Could be the next chip off the block, the surfaced hit machine hammering in the name of Metal music or it may also be another futuristic MTV grab that eventually will succumb to being overly marketable turning cheesy. If there is one thing that I thought to myself while listening for the first time to a top to bottom VOLBEAT record, it was bloody hell. It is almost everything in parallel, coming from all directions, not necessarily to its full one's cup of tea, yet it enables to get by and take pleasure in it. After witnessing several cuts and ticks from the band's previous albums, it may seem that with their brand new "Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie" found the open door for a full blown success.

For a radio friendly, well most of it, kind of record, it is quite varied in its character and influence, confronting the last forty years of music under a single banner, there has been an assimilation of Metal, Hard Rock, Grunge, AOR and even swoops of Pop to the band's will. The songwriting made the songs easy going and catchy, larger than life, stadium oriented flamboyant experiences that would make you want to listen more and more, like an addictive drug. I found several evidences that had me picturing GOO GOO DOLLS, THE OFFSPRING, FOO FIGHTERS and MOBY stung by shards of METALLICA to become heavier and over the top. Furthermore, this material's added shape was thanks to that highly talented individual that has been fronting the band, so similar to the SOIL's singer's vocal pattern, yet as a much cleaner version. Essentially, with their songwriting abilities, melodic and groovy features, VOLBEAT created a tremendous ground for a special kind of cross genre conjuring with the utmost quality.

Innovative would be a far stretched definition to call this release, but it is one step closer to a mega hot gilt while almost throwing the cheese away in the process. I was taken by the chug heavy fire "The Devil's Bleeding Crown", heavy AOR hitter "The Gates of Babylon", the 90's meet the vintage Hard Rock scene with "Let It Burn" and the golden burner "Seal the Deal". The band overdid itself with covering two songs, "Rebound" and "Battleship Chains", of possibly Punk bands, TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET and GEORGIA SATELLITES respectively, that I have never heard about, yet those sounded sparkly amazing in the band's version.

For me what made this album special, as I am one of those that dislike that overly confident cheese grinders, was that VOLBEAT got Metal music into the crossfire. Sure they added elements out of other genres, yet it turned up to be quite special. Go for "Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie" now.