God of Angels Trust
Volbeat
Volbeat sound willing to disturb their own routine on God of Angels Trust. The familiar melodies are still there, and Michael Poulsen remains impossible to mistake for anyone else. The guitars take a heavier route, though, and several songs move in less predictable ways than their choruses first suggest.
Devils Are Awake opens with a slow, dark riff before the arrangement starts shifting. It gives the album a strong introduction: a recognisable voice inside music that keeps changing its angle. Poulsen's singing holds the different sections together, which matters when the song doesn't follow the most obvious path.
By a Monster's Hand is more immediate. The main riff has a strong physical pull, and the melody gives it enough character to survive beyond that first impact. It's one of the album's clearest examples of heavy playing and accessible writing working together.
Better Be Fueled Than Tamed adds another effective set of changes, moving quickly before dropping into a much heavier passage. Demonic Depression brings a stronger death metal influence into the picture. Those choices give the album a different kind of energy from the band's more straightforward rock material.
There is still room for the older rockabilly character, particularly on the extravagantly titled In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan's Spawn in a Dying World of Doom. The contrast is useful, even if reading the title takes a reasonable portion of your afternoon.
Time Will Heal offers a more reflective moment, with Poulsen's melodic delivery doing much of the work. Some of the more conventional songs are less striking, particularly when a familiar chorus arrives without the unusual movement found elsewhere. Acid Rain doesn't have quite the same identity as the heavier highlights.
Still, the album gives Volbeat several good ways forward. The trio's core sound has enough strength to support the extra twists, and the guitars remain a major attraction. God of Angels Trust is a lively record with some genuinely interesting turns inside it. The band seem to have benefited from allowing the songs a little more freedom.
