It’s a very cold December night in Cardiff with the streets stuffed with shoppers, and as Danish rockers Volbeat bring their Servant Of The Road live tour to the CIA, this may have had some bearing on tonight’s proceedings. Still, Volbeat aren’t alone: Newport’s finest Skindred provide the main backup and Birmingham grind legends Napalm Death are the more unlikely opening act.

Volbeat frontman Michael Poulsen has priors within the death metal scene, still paying homage to his heavy roots wherever possible; that’s likely the reason Napalm Death have found themselves on this tour, but arenas are just not built for bands like them. It’s not for the lack of trying: Barney Greenway twists and contorts himself around the stage as Shane Embury grinds away on his bass, taking the crowd through a sprinkling of Napalm classics, but ultimately, it’s largely lost on this crowd. The openers looked like they were having a blast, but I doubt many Volbeat fans were converted tonight.

Skindred, on the other hand, could start a party in a convent. The Newport boys cross multiple rock genres, and the crowd gathered here tonight are participants in the set whether they like it or not. Benji Webbe is a whirlwind of a frontman and a natural entertainer, rarely giving the crowd chance to take a breath; a cover of House Of Pain’s Jump Around is as warmly received as you would imagine, whilst Gimme That Boom, Nobody and Warning whip the crowd into hysteria nicely before the main event. There’s also the obligatory Newport helicopter, which is fast becoming as famous as anything else Newport has produced.

Volbeat have steadily established themselves as live arena rock stars over the years: metal with a rock’n’roll swagger, somewhere between Social Distortion and Metallica. Indeed, if you smashed James Hetfield and Mike Ness together you would get frontman Michael Poulsen. There’s an assortment of ramps allowing the boys to get close to the Cardiff crowd (though, given Poulsen’s admission of not feeling less than 100% this evening, perhaps not a great idea) and the ‘Parasite Pit’, in which fans who haven’t blown their Christmas budget can get premium views of the band.

We kick off with a rousing The Devil’s Bleeding Crown before a selection of more recent Volbeat numbers; thereafter, For Evigt and Lola Montez both allow for mass singalongs. Sad Man’s Tongue and Wait A Minute My Girl are rolled out, too, with guitarist Rob Caggiano and bassist Ander Kjoholm utilising the ramps at every opportunity – and if Poulsen is suffering tonight, you would never have guessed it from his consistently pitch-perfect vocals.

The quartet kick it up a notch with Becoming and Seal The Deal before leaving the stage for a well-earned breather. An encore of Let It Burn, Die To Live, Pool Of Booze, Booze, Booza and Still Counting signal the end of a very enjoyable live set from Volbeat in Cardiff. The argument as to whether rock is dead will, of course, rage on, but as long as Volbeat have a say in it, it’s in very good hands.

Volbeat, Skindred + Napalm Death, Cardiff International Arena, Sat 17 Dec

words CHRIS ANDREWS photos JONATHAN HERRON