“I Don't Believe in Perfection”

The power of Volbeat comes from Michael Poulsen’s mighty riffs. But as a self-taught player, he admits: “I’m pretty terrible at solos!”

- By Ellie Rogers. Photographs by Ross Halfin

For their new album, Servant Of The Mind, Volbeat have taken their signature metal-meets psychobilly sound up a notch. Penned by Michael Poulsen, the band’s mastermind, frontman, and rhythm guitarist, the record was borne out of a short period of relative calm: at home in Denmark with the family during the lockdown necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic – but you wouldn’t guess so from listening to it. The riffs are huge, the tones are dark and foreboding, and the riotous pace barely lets up throughout.

All in all, the writing and recording process took only three months – a creative outburst that surprised even Michael himself. He recalls: “I was even asking myself, how the f*ck did you come up with all this in such a short time? But I think being at home – not leaving home or being on a tour bus or playing shows – there was only one thing I could do and that was writing.”