In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie‘s nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Poulsen of Danish rock and rollers VOLBEAT spoke about the making of the band’s just-released ninth album, “God Of Angels Trust”, after taking time off to pursue his ASINHELL death metal side project and undergo a throat surgery. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, the break was a little bit weird because that was not something that we’re used to. We’ve been a constantly touring band, if you look away the pandemic years. But we were always on the road, even though that we had management said, ‘Oh, you guys should find the time to actually take a sabbath here. You deserve it.’ And we also have to take care of not overexposing yourself. And I actually needed to go through a third throat operation, which was a blue laser system [to treat vocal cord disorders] that is used here in Denmark, which we are really good at. And that really helped me out. So, I’m doing really good vocally. It took me a lot of time to heal and get back to vocal shape. But in the meantime, I could go out and tour with ASINHELL and play some old-school death metal, and I had a lot of fun doing that, and then kind of recharge and getting ready for the VOLBEAT machine again. And it felt refreshing because that was the first time when I picked up the guitar and suddenly I hadn’t had the VOLBEAT hat on for quite a while and then start thinking about how we should put together this new record. And it was really refreshing because it felt like we were going full circle and kind of catching our own tail again. So we said, ‘Why not look at this album like it’s the first VOLBEAT record that we are about to write? And how do we wanna do that?’ And we wanted to find some kind of combination without overthinking anything but a combination of finding the innocence of how we were writing material in the very, very beginning and now becoming better musicians at our craft, but kind of throw away the book of rules that has a lot of structure in it.”
He continued: “Back in the days, we didn’t know anything about what is a pre-chorus, what is a bridge, what is a chorus even — it was all about the riffing and putting vocals on top. And you know, those songs, we still play them live and people love them, so they work somehow. And that’s very interesting. Of course, by having the experience of being a songwriter, some of the later VOLBEAT albums were a little bit more structured, and that’s where the experience of songwriting comes in. But we were kind of, like, ‘So if we just throw away the tools that we have in our toolbox and throw away the book of rules, how would the VOLBEAT songs sound like if we just didn’t think too much about it and just used our DNA and the signature sound that we have?’ So I wrote [the song] ‘In The Barn Of The Goat Giving Birth To Satan’s Spawn In A Dying World Of Doom’. And the guys in the band were, like, ‘What the [fuck]?’ The title is that?’ ‘Yeah’.”
In a separate interview with Revolver magazine, Poulsen elaborated on how his latest throat surgery affected the making of “God Of Angels Trust”, particularly as it relates to his vocal approach on the LP. He said: “This was the third operation that I had, and this one was done a little differently than the others — [the procedure] was called blue laser system. But yeah… blood vessels [in my throat] explode, and then polyps start to grow You have to remove them before something bad takes over.
“I’ve been through two operations where they pretty much just cut them off, and then [the surgeons cauterize the area] back together again,” he explained. “Then it’s a long period of months where you have to heal, and learn how to talk and speak [again]. It takes time before you’re actually allowed to sing.
“I was doing really good [after the first two operations] … but I was probably a little bit too [eager] to go out on the road afterwards, and I paid the price for that. This has something to do with this break that management [called for] — they were taking care of me and said, ‘Do it right this time. Let it heal and learn the right techniques to get back in vocal shape.’ I have a very good singing coach, Melissa Cross, and I’ve been working on certain techniques. She’s been a great help.
“And I’m not singing as much [on this album] as I’d been doing on past records, which is good because it makes room for a lot of guitars and a bit more riffing,” he added. “When I looked back at some of the older records, I was thinking, ‘Shut up! You’re singing constantly, and you cannot even sing.’ [Laughs]. So, for this album, there’s been more room for guitar riffs.”
VOLBEAT kicked off its “Greatest Of All Tours Worldwide” on June 7 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The co-headline Canadian run with THREE DAYS GRACE and special guests WAGE WAR will be followed by headline treks in the U.S. with special guests HALESTORM and THE GHOST INSIDE, and Europe with special guests BUSH and WITCH FEVER, including a second show at Copenhagen’s Royal Arena on September 20.
“God Of Angels Trust” was released on June 6 via VOLBEAT‘s longtime label Vertigo/Universal. The LP was recorded in the fall of 2024 with longtime producer Jacob Hansen.
VOLBEAT tapped Flemming C. Lund, who currently tours with the band and worked with Michael in ASINHELL, to play lead guitar on the album.
