Volbeat's Michael Poulsen: Lineup change feels like troubled marriage

Michael Poulsen (Image credit: Getty)

Volbeat’s Michael Poulsen says that band lineup changes can feel as challenging as a troubled marriage.

The group split with original bassist Anders Kjolholm in November last year – but the guitarist and vocalist says that he and his bandmates have always worked hard to stay together.

He tells Full Metal Jackie (via Blabbermouth): “It’s not always fun to change members or lose a member or whatever happens. We always try to stick together, but sticking together as a band, it’s the same challenge that’s being in a marriage or something like that.

“Some people are meant to stay together – others really have to work on it. And it’s the same thing with bands.

“Sometimes it works – other times, you have to fight for it. We do everything we possibly can to stick together, but, you know, we have one life and everybody needs to do what they have to do.”

Poulsen continues: “We are away from family, friends, children, wives, dogs, cats, birds, cows, goats — everything — and we just have to decide how we wanna spend our time, and there still needs to be that thing that we share together. Sometimes it’s just not easy, and everybody just has to move on.”

The band released album Seal The Deal And Let’s Boogie earlier this month.

Volbeat recently announced they’ll trek the US with Avenged Sevenfold and Killswitch Engage in September, followed by a European tour with Airbourne and Crobot in October and November.

Volbeat tour dates 2016

Jun 25: Strasbourg Artefacts Festival, France
Jun 29: Nibe Festival, Denmark
Jun 30-Jul 02: Bravalla Festival, Sweden
Jul 07-09: Resurrection Festival, Spain
Jul 09: Stockholm Monsters Of Rock, Sweden
Jul 17: Joensuu Ilosaarirock, Finland
Aug 06: Bangor Rise Above Festival, ME
Aug 06-07: Heavy Montreal, Canada
Aug 08: Brooklyn Coney, Island Amphitheater NY (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Aug 11: Pittsburgh Stage AE, PA (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Aug 12: Detroit Masonic Temple Theater, MI (with Black Wizard)
Aug 13: Columbus Express Live, OH (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Aug 15: Tulsa Brady Theater, OK (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Aug 16: Dallas The Bomb Factory, TX (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Aug 20: Minneapolis US Bank Stadium, MN (with Metallica)
Aug 21: Madison Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall, WI (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Aug 23: Des Moines 7 Flags Event Center, IA (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Aug 24: Brookings Swiftel Center, SD (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Aug 25: Fargo Scheels Arena, ND
Aug 27: Edmonton Rexall Place, AB (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Aug 28: Regina Exraz Place, SK (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Aug 30: Calgary Grey Eagle Event Center, AB (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Sep 05: Seattle WaMu Theater, WA (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Sep 06: Spokane Star Theater, WA (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Sep 07: Boise Taco Bell Arena, ID (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Sep 09: Salt Lake City The Complex, UT (with Killswitch Engage and Black Wizard)
Oct 28: Hamburg Barclaycard Arena, Germany
Oct 29: Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena, Germany
Oct 31: Munich Olympiahall, Germany
Nov 01: Linz Tipps Arena, Austria
Nov 02: Vienna Stadhalle, Austria
Nov 04: Innsbruck Olympiahalle, Austria
Nov 05: Geneva Arena, Switzerland
Nov 07: Stuttgart Schlayerhalle, Germany
Nov 08: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Nov 09: Cologne Lanxess, Germany
Nov 10: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Nov 12: Leipzig Arena, Germany
Nov 13: Oberhausen Koenig-Pilsener Arena, Germany
Nov 14: Brussels Forest National, Belgium
Nov 15: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands

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Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.