Beyond Hell/Above Heaven
Beyond Hell/Above Heaven is the fourth studio album by Danish rock 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." This was the first Volbeat album to chart on the "Billboard" 200, and was certified Gold by the RIAA on 22 March 2016. 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." Featured on the album is previously released track, "A Warrior's Call", which was made for Danish boxer Mikkel Kessler. 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." The cover and artwork was created by Karsten Sand. Reception. Critical reception. 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.". Commercial performance. The album debuted at number 142 on the "Billboard" 200 in the United States. On 22 March 2016, the album was certified gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 units. The album has sold over 1,000,000 copies worldwide. Personnel. Volbeat Guest musicians