Volbeat at The Troubadour on Wednesday night 12/9

There is a band that America hasn't heard much about, but if you're Danish or have seen Metallica on tour in the last four years, you're probably familiar with them. Be on the lookout for VOLBEAT, a Danish band that sings in English and mixes heavy metal with melodies, rockabilly and old 1950's influences and creates a unique sound not heard from many bands these days. They have a new album out called Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood which is available in CD form and on iTunes.

The four piece band - formed in late 2001/early 2002 - consists of Michael Poulson on vocals and guitar, Thomas Bredahl on guitar, Anders Kjolholm on bass and Jon Larson (drums) who successfully mix the 50's sensibility and melodies with the fast driving punk and metal sound - occasionally playing acoustic guitar parts that sound like they'd fit into a Western movie soundtrack.

According to Poulson, that early musical influence came from his father and growing up listening to early American music. When the younger Poulson started listening to metal, he fused elements of both together.

"I wanted to keep the melody from the earlier stuff and mix it with metal" said Poulson. "I didn't want to paint myself into a corner. I had Little Richard and Elvis songs stuck in my head."

The result of the blending is interesting and fans of Metallica have responded well during the tours. Poulson said about the crowds they are playing to with "the response has been amazing. It's a dream come true."

The band has been playing in Europe in the past week and will come to the United States in the next couple of days to play The Troubadour by themselves and in Las Vegas with Metallica for seven shows. They'll go back to Denmark in December.

The band made the news earlier this week when Poulson - who had a serious case of the flu - collapsed onstage during a performance in Holland. After some rest and recovery, he's healthy now and you can see these guys rock the house next week.

Go to the Troubadour on Wednesday the 9th at 10pm and check 'em out. In the meantime, hear their stuff here and on facebook.