Volbeat Deals Out One Hell Of a Smashing Track

Long live the mighty Danes Volbeat. They sure know how to lay down the lumber for a crushing metal cut. The brand new "Seal The Deal" gnashes its teeth and begs you to stare it down without blinking. Rob Caggiano's guitar licks are nothing short of skull crushingly potent. He's the thread that makes this garment hold up so magnificently. Of course you also have to have an authoritative vocalist holding court. Michael Poulsen fills that bill beautifully. You can taste the acid dripping off his tongue. What's more Jon Larsen's drumming doesn't take first gear for an answer. He pulverizes the skins as if they wronged his girlfriend in a major league unpleasant way. There is a storyline at work behind the lyrics. Reclaiming one's soul appears to play a key factor in this little yarn. Testosterone looms large, as the chorus refrain proudly attests. Michael's aching for a fight. He wishes to seal the deal and then start the fisticuffs all over again the next day. That "Seal The Deal" goes at a champion horse racer's pace is testament to how much Volbeat respects metal's history and carries its torch proudly into the future. You get the sensation of being on this roller coaster ride for which screaming over the side rail would appear to be mandatory. Thrills and chills are the order of this day. "I get groovy" beckons to memories of disco balls and Studio 54 with its various excesses. Not exactly Volbeat's native tongue but that does throw us off enough to think, "You know...that's artistically confusing therefore it's defiantly metal. The guitar licks swerve up and down the spine, both from the instrument and the part of our body. Kaspar Boye Larsen moves in behind the proceedings in motorcycle rev fashion. His role is to get Michael's ballad some extra torque so the machine flows super smoothly. Michael warns pearly gates aren't in the cards in the end so you'd best stand up for your rights while you are able. Volbeat isn't flying the power metal flag so much as draping it proudly across itself like a budding Miss Universe showing off her feminine wiles. The sense of confrontation underscoring "Seal The Deal" is palpable. Michael certainly drives the point home resoundingly and the results get goosebumps into the mix. The guitar work descending upon the bridge never fails to raise many a roof. It excels at reminding us what made us metal enthusiasts in the first place. It's sort of the bone rattling palate cleanser which follows the crux of a well-prepared main course. You need something purifying to get that T-bone aftertaste off your incisors, canines, and molars. "Seal The Deal" knows what line to sign on when it comes to finalizing a contract steeped in the brand of metal purists crave.