In January 2013, Volbeat revealed that they had been working on a new album which was named
Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies and that it was set for a spring 2013 release It was later announced that the former
Anthrax lead guitarist,
Rob Caggiano, would be producing the album as well as recording guest solos. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Caggiano had officially joined the band as its second guitarist, after being asked to do so by the other band members. Singer and guitarist
Michael Poulsen said of the chemistry between Caggiano and the rest of the band, "The collaboration with Rob in the studio was so inspiring and in good spirit that we the decided to keep him. Basically we went into the studio as a three piece and came out as a whole band!" At the same time, it was announced that the album would be released on April 8, 2013 (GSA on April 5 and USA on April 9). In an interview on February 11, 2013, Poulsen told
Metal Hammer magazine, "One of the things I’m most happy about this time is the contrast in the material, the range of the music; on the one side, you have the western motifs, the rockabilly / country songs, and the real emotional melodies, and on the other, some of the heaviest – actually, THE heaviest – songs we have ever recorded. There was a record company guy in the studio the other day, and he was absolutely blown away by the ultra-heavy stuff. He said he wasn’t even sure he was listening to Volbeat!". ==Commercial performance==