Track #36 - “Seal the Deal” by Volbeat (2016)
From the album Seal the Deal and Let’s Boogie
Music and lyrics by Jon Larsen & Michael Poulsen
Performed by:
Michael Poulsen – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Rob Caggiano – lead guitar, bass
Jon Larsen – drums
Sing hallelujah the devil in disguise
There’ll be no more pearly gates
So stand up for yourself this time
Fight for honor let no one drag you down no more
Be your own man with blood, sweat, tears you fall
I get groovy now turn it on and fight
Seal the deal and let’s boogie for a while
Let’s get groovy burning out with rage
Seal the deal and let’s do it all again
My wife and I were recently at one of posher spots in Rhinebeck, New York, about 50 miles north of New York City, having pre-dinner cocktails with my brother Jamie and his wife Kara, and a co-worker of Christine’s, Daryl, and his husband Amir. Christine and I had given my brother a weekend getaway in the Hudson Valley to celebrate his 50th birthday, which was in April. (He is not making a playlist as far as I know.) After spending that Saturday on an easy hike in New Paltz and sipping wine at a local vineyard, we cleaned up and headed into Rhinebeck, the town where we cut down our Christmas tree every year. The restaurant we were dining at was a recommendation from Daryl and Amir, who live just outside of town. I met Daryl and his husband a few years before; Christine has worked with him for years and since he and Amir moved from the urban hustle of Manhattan to the small-town quaintness of the Hudson Valley, Daryl and Christine had grown closer, and he had highly recommended the restaurant we were taking Jamie and Kara to that evening. We all agreed to meet up for a drink at one of the better hotels in town, and after introductions were made, and libations handed out, the conversation turned towards music, and specifically live performances, and the first concerts we all ever attended. Here we were, six adults well into middle age, and the memory of that first concert was crystal clear, neither one of us hesitating for a second when asked to recall the details. Daryl’s first was alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs in the summer of 1989 at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center, not far from where we were standing; he also mentioned not missing a single Madonna tour since high school. For Amir it was Blondie when she was first getting popular, back when he lived on the west coast, which must have been amazing; he also talked about seeing her live very recently, and that she didn’t miss a beat when she sang the rap section in her 1979 hit “Rapture”. Kara’s was Bush and Veruca Salt, which might be one of the most 90s concert bills ever. Duran Duran at West Point was Christine’s first in 1994, when they were supporting their so-called “Wedding Album”, which I’ve known for years obviously, and she once again made the observation that she didn’t know where to look first that night: the four handsome guys onstage or all the West Point cadets in their dress uniforms scattered in the audience. Jamie’s was Canadian rock legends Rush, on their Presto tour in 1990, at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island; he still remembers the giant inflatable rabbits the band had onstage with them. And mine was Iron Maiden, on May 24th, 1985, also at Nassau Coliseum. All of us were able to recall at least some details from that first show: how we got the tickets, who we went with, if we bought a t-shirt, how we got there…if you ask anyone about their first concert experience, you will most likely have a similar conversation to the one the six of us had that evening. You just never forget that whole experience because it’s special and magical, and most important, it’s a rite of passage. Even if your parents bought you the tickets, you were free of them for the evening; they probably dropped you off with your friends, and you were able to completely let loose, have the time of your life, and not worry they were going to ask you to turn the music down. You might also learn about crowd mentality at that first show, and about how crazy and emotional people will get when they’re seeing their favorite band, and just how thunderously f***ing loud the music is when there are stacks of amplifiers behind the band, and giant speakers hanging from the arena ceiling. It might have scared you at the time, all that adrenaline in one place, just waiting to be released by 20,000 people when those first notes start to ring out. You may even still have your first concert ticket stub, when actual tickets were still used; I know I have mine somewhere. So, as we reminisced that night and re-lived our youth, I thought about