Servant Of The Mind - Volbeat
Released December 3rd, 2021
Genre: “Metal”
Michael Poulsen, Jon Larsen, Rob Caggiano, Kaspar Boye Larsen
Intro
Good morning everyone, this is rather unexpected from anyone that actively checks out this website. Hi, Sharky here. I know it’s been a while so I’m sorry about that. Been busy with everything in life and not a whole lot of albums that excite me these days or make me want to check them out. I just haven’t felt like doing music reviews lately, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I did my time and due diligence and now here I am with another review after however long.
Anyway, this is a band I’ve been desperately wanting to get into. I haven’t heard any of their songs besides Shotgun Blues, and I fucking love that song. I think it’s one of the best metal songs I’ve ever heard just based on how absolutely groovy it sounds. Just an epic groove metal song that made me want to explore this band more. Shoutout to Joey for recommending that song to me and leading me down this rabbit hole. Without further ado, let’s get into my review.
Thoughts & Feelings?
This album makes me feel like I’m getting whiplash. I’m driving down the road, cruising, having a good time and then all of a sudden I’m in a car crash and I’ve no idea what’s happening. Or rather it’s like one of those crash derbies. One second I’m driving and getting hit from all directions.
The reason I say this is because I went into this album hoping there would be more songs like Shotgun Blues because that’s what put me on to this band and this album, and sometimes there are some badass metal songs like I was hoping for, and then all of a sudden there’s a diva pop song in the mix and I’m like what? This album has no idea what genre it wants to be. Like please make up your mind.
I was really looking forward to this album, but I guess it’s my own fault. I was expecting and hoping for more absolutely heavy metal bangers like Shotgun Blues. My expectations were too high, so ultimately I was let down by the cold water of reality that this album isn’t that great. It has some good moments, but at the end of the day it’s not as metal as I was hoping. In the wikipedia of this album, it’s noted that this album “marks a return to a heavier sound in comparison to their previous album”, and I’m like… WHAT?
Smash or Pass?
Temple of Ekur - Smash. Right out of the gate we get into some badass sounding metal. The intro riff is sick as hell. I want the song to go a little bit heavier, but the riffs keep it held together fortunately. Nice use of that one arabic scale that everyone learns. This song is groovy but not as heavy as I want. Yeah overall, a good start to the album. No huge complaints.
Wait a Minute My Girl - Smash? This is not what I expected out of this band. I thought this was a metal band? This sounds more like a pop punk song. I’d have expected something like this out of Green Day but not Volbeat. I am very confused but at least there’s a cool saxophone and piano solo in the beginning. I’m not a huge fan of this song to be honest I think it’s a little pretentious but it’s not too offensive.
The Sacred Stones - Smash. Okay now this is what I was expecting when I started this album. What the hell was that last song doing in here? This song is a slow metal build up that I really enjoy. It gives me Angra vibes, but better. Another use of that one arabic scale everyone learns. Yeah this song is a slow groovy metal jive. Pretty sick in my opinion. Probably my favourite song on the album to this point. My only complaint is that the song is a little bit slow and drawn out. I wish it went a little harder. The riff at the end is really cool though, I love that shit.
Shotgun Blues - SMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. This is probably tied for my all time favourite metal song of 2023. This song is fucking perfect. This is a PERFECT metal song. Groovy ass riffs, just makes me want to break shit in slow motion. This song is so unbelievably enjoyable, I can’t describe how good this song is. You just need to listen to it right now, this song is fucking fantastic. Everything about this song is so groovy, the chorus just makes me sing every time I hear it. All the riffs are SO simple, but so effective. ***EUUUGGGHHHHH***, that part is fucking sick. I love stupid dirty screams like that. This song is so fucking perfect, go listen to it right now please. (By the way, for anyone wondering what my other favourite metal song of 2023 was, it’s All Nightmare Long by Metallica).
The Devil Rages On - Smash. This song is fine I guess. I was excited at first by the cool riff but then the structure of the song just puts me off, and not in a good way. I’m starting to think that this band is way different than I thought they were. Once this song picks up speed, it’s a little better but it just feels like a country song in a metal version. Shoutout to Master of Puppets. The second half of this song is much better in my opinion.
Say No More - SMAAASSSH. Okay now we’re getting somewhere. Heavy + groove is when I start to move. This song is SICK. I love pedal point riffs, those are sick. Shoutout to Jump in the Fire. This is definitely my 2nd favourite song of the album so far. This is the type of song I was expecting and hoping to hear the rest of this album sound like. Heavy sick riffs that make me feel like I’m listening to an actual metal album. This is a very good song. Instant playlist song for me. This song hits every mark for me. Sick riffs, an absolute killer solo, heaviness beyond comprehension. Shut your brain off and let this one melt you.
Heaven’s Descent - Smash. This one is fine. It’s easy to enjoy and goes by pretty fast honestly. It’s more of a mainstream metal sounding song. This is a song that my dad would really enjoy, I think. Nothing particularly wrong with this one, but nothing extraordinarily special about it. Just a solid rock song with some metal elements involved. Solo was pretty solid too.
Dagen Før - Pass… This is another single off the album but again, it just feels more like a pop rock song rather than metal. Like… What the heck are the elements here? There’s a group of girls singing now, I’m so confused. This isn’t anywhere even close to metal.
The Passenger - Smash. Okay… we’re back to the metal. What the hell happened there? I’m so offput now that it’s going to be hard listening to the rest of this album unless they hook me back in. I was hoping for actual metal and most of the “metal” I’m getting is watered down. This song is okay. The bridge riff is really cool in this one though. This song has basically made me lose complete interest in this album though. Not much hope left for what I wanted out of this album.
Step Into Light - Smash. This is a pity smash. I don’t really care for this song but it’s pretty dissonant which is a good element that I usually enjoy. It’s kind of just boring otherwise. I’m really really bored listening to this song. This album has completely lost me. I was having fun with some groovy metal and now I’m listening to generic rock songs.
Becoming - SMASH. WAIT A MINUTE WAIT A MINUTE. Here we GO. This is what we’ve been waiting for. Groovy metal again, we’re back in the game baby. Definitely not as good as the other 2 groovy metal songs on this album but it’s at least a start. Cool bridge riff. A REALLY sick ending to this song too. Solo was pretty wild.
Mindlock - Smash. Does this album have enough steam to save itself near the end here? I’m just let down over and over. Like this song is okay, but it’s only just okay. The riff is really really cool but everything else is just kind of generic. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this song I think that I’m just getting a little pissy from the rest of this album. Solo is pretty neat though. Ending is alright.
Lasse’s Birgitta - Smash. This song better be worth it because it’s 8 minutes long and I’ve run out of patience. So far it’s pretty decent actually. It has a lot of cool metal elements that I am used to. It’s not bad but my interest is quickly lost. It’s just the same thing over and over. There was a quick little solo in there but I’m just ready to fall asleep. I’m just waiting for this song to be over, that’s all.
Conclusion
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this album, in fact a lot of people say it’s rather good. For me personally though, it’s just not what I wanted it to be. Shotgun Blues is tied for the most metal song I’ve heard in 2023, and the rest of the album just couldn’t live up to that standard that I set for it. So, it's my fault. As an album, it’s not bad. I would say it’s just mediocre. In my opinion, it’s not worth checking out besides the medal songs.
RANK: C+
Sorry for the hiatus from me (Sharky). Hopefully I’ll have more time and more albums to review in the future. This unfortunately wasn’t what I had hoped to come back with. I’m just very let down by this album.
What do you guys think? Does this album suck like I think it kind of does or is it worth listening to? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks!
- Sharky
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