Metal, rock ’n’ roll, country – that’s the mix that helped Volbeat rise to become one of the most successful bands on the planet. The Danish trio’s rhythm section is responsible for that massive, hard-hitting sound: drummer Jon Larsen and bassist Kaspar Larsen. In this FIDELITY interview on the release of their new album God Of Angels Trust, the two reveal how to make metal groove – and how it might sound if Elvis had ever covered one of their songs.
Kaspar, Jon – today we’re sitting here without Michael Poulsen, your singer and guitarist, who’s talking to another outlet next door. How does it feel to suddenly be upgraded to the front row?
Kaspar Larsen: Honestly, I don’t like being in the spotlight. That’s why I play bass and not lead guitar. (laughs)
Jon Larsen: We’re the guys in the second row. We live in the background. But of course, we want people to know that Volbeat isn’t just a singer with a guitar.
For us, today’s setup is perfect: as the rhythm section, you two are crucial to the band’s sound. Those constant tempo and groove changes are part of Volbeat’s winning formula.
Kaspar: It pays off that both of us used to play in death-metal bands. That genre is rhythmically super complex. If we’d wanted our lives to be easier, we’d be making dance music now.
Jon: That would’ve been a genre shift – from death metal to dance. But then again, people do dance to our songs. So maybe we’re not that far off.
I first noticed Volbeat years ago at a festival – there was an upright bassist onstage who was practically ripping the strings off while playing heavy riffs. I thought: upright bass and metal? What a wild combo. Whatever happened to the acoustic bass?
Kaspar: Simple answer: I can’t play upright bass. Never learned. But I really need to fix that – maybe your question is the push I needed. We’ll see.
Jon: A friend of ours played the upright on a few songs back then. He actually plays it in his rockabilly band, the Taggy Tones. But an upright bass wouldn’t fit Volbeat’s current sound. That’s more of a psychobilly or rockabilly thing – not what we’re doing now.
Let’s talk sound. There’s that great track on the new album, “In The Barn Of The Goat Giving Birth To Satan’s Spawn In A Dying World Of Doom”…
Jon: Totally normal song title, right?
Were you trying to fit the entire lyrics into the title?
Kaspar: (laughs) Exactly. I still can’t get the title right half the time.
Jon: That’s why we just call it the “G.O.A.T. song.”
Which is also the abbreviation for God Of Angels Trust, the album title. The “G.O.A.T. song” was your second single. It starts somewhere between Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, but then spins toward Black Sabbath.
Kaspar: I’d say the song is classic Volbeat. Rhythmically one of our signature tracks. Dang-Da-Dang-Da…
Jon: …Dang-Da-Dang-Da-Dang-Da-Dedede-De. Yep. That’s basically our signature sound. Every Volbeat album has to have at least one track like that. Black Sabbath is a good comparison – our “Dang-Da-Dang-Da-Dang” tracks always have a bit of Children of the Grave in them. They can’t be too fast or too slow. Only then do they get that swing – that groovy boogie-woogie metal vibe that defines us.
What’s your role in shaping that groove?
Kaspar: Creating that exact sound in the first place. If Jon isn’t playing the right rhythm on the drums, Michael could be playing the greatest riffs ever and it still wouldn’t sound any good.
Jon: Same goes for Kaspar and the bass. But I benefit from having played with Michael, our frontman, for 25 years now. Eight out of ten times, I immediately have the right drum answer to whatever riff he throws out.
Some famous drummer-bassist duos could only be booked together – like Sly & Robbie. Have you ever thought about doing something similar?
Kaspar: (laughs) The funny thing is: we actually do have a little project together – The Unknown Larsens.
Jon: But basically nobody knows about that project yet. (laughs) But if you want to book us as a duo: here we are.
But you’re not related, right?
Kaspar: Nah, we’re just Danes.
How would you describe your sound?