bringing up one of the things I learned at my first show, but I wasn’t sure if anyone would be interested so I kept it to myself. But it’s something I’ve carried with me since that night in 1985, and I’ve applied it to every show I’ve been to: You never skip the opening act. There are a few reasons for this. First is that you never know if you’ll discover a completely new band that you could become a fan of; that almost seems obvious. Second is that the break between bands is dramatic; the opening act gets you ready, and whether they’re good or not, it will create anticipation either way. Finally, as many a friend has said to me because they agree with me on this, “It’s free music, so why not?” There are so many things about that first concert that I’m going to share down the road because as I mentioned during the “Revelations” post, there is another Iron Maiden song on the 50 At 50, and it revolves around that night in May of 1985. However, we’re going to go in another direction on this stop on the playlist. Obviously, I bought the ticket for that show in 1985 to see Iron Maiden, but technically the first band I ever saw play live was not Iron Maiden; it was their opening act, a German metal band called Accept. When my buds and I bought those tickets, we knew Accept was the opening act and we were very psyched about it. They had a new album out, Metal Heart, and they had a video, “Midnight Mover”, that was getting a lot of airplay on MTV. I’ve mentioned “Midnight Mover” before, on the “B-Team” post last year, and how close it came to making the 50 At 50. So, my friends and I were very familiar with their music, and we had every intention of being there when the doors opened so we could see Accept play their 45-minute set. When the house lights went down, and the intro to their hit, “Metal Heart” began, the crowd went crazy. And when the stage illuminated and Accept began to play, we could see the hundreds of pumping fists of the fans on the floor of the general admission area from our nosebleed seats. Visually, they were what you might expect from an 80s heavy metal band, with one exception, and that was their singer, Udo Dirkschneider. The other four guys looked typical: guitarists and bassist in leather outfits and boots, flying “V” guitars and locks of hair bouncing around, and a reliable drummer in a leather vest behind the kit. But Dirkschneider had a look and sound all his own. His voice was more like a screech, without a hint of melody to it, and while the other guys were probably over six feet tall, he was more like 5’6”. And he was dressed head to toe in green camo, his look completed with black combat boots, black fingerless gloves, and short blond hair. Dirkschneider and his band were definitely a sight, but they also sounded amazing, and I remember the crowd (and my friends and I), singing every word with the band. So, after 45 minutes, the crowd was pumped, and some of that adrenaline was spent, and by now we were more than ready for Maiden and their power chords, operatic singer and giant stage show. But Accept had done their job, and warmed up that crowd, and it was at that moment that I made up my mind to always arrive at concerts to see the opening act. And with very few exceptions, I’ve never missed one, and I’ve seen some awesome bands as openers: Primus, Suicidal Tendencies, Pantera (great story there), The The, Blur, Trombone Shorty; the list goes on. There have been some very ill-advised occasions where I’ve chosen another pre-show drink at a bar before the show started and missed the opener, but otherwise I am in my seat as the crowd is filing in and the anticipation is building in the venue. There was one opening act though, that took me completely by surprise when I saw them open for Metallica in May 2017. I mean, they were opening for Metallica; Metallica is way past the point where they need an opening act, so whoever opens for them must have to be great, right? But this was my first time ever seeing Metallica live, believe it or not, so to me it didn’t matter who was opening. I would have watched an opera singer for 45 minutes open for Metallica. When I saw the name of the band, Volbeat, and read that they were from Denmark, the first thing I thought was “Death Metal”. Not a big fan, but hey, a lot of people love it and that’s great, and I was not going to break my rule of missing the opener, so I was going to be there in time to see Volbeat, death metal or not. And I was so intent on learning the songs on Metallica’s new album, Hardwired…to Self-Destruct that I forgot all about previewing Volbeat’s music, so as the show date grew closer, I just hoped for the best…and ended up seeing and hearing music that was close to life-changing.
