Volbeat was formed in 2001 after frontman Michael Poulsen split up his former band, Dominus. Volbeat plays a fusion of heavy metal and rockabilly. They are inspired by the rock n' roll legends Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. No other Danish heavy rock band Volbeat has been able to get to position 18 at the Danish Top 100 for CD sales in over 10 years. This milestone was reached after their concert at the Roskilde Festival 2006.
Critics have generally been positive towards The Strength / The Sound / The Songs. The German hard rock magazine RockHard gave it 10/10 in a review.
Volbeat is also praised for its live performances. Their concert at Roskilde Festival 2006 received a 6/6 stars review in the Danish newspaper BT.
In week 8 of 2007, the record Rock The Rebel / Metal The Devil debuted as #1 in the Danish Top 40 for CD-sales and at the same time The Strength / The Sound / The Songs re-entered the chart at #21. Recently, the album achieved gold status for sales in Denmark.
Volbeat opened the Roskilde Festival in 2007. Volbeat also supported Metallica together with Mnemic at their concert on Denmark July 13 of that year.
More recently, Volbeat was announced to do a seven-date European spring tour and to support legendary speed metal act Megadeth in Finland and in their home town, Copenhagen. They have also already announced a few festival appearances for the summer 2008.
Volbeat has a large range of influences, which can be clearly heard in their music. On their official MySpace site Volbeat lists their influences in their own recognizable way:
"Everything from Elvis Presley to Napalm Death .. hail: Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Ramones, Social Distortion, Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Dio, Megadeth, Metallica, Manic Street Preachers, Iron Maiden and bla bla bla bla..."
Volbeat's lyrics usually revolve around love, failed love or the power of a twisted mind. They thereby distance themselves from stereotypical heavy metal lyrics, although many of their most popular songs have very dark or sincere themes and plots.
Their first single was the cover version of Dusty Springfield's evergreen "I Only Wanna Be With You". The song doesn't differ much from the original with regard to the lyrics, but the accompanying music video is quite typical of Volbeat. In it, the band is seen with a classic microphone on top of a city roof.
Another popular feature of the band's lyrics are the returning "series" of songs. This is best represented with the songs "Danny & Lucy (11 pm)" and "Fire Song" from The Strength/The Sound/The Songs followed by "Mr. & Mrs. Ness" on Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil. The story is about the two desperate lovers, Danny and Lucy, who are killed in a car crash after Lucy runs away from her family.
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Ness, I'm so sorry to bring you this - We believe we found your girl in an old burning car way up the hill"
In the successor, "Mr. & Mrs. Ness", Lucy's mother commits suicide and the father is suspected for the murder:
"The old man is crying and he's lying - The blood on his hands' from his wife yeah"
The story is followed further by "Mary Ann's Place" from Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood, and was concluded with "You Will Know" off 2016's Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie.
Lineup
Michael Poulsen - Vocals, guitar (ex-Dominus)
Rob Caggiano - Guitar (ex-Anthrax)
Kaspar Boye Larsen - Bass
Jon Larsen - Drums
Former members:
Teddy Vang - Guitar
Franz Gottschalk - Guitar
Thomas Bredahl - Guitar
Anders Kjølholm - Bass
Official homepage : www.volbeat.dk
Black Rose
Volbeat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Til it's over, my friends, count along
Counting days 'til it's over, my friends
'Til it's over, my friends, count along
Feeling rich, feeling poor, feeling nothing more
Self destructive on a rollercoaster fireball
Cut her tongue, don't believe a word she says
Left my heart on the shelf for way too long
Sick and tired, picking up from the dirty floor
I saw the line of snakes that came to me
So innocent were the days
The taste of good memories
A bag full of hope that was only for me and you
No more broken dreams I feel like a loaded gun
Spitting bullets at your armor of mind control
Cut her tongue, don't believe a word she says
She's on a hunt, cooking cooking cooking misery
Cannot think, cannot talk, cannot do it right
Can't call the doctor, he's as sick as you and I
I saw the line of snakes that came to me
So innocent were the days
The taste of good memories
A bag full of hope that was only for me and you oh oh oh
So innocent were the days
The taste of good memories
A bag full of hope that was only for me and you oh oh oh
Counting days 'til it's over, my friends
'Til it's over, my friends, count along
Counting days 'til it's over, my friends
'Til it's over, my friends count along
Counting days 'til it's over, my friends
'Til it's over, my friends, count along
Counting days 'til it's over, my friends
'Til it's over that thing called love
So innocent were the days, the taste of good memories
A bag full of hope that was only for me and you
So innocent were the days, the taste of good memories
A bag full of hope that was only for me and you
(Oh oh oh oh)
Please let it grow, where it belongs
There in the dark where the shadows are born
Leave it alone
I'm sure it will find its way to redeem and blossom
'Cause I know, the black rose will find its home
Volbeat’s “Black Rose” is a song that carries a lot of emotion and meaning. The song speaks to the point in life where one has become self-destructive and is counting down the days until it’s over. The singer sings about feeling rich, feeling poor, and feeling nothing more, as if he's struggling to find fulfillment in anything. He talks about leaving his heart on the shelf for too long and being sick and tired of picking it up from the dirty floor. The line of snakes that came to him represents the people in his life who he trusted and who had let him down.
