Hellacopters, The Bio

My introduction to The Hellacopters came in the form of a proclamation: "OH MY GOD! The fuckin' Hellacopters are coming to town! I am sooooo friggin' psyched!"

In the US, it's taken a few years for the Hellacopters to emerge from amped speed-punk newcomers to full-on garage cult heroes. This is understandable considering that, up until last year, their albums had not been released in the US. and were available only as pricey imports. Yet with the domestic release of their debut last year, and their subsequent tour, word has begun to spread. At last, the Hellacopters have arrived on these shores.

The Hellacopters came together in 1994 when Nick. formerly the drummer for Entombed, picked up a guitar and started playing with several of his longtime musician friends. Fostered by their love of Motorhead, KISS, MC5, and The Stooges, as well as contemporaries like Rocket From the Crypt, New Bomb Turks, Teengenerate, and the Supersuckers, the Hellacopters rock band was born. Their sound echoes those of their favorite bands, yet is propelled by strong songwriting skills and talented musicianship. Lickity guitar solos glide over thundering rhythms while hooks--actual verse-chorus hooks--nestle these songs deep into your memory. It's loud, sweaty, dirty Rock, proudly wailing Sabbathy riffs, not afraid to keep the needle in the red, cranked to 1 1 , from start to finish.

In 1995 the band released a handful of seven inch singles; the rock press immediately took notice. Flipside wrote "...loads of wah-wah and screaming rock-n-roll... way pissed off and reckless, Stoogey without sounding worn-out, maybe even a speedy "Love It To Death" -era Alice Cooper feel. B-side has two more killers; "Tilt City" is five times faster and recalled Motorcycle Boy at their prime, but way punkier.... And "Freespeedin"' is like a garage-y Motorhead meets the Limespiders. Fuck, what don't these guys do!?! I'm thoroughly blown away and impressed."

Their debut album, Supershitty to the Max, was released in Europe on White Jazz/House of Kicks in June 1996, and blew the ears off of listeners as much as their singles had. And to top it all off, it won a Swedish Grammy for "Hard Rock Album of the Year".

Europeans were in for a treat as they witnessed the Hellacopters on tour first in clubs (with the Dictators, no less), then in arenas as the opening act for KISS.

In September of '97, their second album, Payin' the Dues, was released in Europe (again on White Jazz). As their reputation grew in the US, import sales swelled: the underground was taking notice. Glowing reviews and interviews in hard rock bibles like Kerrang and Metal Hammer only furthered their reputation as guitar rock gods. Even Time Out New York voted Payin' the Dues as one of the top albums in a year-end poll.

Yet 1998 was the year the Hellacopters truly made a mark on the US above-ground music scene. First Man's Ruin released Supershitty to the Max in October 1998. Next, the Hellacopters came to the US for the first time, playing two shows at CMJ in November (including a highly anticipated. packed-to-the-gills, line-around-the-block show), then returning for a mostly-sold out tour with the New Bomb Turks and with Fu Manchu. When they headed back to Sweden for the holidays, they left in their wake a new legion of fans, most with ringing ears and a restored faith in rock 'n roll.

On June 8th, Sub Pop released the Hellacopters' third album, Grande Rock. Recorded in four weeks with original members Nick, Robban, Kenny, and Boba, the album contains twelve tracks of high-octane rock anthems that are sure to capture the ears of yet another whole echelon of unsuspecting music fans. From the wailing guitar solos on "Alright Already Now" (or "Welcome to Hell" or "Dog Day Mornings" or, well, damn near every song) to the pounding, unrelenting beats of "Action De Grace," Grande Rock is another adrenaline-pumping garage-punk classic. And dammit if "The Devil Stole The Beat From The Lord" isn't the best song title I've come across. Naturally, the song kicks ass, too.

This summer the band will return for another tour, followed by Sub Pop's reissuing of their acclaimed second album, Payin' the Dues.

The buzz is getting even bigger....