By the time Michael Poulsen formed Volbeat in October 2001, he was already well-known in the metal scene in his native Denmark. His band Dominus, a death metal/groove metal band, had released four successful albums in ten years, but Poulsen felt he was ready for a change in his musical direction. Death metal, characterized by low tuned guitars, growling vocals, aggressive drumming and lyrics inspired by slasher-films and true crime, hit its peak in the 90s, but still has a dedicated fan base all over the world. Poulsen was growing disillusioned with the death metal scene and wanted to infuse his songwriting with a more straightforward hard rock and classic metal sound and draw on his love for Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash for inspiration. This fusion of hard rock, classic metal, punk and glam would become the trademark sound of Volbeat and give their music a rockabilly groove and an almost country music-like swing on some songs. In 2005, with a lineup of Poulsen on vocals and guitars, John Larsen on drums, Franz Gottschalk on lead guitar and Anders Kjolholm on bass, Volbeat released their first album The Strength/The Sound/The Songs. They finished as runners-up on a Danish talent show and toured non-stop during their early years and won Best Album at the Danish Metal Musik Awards in 2005. Volbeat also began to cement their reputation as a tremendous live act, playing at metal and rock festivals all over Europe. In 2007, they released a successful follow-up album, and opened for Megadeth and Metallica at the Roskilde Festival that year, beginning a long association with the latter band that continued for several years. In 2008, they released Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood, a #1 album in Finland, and they once again provided support for Metallica, this time on their World Magnetic Tour in 2009. The release of Beyond Hell/Above Heaven in September 2010 would bring Volbeat international praise and critical acclaim and would become the first Volbeat album to chart in the US. That year they would play at the “Big Four” festival in Switzerland with Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer, and embark on their own North American tour. In 2013, Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano would officially join Volbeat as lead guitarist after guest playing and co-producing the band’s next album, Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies. The record topped album charts in seven countries and debuted at #9 in the US. The band were so thrilled with the results of the collaboration with Caggiano and having him as a permanent member that they headed immediately back into the studio after touring to record the follow up, and they emerged with Seal the Deal and Let’s Boogie in June of 2016. The album proved to be a much more straightforward rock album than the previous release, with a more melodic sound. Poulsen also wrote more spiritual lyrics with less references to “outlaws and cowboys”, according to guitarist Caggiano. The album would debut at #1 in their native Denmark, and at #4 on the US Billboard 200 Album chart. After replacing longtime bassist Kjolholm with Kasper Boye Larsen in May 2016, the band would tour the UK that year, and then be announced as one of the opening acts for, you guessed it, Metallica, on their upcoming WorldWired Tour later that year. Of course, when I purchased my ticket to the Metallica show in 2017 and saw Volbeat listed as the opener, I knew none of this. All I knew was that I would be hearing new metal for the first time in a very long time; I had no idea what to expect but figured I had two hours of Metallica to look forward to if Volbeat stunk, and that wasn’t such a bad deal. I listened to Metallica’s new album on repeat in the weeks leading up to the show to get familiar with the songs. Why wasn’t I listening to Volbeat so I could get an idea of what I was in for? I seriously don’t know the answer to that question. But when they made their entrance that night at Nassau Coliseum to the theme song of one of my favorite movies, and they played their first few chords, any apprehension I had quickly dissipated.
Metallica kicked off their WorldWired tour in Puerto Rico in October of 2016, ahead of the release of Hardwired…to Self-Destruct. Their new album was getting great reviews and I thought it was their best since Metallica (The Black Album), and I remember listening to it on repeat for several months. When their tour was announced and they said they would be playing songs from the new album and their iconic songs from the 80s and 90s, I knew I had to take a shot at getting tickets. I had never seen them live, which looking back now, is incomprehensible to me, but something I guess I just never got around to when they were the biggest band in the world. When tickets were about to go on sale, I asked my brother, the only person who I thought might be interested in going, but he turned me down, saying he had outgrown Metallica. Ugh…OK, so I asked my friend Nick, who also said no, but he let me know his best friend Eric, whom I had met a couple of times, was getting tickets, and maybe I could tag along. At this point I would have gone alone but going with someone I at least sort of knew was obviously better, so I reached out to Eric and by the end of the week I had a ticket to the show. I knew Eric was a big