Beyond Hell / Above Heaven
| Beyond Hell / Above Heaven | ||||
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| Studio album by Volbeat | ||||
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Publication |
September 10, 2010 |
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| Label (s) | Vertigo Records | |||
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Title (number) |
13 |
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running time |
51 min 5 s |
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Studio (s) |
Hansen Studios , Ribe ( Denmark ) |
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Beyond Hell / Above Heaven ( . English for Beyond Hell / Above Heaven ) is the fourth studio album from Danish metal - band Volbeat . It was released on September 10, 2010 via Vertigo Records and reached number one on the Danish, Finnish and Swedish album charts.
In Denmark , Germany and Sweden , the album was each with double platinum and Austria certified platinum. The album received gold records in Finland , Sweden and the USA . The album was nominated internationally for the Echo in the group rock / alternative category. By April 2016, over 1.5 million copies of the album had been sold worldwide.
Emergence
Songwriting
In autumn 2009 the singer and guitarist Michael Schøn Poulsen started working on the new album. However, only two of the early drafts made it onto the album. In 2009 alone, Poulsen wrote 17 songs. Most of the songs for the fourth studio album were created on the various tours that Volbeat played for the previous album Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood . Poulsen gathered ideas during the bus rides or during the sound checks before the performances.
Although he described the process as a stressful challenge in an interview , more songs were created than were used for the album. The studio date for the recordings had to be postponed twice. The first time the band felt they weren't ready to record the songs. The second time, Volbeat received the offer to go on tour as the opening act for Metallica .
"You can go to the studio at any time, but you don't get the chance to go on tour with Metallica that often, so of course we struck."
Musically, the band had expanded their style slightly to include elements of alternative rock and death metal . A harmonica can be heard in the song “ Heaven Nor Hell ” . According to singer Michael Schøn Poulsen, the band had "ventured further in every respect so that it wouldn't get boring for the musicians and the fans". When it comes to guitar riffs , the band was more oriented towards their debut album The Strength / The Sound / The Songs . The song “Who They Are” had the working title “The Slayer Song” at times due to its harsh sound .
Recordings
Produced was Beyond Hell / Above Heaven again by Jacob Hansen in the Hansen Studios in the Danish town of Ribe . Hansen had also produced the three previous albums. Mixed and mastered was Beyond Hell / Above Heaven in the Baby Factory Studios in Copenhagen . In addition to the songs used for the album, Volbeat recorded a cover version of the song "Angelfuck" by the US horror punk band Misfits , which the band has already played several times at concerts. According to singer Michael Schøn Poulsen, the song is used as a bonus track because the band wrote enough of their own material.
Guest singers from the thrash metal band Kreator and the grindcore band Napalm Death performed with Mille Petrozza and Barney Greenway . In an interview with Revolver magazine , singer Michael Schøn Poulsen stated that both bands were a great inspiration to the musicians of Volbeat.
“We heard the music of both bands when we were 14, 15 years old and we never forgot them for inspiring us. [...] That they are on our album is a great compliment. What they did to the Volbeat sound in the studio is just fascinating. "
Other guest musicians were the former Mercyful Fate guitarist Michael Denner , who contributed a guitar solo for the song "7 Shots". Jakob Øelund from the Danish rockabilly band Taggy Tones plays the double bass on the song "16 Dollars" . The songwriter Henrik Hall plays an in Heaven Nor Hell harmonica solo . Producer Jacon Hansen contributed background vocals and also played guitar and tambourine . The Banjo in "7 Shots" played Rod Sinclair.
The song " A Warrior's Call " was recorded in autumn 2009 and is used as a march anthem by Danish boxer Mikkel Kessler . Kessler can also be heard as a singer on the song. Volbeat then made the song available for free download .
publication
Before recording Beyond Hell / Above Heaven , Volbeat switched from Mascot Records to Vertigo Records, a sub-label of the Universal Music Group . In an interview, singer Michael Schøn Poulsen stated that the band had been very satisfied with the work Mascot Records has done so far. However, those responsible at Mascot Records informed the musicians that they could not bring the band any further.
