Michael Poulsen is no stranger to playing at Download. The main man, front and centre, of Danish metal gods Volbeat, has played so often on the hallowed Donington turf he could probably be liable for council tax.
But this year. This time. In the mud filled carnage of 2024, Poulson is right of centre and as happy as a pig in mud, as the guitarist and UK live festival debut of Asinhell.
Asinhell is Poulsen’s death metal outlet alongside his friends Marc Grewe on vocals and drummer Morten Toft Hansen, but the band never intended to become a live band. However, as we know, plans are always subject to change and now Asinhell haven’t just hit the road, they’ve blasted the hangover out of the eardrums and faces of a huge Download Festival crowd.
“The show was a little bit chaotic to begin with. We had some technical issues, but, you know, it happened,” says Poulsen, as he takes a seat in the frenetic chaos of the press tent. “I had a guitar that was not in tune for some reason and I had to struggle with that for a whole song, but, you know. Second song was better and I have a lot of experience. So it’s..it is what it is. I’m just very thankful that, the fans like Asinhell, and we’re having our first album out. This is our first tour. We have the opportunity to play a Download. It’s great. There’s a couple of guys in the band who haven’t been to download, so it’s a great day.
“And, at the end of the day, you know, we almost managed to play the whole set. But, we were told we had almost no time left, so we had to cover a few songs, but still had a great time.”
As the frontman and vocalist with Volbeat with all eyes on Poulsen, is it nice to let someone else take over the mic in Asinhell?
“Oh yeah, yeah, I can relax a bit more. I love it and just playing the guitar. Yeah, I’m having a blast,” he smiles.
Asinhell went from being a mere idea to recording debut record full-length Impii Hora in about a year – and things have snowballed into becoming a touring band, when that was never the plan.
“You know that the whole plan was actually not for us to be a live band,” Poulsen admits. “It was basically more about releasing the album, but the end result of the album in the interest was like, come on, you know what, let’s go out and spread the death metal music that we love so much.
“I’ve been listening to it since we were kids. It totally makes sense. And, you know, we were having such a good time touring and today we’re a little dirty. Don’t know what’s going on. We’re having a really good time. So I can honestly say there’s gonna be more Asinhell record’s coming out and there’s gonna be more tours. So the passion is there, the will is there, the inspiration is there, and the love of the music is there.
“I had a death metal band back in the days before I formed Volbeat. But when I formed the band, I became so busy that there was never really any time for a second project. I’ve been through some throat operations, and I needed a rest. So, you know, the time was great for me to go out and play some death metal and just play the guitar. We will both be going into the studio later this year to record a new album, and then next year go on a worldwide tour. So hopefully I’m ready very soon to put down some vocals again with Volbeat. My throat is not 100 percent, but I’m. I’m very close. Yeah. And I believe I’m going to be okay.”
Impii Hora dropped last September via Metal Blade to critical and fan acclaim. Not that it should be surprising with Poulsen having released four albums with Dominus in the ’90s, pre-Volbeat, and being joined in Asinhell by musicians with mighty metal chops such as gravel coated throat growler and former-Morgoth singer Marc Grewe, and Morten Toft Hansen, drummer with fellow Danes Raunchy.
“We are very proud of the record and it’s awesome,” beams Poulsen. “The reaction from all the fans and media has been great. I love it. This is done with a lot of great friends that I’ve known for so many years. So it feels quite natural for us to do this.”
For the final question we switch lanes to his primary gig with Danish titans Volbeat and I ask for the story behind my own favourite track, Cape of Our Hero.
“Oh that is a very emotional song and a very important song to me,” begins Poulsen with a growing smile. “Cape of Our Hero is a song that is pretty much dedicated to my father. But, you know, it’s pretty much dedicated to everyone. We all need our idols. We all need something to look up to.
“But I guess I speak for a lot of people that we look up to our parents. And, my father was my hero. He was this superhero. You know, you look up to your dad, and you kind of look at him like a superman, and you’re kind of asking yourself, when am I going to wear that cape? Like I have two kids, and, I think it feels great to suddenly being able to understand what it means to be a father and it’s amazing.”
Interview by: Eric Mackinnon
