Beyond Hell/Above Heaven

Beyond Hell / Above Heaven
Studio album by Volbeat
Released 10 September 2010
Recorded Late 2009– June 2010
Genre Heavy metal, hard rock, groove metal, rockabilly
Length 56:57
Label EMI, Vertigo, Republic, Universal
Producer Jacob Hansen
Volbeat chronology
Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood
(2008)		 Beyond Hell/Above Heaven
(2010)		 Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies
(2013)
Singles from Beyond Hell/Above Heaven
  1. "Fallen"
    Released: 9 August 2010
  2. "Heaven Nor Hell"
    Released: 4 November 2010
  3. "A Warrior's Call"
    Released: 30 August 2011
  4. "Still Counting"
    Released: 2012
  5. "The Mirror and the Ripper"
    Released: 2013

Beyond Hell / Above Heaven is the fourth studio album from Danish heavy metal band Volbeat. The album was released on 10 September 2010 on EMI in Denmark, on Vertigo in the rest of Europe, and on Republic in the United States.

The title refers to the overall theme of the album, continuing the storyline of “Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood”.[1] This was also the first Volbeat release to chart on the Billboard 200. As of April 2013, the album had sold 225,000 copies in the United States.[2]

Background

The album, Beyond Hell/Above Heaven was released on 10 September 2010. Michael Poulsen explained the title of the album stating "...it’s a way telling people that we don’t belong or believe in neither heaven nor hell. So if we go beyond hell, we will make heaven look like hell, and if we go above heaven, we will make hell look like heaven. Heaven and hell is something we create in our minds and personal self-created demons come out of that."[3] Featured on the album is previously released track, "A Warrior's Call", which was made for Danish boxer Mikkel Kessler.[4] The track Evelyn contains some death grunts provided by Mark "Barney" Greenway (Napalm Death), which was a whole new element on Volbeat's music, making a groove metal style.

Michael Poulsen has also revealed several of the guest musicians on the album stating "I’m very very proud to have these fine gentlemen with me, since they inspired me a lot for a long time."[3]

Cover and Artwork By Karsten Sand (Wrysand)

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 3.5 stars stating "Any way you slice it, Volbeat, a skillful repository of so many lineage sounds, are their own thing: a band apart who are sophisticated, accessible, and utterly entertaining as songwriters and performers. Nowhere is this more true than on Beyond Hell/Above Heaven.".[5]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 142 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. In 22 March 2016, the album was certified gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 units.[6]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Michael Poulsen, except where noted [7]. 

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "The Mirror and the Ripper"    4:01
2. "Heaven Nor Hell" (featuring Henrik Hall of Love Shop)  5:23
3. "Who They Are"    3:42
4. "Fallen"  Poulsen, Thomas Bredahl 5:01
5. "A Better Believer"    3:25
6. "7 Shots" (featuring Mille Petrozza of Kreator and Michael Denner of Mercyful Fate / King Diamond)  4:45
7. "A New Day"  Poulsen, Bredahl 4:07
8. "16 Dollars" (featuring Jakob Øelund of Taggy Tones)  2:49
9. "A Warrior's Call"    4:24
10. "Magic Zone"    3:52
11. "Evelyn" (featuring Mark "Barney" Greenway of Napalm Death)Greenway, Poulsen, Jon Larsen 3:30
12. "Being 1"    2:22
13. "Thanks"  Poulsen, Larsen 3:43
14. "Angelfuck" (Bonus Track)Glenn Danzig 1:31
15. "Still Counting" (Bonus Track)Poulsen, Larsen, Kjølholm & Bredahl 4:22
Total length:
 56:57
Limited edition bonus track
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
14. "Angelfuck" (Misfits cover)Danzig 1:31
Danish bonus tracks
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
14. "Rebel Angel"    3:22
15. "Pool Of Booze, Booze, Booza" (Live)  4:11
16. "A Moment Forever" (Live)  4:37
Best Buy bonus track
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
14. "Still Counting" (From album "Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood")Poulsen, Larsen, Kjølholm & Bredahl 4:22

Personnel

Volbeat
Guest musicians

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[8] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9] 29
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[10] 1
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[11] 8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[12] 1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 3
Greek Albums (IFPI)[14] 34
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[15] 8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 7
US Billboard 200[18] 142

Year-end charts

Chart (2010) Position
Danish Albums Chart[19] 9
German Albums Chart[20] 54
Chart (2011) Position
Danish Albums Chart[21] 54
German Albums Chart[22] 56

Certifications

Country Provider Certifications
Austria[23] IFPI Platinum
Denmark[24] IFPI Platinum
Finland[25] IFPI Gold
Germany[26] BVMI 2x Platinum
Sweden[27] GLF Gold
United States[28] RIAA Gold

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Volbeat Reveals Album Title!". Volbeat.dk. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  2. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (17 April 2013). "Paramore Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Michael Poulsen Interview". EspyRock.com. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  4. ↑ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET – VOLBEAT: 'Beyond Hell/Above Heaven' Track Listing, Artwork Unveiled". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 27 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  5. 1 2 Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed , 2012
  6. ↑ "VOLBEAT's 'Beyond Hell/Above Heaven' Album Certified Gold By RIAA". Blabbermouth. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "BMI Entry". Repertoire.bmi.com. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  8. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Volbeat – Beyond Hell Above Heaven" (in German). Hung Medien.
  9. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Volbeat – Beyond Hell Above Heaven" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  10. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Volbeat – Beyond Hell Above Heaven". Hung Medien.
  11. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Volbeat – Beyond Hell Above Heaven" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  12. ↑ "Volbeat: Beyond Hell Above Heaven" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  13. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  14. ↑ "Greekcharts.com – Volbeat – Beyond Hell Above Heaven". Hung Medien.
  15. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Volbeat – Beyond Hell Above Heaven". Hung Medien.
  16. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Volbeat – Beyond Hell Above Heaven". Hung Medien.
  17. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Volbeat – Beyond Hell Above Heaven". Hung Medien.
  18. ↑ "Volbeat – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Volbeat.
  19. ↑ "Album 2010 Top-100". Danish Albums Chart (in Danish). Nielsen Music Control. 2010. Archived from the original on 29 January 2010.
  20. ↑ "VIVA Album Top 50 - Alle Musikvideos - Chart". VIVA.tv. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  21. ↑ "Album-Top 100". Hitlisten. IFPI Danmark& Nielsen Music Control. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012.
  22. ↑ ":: MTV | charts". Mtv.de. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  23. ↑ "IFPI Austria – Verband der Österreichischen Musikwirtschaft" (in German). Ifpi.at. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  24. ↑ "Album Top-40". IFPI Denmark (in Danish). Hitlisten.NU. 21 January 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  25. ↑ "Tilastot – Volbeat". IFPI. Nielsen Music Control. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  26. ↑ "Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Musikindustrie.de. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  27. ↑ "www.sverigetopplistan.se – Veckolista Album – Vecka 39, 1 oktober 2010". Sverigetopplistan. Swedish Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  28. ↑ http://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Volbeat#search_section. Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

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