“A company like Universal can simply flex much stronger muscles in the world market. […] Universal didn't even try to get into the music and the selection of the producer. On the contrary: They found it quite remarkable how we have developed in recent years without the help of a big record company. "
The album was released in five different versions. In addition to the regular CD version, there is a limited version that includes a live DVD as a bonus . The recordings for this took place at a concert on February 24, 2010 in "013" in Tilburg , the Netherlands . The concert was a catch-up date for the concert that was canceled on November 29, 2009 at the same place, where singer Michael Schøn Poulsen collapsed.
In addition to an intro and an outro , the DVD includes the songs “A Warrior's Call”, “Mary Ann's Place”, “Sad Man's Tongue”, “Hallelujah Goat”, “Angelfuck”, “Another Day, Another Way” and “Still Counting “Represented. The band allowed themselves a little joke at the catch-up date : While Schøn Poulsen had to be carried off the stage by helpers at the original concert, he let himself be carried back onto the stage during the catch-up date during the intro.
There was also a “Special Fan Box” that contained a t-shirt in addition to the album . In addition, the album was released as a double LP and download . The iTunes version includes the song "Angelfuck" as a bonus. The album cover was designed by Karsten Sand. Erik Weiss shot the band photo in the booklet.
background
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With the album title, singer and guitarist Michael Schøn Poulsen wants to express that people neither belong in heaven nor hell and should not believe in them. Another statement of the album title is that nobody should blame others for their own situation.
“When we go through hell we make heaven hell and when we rise above heaven we make hell heaven. Heaven and Hell are things that we create in our heads with the consequence that the self-created personal demons get away. "
Lyrically, Beyond Hell / Above Heaven continues the story of the previous album Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood . The songs "The Mirror and the Ripper" and "7 Shots" refer to the seven songs from the previous album, which dealt with the main topic. The rest of the songs stand on their own.
“Originally, I wanted to continue the story of a murder in the desert on the Internet : a new chapter should be added every month. But in the end I didn't have the time. I was approached by a director in Denmark who said that some of my stories could be filmed well. "
In the song “7 Shots” the protagonist finds out that everything that has happened to him so far has only happened in his head. Nobody really tried to murder him . He is possessed by seven demons, which he wants to bring down with seven shots in his body. Michael Schøn Poulsen dedicated the first single "Fallen" to his father, who died in June 2008. “Magic Zone” and “Being 1” are dedicated to Schøn Poulsen's wife. According to Schøn Poulsen, “A New Day” is an autobiographical song in which he deals with the time when he drank too much alcohol . “Thanks”, on the other hand, is a thank you to your own fans.
reception
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Reviews
Like the three previous albums , Beyond Hell / Above Heaven was named "Album of the Month" by the German magazine Metal Hammer . Editor-in-chief Christof Leim praised the band for “refining their style and spicing it up tastefully” and that Volbeat “sound the way they should sound”, but at the same time are “fresh and exciting enough to keep the listeners engaged”. The development of the band compared Leim with the first four albums by Metallica and awarded six out of seven points for Beyond Hell / Above Heaven . Frank Albrecht from the German magazine Rock Hard gave the album 9.5 out of ten points. In his review, he praised the band for "sounding as fresh as on the first day on their fourth album, despite excessive touring and a stylistically narrow framework". Only the song Being One , referred to as "any", prevented the top grade.
Thomas Kernbichler from the online magazine darkscene.at was more critical . Although he attested to the band that they had released a “damn great album”, he noted that “a certain tiredness or wear and tear cannot be denied”. He described the guest appearances by Mille Petrozza and Barney Greenway as "dispensable" and gave the album 7.5 out of ten points. In his review, Thomas Jentsch from the online magazine Helldriver gave the impression that Beyond Hell / Above Heaven was at least "a quick fix" and that the album "loses out compared to its predecessors".
Chart placements
The first single "Fallen" reached number 13 in the Danish charts, which corresponds to the second highest ranking of a Volbeat single in Denmark. For the first time a Volbeat single was able to place itself in the charts outside Denmark. In Sweden the single reached number 16 while in Finland it was ranked 18th. In the Austrian single charts, “Fallen” took 58th place, while it reached 62nd place in the German single charts . The second single "Heaven Nor Hell" reached number 20 in the Danish single charts.
The album reached number 1 on the Danish, Finnish and Swedish album charts. For the first time, Volbeat took first place in the album charts in three countries. Furthermore occupied Beyond Hell / Above Heaven # 2 on the Austrian , 3rd place in the German , # 7 in the Swiss and 8th place in the Dutch and Norwegian charts. In all countries, Volbeat made it into the top ten for the first time.