metal fan, so I knew we’d have a great time. Eric was an ex-bodybuilder turned IT guy, father of three with a big personality and super friendly; his wife Jennifer would also be joining us, which surprised me. Most middle-aged women I knew were not into headbanging, but maybe metal music was her way of relieving stress. Best of all, Eric was totally up for seeing the opener Volbeat, so we made plans to meet up in time to grab pre-show beers and see them come out onstage. I arrived early, as usual, and met Eric and Jennifer as planned and we made our way inside. Metallica would be playing in the round, which meant the stage was in the middle of the arena, which also meant there was not a bad seat in the house. Drummer Lars Ulrich’s drum kit was set up in the middle of the stage, covered for now, but once their set began, the kit would slowly rotate throughout the show. There were microphones on each side of the stage so singer James Hetfield could face the different sections of the audience during the show. Volbeat’s drummer’s kit was set up in the corner right in front of us, which was great because we were right behind him; their singer would be facing away from us, but that was OK; the whole band could roam around the stage as they pleased and play to each section. I remember checking my watch a lot waiting for Volbeat, apprehensive, but also excited about what they might sound like. Finally, the house lights went down, and a spotlight fixed its beam on one of the entrances on the far side of the arena, but what I will remember most is hearing the theme from Rocky begin blaring over the PA. The original film Rocky from 1976 is one of my favorite movies of all time and the movie that made Sylvester Stallone an icon; it’s synonymous with the American Dream and the whole idea of “rags to riches” storytelling. Now, in 2017, this metal band from Denmark was totally embracing the triumphant sounding “Gonna Fly Now” written by Bill Conti as their own theme music as they made their way to the stage like boxers about to enter the ring. And they took their time getting there; the song was almost over when they picked up their instruments and began to play. I have to be honest here; I was practically sold when they walked out to that Rocky theme music. But then singer/guitarist Michael Poulsen played the first few chords, Jon Larsen’s kick drum came in, and they were off. The first song, which I would later learn was called “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown”, had this great driving beat punctuated by short pauses during the chorus breaks. Poulsen had this rich, almost baritone-like voice that sounded like…Elvis Presley? And they just had this presence onstage that I was totally not expecting at all; they did not portray themselves as an opening act and they looked and sounded like they had been doing this for a long time. By the time they started their second song, “Seal the Deal”, I was all in. This one was more raucous, and I could tell it was about fighting; in fact, many of the songs that night were about fighting and standing up for yourself: “Knuckles crushed my eyes no longer see…I paid the price and fed the family…” That theme held up for most of the set; an actual bell rang at the beginning of the third song, “A Warrior’s Call”, and Poulsen boldly declares, “Let’s get ready to rumble!!”. But for the fourth song, Poulsen started out on an acoustic guitar, and played a familiar melody before launching into “Sad Man’s Tongue”; and he was singing like…Johnny Cash?? And that familiar melody in the intro was Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. I finally turned to Eric and said, “These guys are not what I was expecting!!” This was not the heavy metal I was familiar with. The songs were so melodic, and they had this rockabilly swagger to them that I had never heard before. And there were two songs, “16 Dollars” and their final song, “Still Counting”, that I swear if you slowed them down, they could be country songs. They ended up playing eleven songs, but they could have played 50 and I would have been OK with that. I was looking forward to Metallica, but having not heard any great, new metal music in awhile made me want to listen to these guys play all night. Of course, they were not the headliners, but as I mentioned earlier with Accept, Volbeat did their job and me and the rest of the crowd had spent some of that adrenaline and were now ready for Metallica. Volbeat had created that anticipation I mentioned earlier perfectly. The night went on…Metallica played their two-hour set, and of course, they were spot-on amazing, and I know I left the arena on a high I had not had in quite some time. And it was not all due to the headliner, the Metallica juggernaut and their 30-year-old catalog of metal hits. That opening band from Denmark that I’d never heard before, proved once again…You never skip the opening act.
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There’s an official video for “Seal the Deal”, but I’m going to share this live performance of the song from the FortaRock festival in the Netherlands, recorded in 2017. That way you can sort of see and hear what I did at Nassau Coliseum, and why this band floored me. Enjoy! 😊
Next time…I loved this song, from the minute I heard it. But man, when I later found out who was singing it, all I could think was, “No f***ing way…”
P.S.