Kaspar: I find the chords that Michael is playing and then play my notes in the rhythm Jon sets. Simple stuff. Classic bassist behavior. (laughs)
And what about the drums, Jon? How hard is it to find the right rhythm for Volbeat’s multifaceted riffs?
Jon: I play with my heart, not my head. I have huge respect for this new generation of drummers who can play absolutely insane things. It’s crazy what the young players can do. I like to keep it simple and lean on my role models: Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, and Phil Rudd from AC/DC.
Are you guys horror-movie fans? I’m pretty sure I hear the iconic sound from John Carpenter’s Halloween in “Lonely Fields.”
Kaspar: (turns to Jon) I knew that melody sounded familiar… now we finally know why. (back to interviewer) Sometimes you write a melody thinking it’s yours, but it actually came from somewhere else.
Jon: Now I’m almost embarrassed. I do love horror films – and I didn’t even notice. And I was in the studio when Michael arranged that part. Nobody’s made the Halloween connection before. I need to go listen to it again.
Kaspar: It’s that delay effect. It’s basically just one note, but the echo gives you that impression.
Jon: I’ll send John Carpenter a message: “Hey John, we ripped you off.” (laughs)
Jon, you’re a horror fan. Your singer, on the other hand, has a huge soft spot for Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Do you ever have to rein in his retro tendencies?
Kaspar: Not so far. Michael doesn’t walk into the studio with ten retro ideas in his head. There’s no danger everything suddenly starts sounding like the ’50s. If anything, sometimes I have to remind him not to play riffs that are too heavy.
Jon: Kaspar’s the softie of the band – you should know that, Martin. (laughs) But seriously: we never try to force anything when writing songs. Forced ideas never sound good. Songs need to develop naturally.
Most of Volbeat’s lyrics are in English, but you’ve released several Danish songs too, and you’ve had a number of Danish guest artists on your albums. Do you feel like ambassadors for Denmark?
Kaspar: No, not at all. Danes never looked at Volbeat the way Germans, for example, looked at Rammstein for a while.
Rammstein reached global fame with pyrotechnics and provocation. What was your trick for making it from Denmark onto the world stage?
Jon: We just played every live show we could get. I remember playing this tiny festival somewhere on an olive plantation in northern Italy. We drove the whole way from Denmark in our own van, set up, played 30 minutes in pouring rain, packed up, got back in the van, and drove home.
It worked out. You’ve had ten number-one hits on the U.S. charts – making you the most successful non-American band in America. You’re more successful there than bands like Green Day or Aerosmith.
Kaspar: We must be doing something right. And it’s crazy, because we’re not following any trend or chasing what’s in fashion. There’s no song on mainstream radio where you’d think, “Ah, that’s where the Volbeat guys got their ideas.”
Except maybe when it comes to your cover versions: “I Only Wanna Be With You” by Dusty Springfield, “Domino” by Roy Orbison, and “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash are all in your repertoire. Have you ever thought about doing an entire cover album in the Volbeat style?
Jon: We’d probably spend six months just arguing over which songs to cover.
Kaspar: Yeah, that could be a problem.
So let me turn the question around: In a parallel universe, what would it sound like if Elvis covered a Volbeat song?
Jon: Depends on which era of Elvis we’re talking about. Personally, I’d love to hear a cover from ’70s Elvis.
Kaspar: Oh yes, exactly – leather-jacket Elvis with the huge band and all those backup singers, really blowing the roof off.
VOLBEAT
Volbeat were founded in 2001 in Denmark by Michael Poulsen. Drummer Jon Larsen has been there from the start, and Kaspar Larsen joined as the new bassist in 2016. The name “Volbeat” comes from the English words “volume” and “beat.” The band has earned more than 140 platinum and gold awards worldwide for their eight albums in what they call their own genre: “Elvis metal.” The ninth album, God Of Angels Trust, was released on June 6. The accompanying tour through North America and Europe runs until mid-November.