicianship and how the song weaves in and out of lyrics and not lyrics like it's the song as a whole, not. 

Yeah. He doesn't want to be front and center. But he's also, I feel like an introverted guy, too. 

Like he's in all the interviews I've heard, he's a bit odd, like not in a bad way, just odd and weird, which can be good. He's an artist. So speaking of Tool, have you heard about their what was it called? They had like a little music festival in the Dominican Republic. 

And it was like. They they said, hey, we're the same set twice. Yeah, we're going to play two unique sets, come down here, pay all this money to come see us on the beach. 

The Mastodon will be there, whatever. And then, yeah, we'll play two unique sets. And they basically played the same set twice. 

Yeah, I'd be upset. Yeah. So I guess there's a class action lawsuit potentially against it.

Yeah. Why do they do that, man? Like, I don't understand. Don't say you're going to play two unique sets and then don't play them because people are going to be pissed off. 

Like, honestly, like, was there a version? Well, if I was a huge tool or let's say Metallica said, OK, well, we just did this last year, but let's say they're going to play in the Bahamas and they're going to play for four nights over a week. Yeah, we're going to play four different set lists. And they only play two. 

And they'll play two and then they'll repeat them again. No, that's not. Yeah. 

It depends what the context is of what the people are buying tickets for, right? Because they feel like you feel like you got cheated because you're buying that extra ticket because you want to see another night with two with different songs. And you couldn't buy tickets for either night. You had to buy tickets for both nights. 

There was no options to buy the Saturday or Friday or Saturday, whatever the night. Yeah, I'm going to have to see what they with the press releases and the explanation of that is because it's not good. They didn't know that it was only sold as a package deal. 

It's like, really? Come on. Yeah, I don't buy better. You're better than that, man. 

Come on. But yeah, sort of really it for the news. Yeah, that's a big oops. 

Honestly, it's a big you guys got to do better tool. Come on. You can't you can't be doing that, like especially when people are paying money to see unique sets and spending the package, a lot of money to travel hotel. 

You know, I'm sure this was like a package deal. You could like just you stay at the hotel where they just assume that people on day one were on day one and there's an entirely new group of people on day two. Like, is that what they're saying? I think so. 

Yeah. And then, OK, so there's there's either they're lying or there's a complete disconnect on what the purpose of this concert was supposed to be like. So, yeah.

Or let's say let's let's take it that down the middle and give a little a little to both of those arguments. OK, yeah. But come on. 

Yeah, that's not good. Not cool. That's not cool. 

No. Yeah. I think that's it for the news. 

That's the short one. Like, I'm sure I could find more stuff, you know, but we don't save it for next weekend. We'll save it for next week. 

You know. Yeah. Yeah.

So that's that's that for for Monday, March 24th, 2000 and the 25 Volbeat by a monster's hand. Listen to it. Let us know what you think. 

Do you share our opinion? Do you not share opinion? Leave it up to you guys. Stick out the bottom lip and bob your head because it's easy. It's a good song. 

Like I'd give it a six out of ten. I mean, I put it on a playlist. So yeah, I listen to it at the gym for sure. 

It's on my run. It's on my running playlist now. So it can't be that bad.

So yeah, it's cool. But so it's not phenomenal. It's not terrible. 

It's a good song. It's just it's just a good, simple, hard rock headbanger. Anyways, that's it for this week. 

Next week. I think we might travel back to the world of ghost and see if we see if we can get satanized or not. Anyways, that's that's my that's my bad joke for the evening.

Spoiler for next week. That's what the song we're doing. All right.

Yeah, we're doing satanized. That's and there's lots of stuff we can talk about with the whole. Yes, there's lots of things going on with them right now. 

So yeah. So thank you for listening, downloading and all that mumbo jumbo. So we'll talk to you later.

Bye

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