Hellacopters take their final flight!
On the back of the news that Swedish rockers are to call it a day after 13 hard-rocking years, we have their last album which is in fact a covers album. Okay, now before you finish that deep inhalation, let’s explain a little further. This isn’t the usual selection of well-known tunes that the band feel a need to stamp their own mark of authority on, but in fact some of their favourite songs by bands that the public may not be aware of. It’s an interesting bow out, insomuch as the decision, and also the range of songs here, that like Gun’s’N’Roses ‘Spaghetti Incident’, are there to make you want to go and find the originals, and I for one am a big advocate of that.
The Hellacopters, just in case you are not aware, are a sort of Scandinavian Supergroup of sorts, being made up of Nicke ‘Royale’ Anderson from Entombed, Dregen from Backyard Babies and Robert Eriksson from The Sewergrooves (and Kenny Hakansson). Their sound has always been deep in the 1970’s with big riffs and a dirty Southern rock feel. Interestingly enough you can pick up the elements of Backyard Babies here albeit minus the sleeze, and more so The Sewergrooves and fellow Swedes Hardcore Superstar.
‘Heads Off’ starts off with the hard-rocking, ‘Electrocute’ originally recorded by Demons, and really sets you up for what is to come throughout the album. With rock’n’roll guitar riffs and tinkling piano keys this could almost be honky tonk if, of course, it wasn’t played so fast, and it’s this speed and power that gives it a real ballsy feel. ‘Midnight Angels’ (The Peepshows) could be a more 1980’s classic rock tune played by Hardcore Superstar, a band that flutters over the genres of Glam Rock, Hard Rock and Sleeze Rock quite effortlessly. We then have a shot of Punk Rock with a version of The Humpers great tune, ‘(I’m) Watching You’ complete with hyperactive chugging guitars. Great stuff!
Now, ‘No Salvation’ (The Turpentines) is a middle-of-the-road rock number that could’ve appeared on the soundtrack to Top Gun, and along the same lines is, ‘Another Turn’ (The Maharajas) before ‘In The Sign Of The Octopus’ (The Robots) which is a slightly raw rock number, before things turn back to fast Rock’n’Roll again with ‘Veronica Lake’ originally by the great New Bomb Turks.
There is a notion of Power Rock in, ‘Rescue’ (Dead Moon) that is hard-hitting and punchy, before some great catchy Rock’n’Roll with The BellRays song, ‘Making Up For Lost Time’. ‘Throttle Bottom’ is indeed a full throttle rock number that is a testosterone driven version of the song by Chicago’s Gaza Strippers, then the album wraps up with the thoughtful song, ‘Darling Darling’ by The Royal Cream, a band that features two more members of The Sewergrooves, proving once again how there are some great bands in Sweden, and also that there is a bond between the bands with many sharing members.
It’s a shame that The Hellacopters are calling it a day, and usually a covers album can be rightfully frowned upon as being an easy cop out, or a way for a quick buck, however the band are quick to point out that this album took around 9 months to record and mix, which is longer than any of their other albums! Originally they had 50 songs and had a hard time whittling it down to 12! They even cut their version of Australian band The Yes-Men’s song, ‘Acid Rain’, as they couldn’t match the intensity of the original. However you can find this on the flipside to the single of, ‘In The Sign Of The Octopus’. ‘Heads Off’ is a very good album and a fitting end to a band that have always been good and entertaining, even if their only crime is to not conform with the musical fashions.
The band have a farewell tour in September which starts in Germany and finishes in London so there is still a chance to catch them live.