Gold and platinum
| Country / Region | Award | Sales |
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| Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales) |
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 Denmark (IFPI)
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 3 × platinum
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120,000 |
 Germany (BVMI)
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 5 × gold
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500,000 |
 Finland (IFPI)
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gold
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10,000 |
 Austria (IFPI)
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platinum
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20,000 |
 Sweden (IFPI)
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2 × platinum
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80,000 |
 United States (RIAA)
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gold
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500,000 |
| All in all |
7 × gold 6 × platinum |
1,230,000 |
In addition, the single Fallen in Denmark and A Warrior's Call in the USA were awarded gold.
Awards
At the 2011 Echo Awards , Beyond Hell / Above Heaven was internationally nominated in the Rock / Alternative group category. However, the award went to Linkin Park for her album A Thousand Suns . The readers of the German magazine Metal Hammer voted Beyond Hell / Above Heaven the best album of 2010. Volbeat also won the categories “Best Artist / Band” and “Newcomer of the Year”. Volbeat was represented three times in the “Best Song” category. “Fallen” took first place, “Evelyn” fifth and “Heaven Nor Hell” seventh. The music video for the song “Fallen” took fourth place in the “Best Video Clip” category.
Individual evidence
- ↑ VOLBEAT: 'Beyond Hell / Above Heaven' First-Week Chart Positions Revealed. Blabbermouth.net , accessed January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ a b Martina Gabric: Echo 2011: Unheilig clear away three times, Lena and I + I twice. Musikmarkt.de, archived from the original ; Retrieved April 28, 2016 .
- ↑ VOLBEAT NEW ALBUM 'SEAL THE DEAL & LET'S BOOGIE' OUT JUNE 3RD. Spinefarm Records , accessed April 28, 2016 .
- ^ Marc Halupczok : The next jump . In: Metal Hammer , September 2010, page 40ff.
- ↑ a b Marc Halupczok : Stretching for advanced users . In: Metal Hammer, August 2010, page 28
- ↑ Frank Albrecht: VOLBEAT interview: Michael Poulsen and Anders Kjølholm answered our questions in Copenhagen . In: Rock Hard : "Rock Guerilla-DVD Vol. 16"
- ↑ a b Frank Albrecht: Get out of here! . In: Rock Hard , August 2010, page 34
- ↑ a b VOLBEAT: New Album Title Announced. (No longer available online.) Blabbermouth.net, archived from the original on March 24, 2010 ; accessed on January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c d e Frank Albrecht: Rock in the ring . In: Rock Hard, September 2010, page 20ff.
- ↑ MERCYFUL FATE Guitarist MICHAEL DENNER To Guest On New VOLBEAT Album. Blabbermouth.net, accessed January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ VOLBEAT: New Song Available For Free Download. Blabbermouth.net, accessed April 1, 2018 .
- ↑ a b Michael: Interview Volbeat. EspyRock, accessed January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Volbeat biography. Universal Music Group , accessed January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Volbeat in the Danish charts. Danishcharts.com, accessed January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Volbeat in the Austrian charts. Austriancharts.at, accessed on January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Volbeat in the German charts. GfK Entertainment , accessed on August 29, 2018 .
- ↑ Volbeat in the Swiss charts. Hitparade.ch, accessed on January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Volbeat in the Finnish charts. Finnishcharts.com, accessed January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Volbeat in the Dutch charts. Dutchcharts.nl, accessed on January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Volbeat in the Norwegian charts. Norwegiancharts.com, accessed January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Volbeat in the Swedish charts. Swedishcharts.com, accessed January 6, 2013 .
- ^ Christof Leim : Volbeat - Beyond Hell / Above Heaven. Metal Hammer. Retrieved January 6, 2013 .
- ^ Frank Albrecht: Volbeat - Beyond Hell, Above Heaven. Rock Hard, accessed October 22, 2018 .
- ↑ Thomas Kernbichler: Volbeat - Beyond Hell / Above Heaven (CD). Darkscene.at, accessed on January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Thomas Jentsch: Volbeat - Beyond Hell / Above Heaven. Helldriver Magazine, accessed January 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Volbeat "Fallen". IFPI, accessed March 12, 2019 (Danish).
- ^ The editors: Reader poll 2010 . In: Metal Hammer, April 2010, page 56ff.