The elevator pitch for Volbeat is pretty simple: Metallica meets Elvis, titanic heavy metal riffs colliding head-on with rock'n'roll groove that would do Motorhead proud. With eight albums under their belt, the Danes have risen to prominence as one of Europe's most beloved rock-metal hybrids, their sense of swagger only matched by the sheer size of their choruses (all the better to fill arenas with). But Volbeat weren't always rock'n'roll rebels - back in the mists of time they were kids with a love for extreme metal, with frontman Michael Poulsen serving as the vocalist for death metal troupe Dominus. With the group’s eighth album Servant Of The Mind wearing those  extreme metal influences proudly on their sleeves, we thought it was high time Poulsen talked us through the 10 extreme bands that inspired his band.“Since the very beginning of our career we’ve been inspired by bands like Entombed, Megadeth and Metallica," the singer explains. "The new album seems to have a lot more of that heavy stuff out front, but I guess it's only natural because every member of Volbeat has been involved with death metal, thrash or punk bands in the past. With Servant Of The Mind we’ve been able to recapture some of that youthful energy , going back to where we started but using the experiences we’ve got now to write great choruses and fun rock songs. As long as we’re having a good time and can see people having fun, we’re doing things right.”