Volbeat has released two more albums since 2016’s Seal the Deal and Let’s Boogie; Rewind, Replay, Rebound in 2019, and Servant of the Mind in 2021. Both albums performed well, with the latter being the most praised of the two. Servant has a more thrash metal sound than previous albums, but still has the rockabilly sound Volbeat is known for. After that show in 2017, I immediately dove into Volbeat’s entire catalog, and found myself listening to Beyond Hell/Above Heaven and Outlaw Gentlemen a lot that spring, as well as Seal the Deal. To me, it was so easy to listen to and while the “country-metal” definitely sounded different from my 1980s metal heroes, there was a certain familiarity about it as well. I also made a playlist of Volbeat’s setlist from that show in May 2017, and it quickly became a workout playlist. You also won’t be surprised to know there were several Volbeat songs on that post cancer surgery playlist I made in 2020. I continue to listen to Volbeat often and if they make a tour stop in the Northeast, you can bet I will be there. I also quickly realized they have a large fanbase in the US, and if I’ve ever mentioned them to a fellow rock fan, they usually know who I’m talking about. One time, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania of all places, I ran into a guy wearing a t-shirt with the Seal the Deal album art on the front. I had to look twice, but when I said, “Hey nice shirt”, he just smiled and gave me the devil horns. Very random place for sure to see a fellow Volbeat fan. In 2023, guitarist Rob Caggiano announced he was leaving the band; no replacement has been named yet.
I mentioned up top a few of the bands I’ve seen as opening acts, and most of the time I’ve been lucky; I was either already sort of a fan, or I became a fan. Other times…ehhh, I wasn’t so lucky, but we’re going to keep this positive and talk about the good ones, primarily Primus and Pantera. I saw Primus open for Rush on their Roll the Bones tour in March of 1992, at Nassau Coliseum. I was already becoming a fan, so I was familiar with some of their music, but seeing them play live that night left just as big of an impression on me as Rush’s show did. Primus’ bassist Les Claypool pretty much plays his 8-string bass as a lead instrument, slapping the hell out of it while chirping these quirky lyrics. They were a perfect band to open for Rush: a trio of insanely talented virtuosos all playing separate parts that sounded wonderful when you put them all together. I remember Claypool even taking a bow to a stand-up bass and playing the string part to Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”. And I’ll never forget his bantering between songs: “Yeah, when I was 14, I saw Rush for the first time. I drank three beers and threw up in the parking lot.” It was the same for Pantera, who I saw open for Skid Row (if you can believe that) the very next month, at the Paramount Theatre in New York City. I knew two of their albums well, Cowboys From Hell and their latest at the time, Vulgar Display of Power, and when I found out they would be opening, I couldn’t believe it. My friend Darren was invited by these two girls we knew from the neighborhood, and they asked him if he knew anyone that wanted to go, and I was the only person he knew who liked Skid Row. When I saw the ticket, and saw Pantera was the opener, of course I informed him we’d be getting there on time to see them. “I don’t know, I don’t think these girls like Pantera, I think they just want to hang out until Skid Row comes on.” I considered that, and my reply was, “Darren, not only are we paying for these tickets, but we have no shot with these girls, whatsoever…I don’t know about you, but I am fucking going to see Pantera!” So, we all watched Pantera, and I can’t speak for the rest of our “this is not a double-date” group, but I was blown away. When you consider that the Abbott brothers, guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul, left us way too soon and we’ll never hear them play music again, makes my decision to get there in time to see them that night even more important; they were amazing, just everything a rock band should be. Easily one of the best openers I’ve ever seen. I also mentioned jazz and rock fusion artist Trombone Shorty earlier as well; he probably doesn’t need to open for anyone at this point, but I saw him open for Hall & Oates in 2016, and I love Hall & Oates, but Trombone Shorty blew me away that evening. He has one of the best bands I’ve ever seen, and he is one of the most talented individuals I’ve ever watched play live. I also got to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings that night as well, in one of Jones’ final performances; she died in November of 2016. So, say it with me one more time, with feeling…You never skip the opening act.
I’ll leave you with Volbeat’s setlist from that night in May of 2017, available on Spotify. I know, metal isn’t for everybody, but maybe the little rockabilly swing of their music will grab you and you’ll give them a shot.
See you next time…
JS
7/1/2024