That's where Poulsen began playing around with ideas and riffs, recording them on his mobile phone and directly to an amp. It tips its fedora to everything from the bad men (and women) of the old west to the old school metal bands who influenced the young Michael Poulsen to form his first band, DOMINUS, back in the early 90s.Īs with so many classic albums, the seeds of "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" were sown on the road in Europe and the U.S. It's everything that VOLBEAT are all about, but taken even further." The album title is a phrase that evokes another time, an era when elegant lawbreakers were the rock stars of the day. "You've got everything - the rockabilly stuff, the melodies, the ultra-heavy stuff, the Western motifs and the big rock songs. "It's a new vibe for VOLBEAT," says Poulsen. "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" finds the core trio of Michael Poulsen (vocals/guitar), Anders Kjølholm (bass) and Jon Larsen (drums) joined by former ANTHRAX/ THE DAMNED THINGS guitarist Rob Caggiano, who produced the album with longtime VOLBEAT co-producer Jacob Hansen. Elsewhere, "Room 24", featuring King Diamond, was inspired by a terrifying experience in a hotel room somewhere in the heart of America.
"The Nameless One" is a cautionary tale of dabbling in the dark arts, featuring the mysterious and sinister character of the title.
Some are real - like the noble lady outlaw Pearl Hart, who held up a stagecoach to buy medicine for her dying mother, or Lola Montez, the erotic dancer with her infamous "Spider Dance," or " Black Bart," the gentleman highwayman who wrote poems for the people he robbed.
Planned for release in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on April 5, in the rest of Europe on April 8, and in North America on April 9 via Vertigo/ Republic Records/ Universal Music, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" is a record that's rich with stories and characters woven throughout its lyrics. Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT have recorded an album that seamlessly brings together all of the band's influences and reshapes them into something gleaming and new.