The black rose is a symbol of hope in this song. The singer explains that the black rose will find its way to redeem and blossom, and it will do it in the darkness where shadows are born. The song speaks of a time when life was innocent, and good memories were tasted. The bag full of hope is something that was only shared between the singer and the person he is singing to, and he wants it to grow where it belongs, in the darkness, waiting to redeem itself. The final line when he says “counting days 'til it's over, that thing called love,” signifies the end of a relationship, maybe a toxic one, and he is just counting down until it ends.
Line by Line Meaning
Counting days 'til it's over, my friends
Awaiting the end, till it's all over, my companions.
'Til it's over, my friends, count along
Chant together till the finale of the event, my companions.
Feeling rich, feeling poor, feeling nothing more
Experiencing the emotional highs and lows, yet devoid of any feeling ultimately.
Self destructive on a rollercoaster fireball
Exhibiting self-sabotaging tendencies, amidst rapid emotional fluctuations.
Cut her tongue, don't believe a word she says
Disregard her words, even if she seems to be speaking the truth.
She's on a hunt, cooking cooking cooking misery
Searching for agony and suffering, stirring it like a meal.
Left my heart on the shelf for way too long
Ignored and neglected my heart, for an extended period of time.
Sick and tired, picking up from the dirty floor
Exhausted and fed up, retrieving the broken pieces of oneself.
I saw the line of snakes that came to me
Observing the deceitful individuals approaching me.
So innocent were the days
The past was considerably more untainted and pure.
The taste of good memories
Recalling the sweetness of the treasured moments.
A bag full of hope that was only for me and you
A sac brimming with optimism, only shared between us.
No more broken dreams I feel like a loaded gun
No shattered aspirations anymore, I feel prepared for action.
Spitting bullets at your armor of mind control
Aiming at your strong mental fortitude with my assaults.
Cannot think, cannot talk, cannot do it right
Unable to collect thoughts, communicate, and execute effectively.
Can't call the doctor, he's as sick as you and I
The physician himself is unwell, same as you and me.
Counting days 'til it's over, my friends
Eagerly anticipating the finale, till it's all over, my companions.
'Til it's over, my friends count along
Chant in unison until the end, my companions.
'Til it's over that thing called love
Continuing until the end, the love that's gradually fading.
Please let it grow, where it belongs
Allow it to develop naturally, where it's supposed to.
There in the dark where the shadows are born
At the dark places, where the gloomy thoughts originate.
Leave it alone
Abstain from meddling with it.
I'm sure it will find its way to redeem and blossom
Positive that it will recover, and blossom eventually.
'Cause I know, the black rose will find its home
Because I'm confident that the black rose will locate its true purpose.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MICHAEL POULSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@derkaderka3034
I just found Volbeat last year, I really love this band. Great music. I cannot wait to hear more from them!!!
So many people posting wrong lyrics to this song, lol. Here you go.
Counting days ’til it’s over, my friends
’Til it’s over, my friends, count along
Counting days ’til it’s over, my friends
‘Til it’s over, my friends, count along
Feeling rich, feeling poor, feeling nothing more
Self destructive on a rollercoaster fireball
Cut her tongue, don’t believe a word she says
She’s on a hunt, cooking cooking cooking misery
Left my heart on the shelf for way too long
Sick and tired, picking up from the dirty floor
I saw the line of snakes that came to me
So innocent were the days
The taste of good memories
A bag full of hope that was only for me and you
No more broken dreams
I feel like a loaded gun
Spitting bullets at your armor of mind control
Cut her tongue, don’t believe a word she says
She’s on a hunt, cooking cooking cooking misery
Cannot think, cannot talk, cannot do it right
Can’t call the doctor, he’s as sick as you and I
I saw the line of snakes that came to me
So innocent were the days
The taste of good memories
A bag full of hope that was only for me and you
So innocent were the days
The taste of good memories
A bag full of hope that was only for me and you
Counting days ‘til it’s over, my friends
‘Til it’s over, my friends, count along
Counting days ’til it’s over, my friends
‘Til it’s over, my friends count along
Counting days ‘til it’s over, my friends
’Til it’s over, my friends, count along
Counting days ’til it’s over, my friends
‘Til it’s over that thing called love
So innocent were the days, the taste of good memories
A bag full of hope that was only for me and you
So innocent were the days, the taste of good memories
A bag full of hope that was only for me and you
Please let it grow, where it belongs
There in the dark where the shadows are born
Leave it alone. I’m sure it will find its way
to redeem and blossom
‘Cause I know, the black rose will find its home
@jeffburrell2986
63 years young and love this music! Rock is doing just fine these days, thank you!
@pauletteryder2462
58 and totally agree
@hauntedaggron3694
16 and love em seeing them in August
@vikkimoore7942
47 and going strong!!!! Can't wait until Knotfest in September!!!
@spec24
Just own it, man. You're 63 years OLD. Nothing wrong with that.
@billyt.7387
53 and rockin strong. Started Rocking in 1971 when I got my first radio. To be honest rock was dead till I came across VOLBEAT. These guys are the real deal. Can't get enough of them. Dudes voice is one of the best ever. You know it's VOLBEAT in 5 seconds or less of hearing the vocal. Great songs also.
@Guenter34
I absolutely love the melodic sound Volbeat has.
@MPee76
In Finland we had to make up a new genre just for Volbeat. We call it 'Elvishevi' - Elvis heavy :D
@69UM24OSU12
I'd never heard of this band when I saw them open for Metallica. I became an instant fan.
@ivansnegireff7294
fan 🎶🤘