Yep, I'm one of those closet nerds who owns pretty much every Hellacopters' output since "Payin' the dues" in '97. It always amazes me how one band I recently reviewed for IAT, borrowing the same 70's/80's references -- like the wailing Alice Cooper-Kiss riff thing -- can do it so wrong, while Nicke from The Hellacopters does it so right time and time again. Is it the vocals? I'm thinking that's part of it. Maybe even the guitar sound and makeup-less image. There's always some raw underbelly of punk behind it too, not to mention transcendent dueling guitar solos between a lefty and a righty and a highly educated sense of the blues. But you knew that already. Sure, Imperial State Electric sound like they're continuing on the more mature course of The Hellacopters' final releases, but after a decent debut in 2010, Nicke's once again enlisted his pals in Backyard Babies, The Datsuns and Captain Murphy to release yet another solid album. I wouldn't call it the best or most radical record we've seen this year and I have yet to find anything rivaling my favorite 'copters tunes, but it is hit-worthy and (more importantly?) party-friendly. And it's comforting to know that wise musicians are out there not deviating too drastically from what they do best. Huge respect to Nicke for continually slingin' out something new with something old. - Ann Sung-an Lee
Kind of old news at this point I suppose, but too weird not to mention: Nicke Andersson, Anders "Boba" Lindström and Robban Andersson of The Hellacopters have been enlisted as Lars Winnerbäck's new backing band for his summer tour along with Ola Nyström (Weeping Willows), Johan Persson (Hovet) and Jerker Odelholm. Read more. (in Swedish)
New rock'n'roll from Swedish act The Centerfolds featuring guest vox from Nicke Andersson of The Hellacopters/Imperial State Electric. Debut album due out this coming August.
Gaffa is reporting that there's a new Swedish "supergroup" called Fas 3 put together by Michael Alonzo of KSMB/Stockholms Negrer featuring Sören "Sulo" Karlsson (Diamond Dogs), Nicke Andersson (Imperial State Electric, The Hellacopters, etc.) and Inge Johansson (The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Totalt Jävla Mörker, etc.): http://gaffa.se/nyhet/57070
The new band's debut single "Dansa som en fjäril" will be released on Inge's label very soon and the band will make their live debut in Stockholm in 2 weeks.
Swedish rocker Robert Pehrsson (Death Breath, Dundertåget) recently recorded a couple new tracks at Gutterview Recorders with Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters, Imperial State Electric) and Tomas Eriksson (Captian Murphy) and is streaming the rough mixes at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/robertpehrsson
Presenting "Rock Science", a new rock'n'roll boardgame featuring artwork and a themesong by Nicke Andersson of Imperial State Electric/The Hellacopters/Entombed. Check it: http://www.rockscience.tv/
has announced that they'll be releasing vinyl edition of Tramp's debut full-length "Indigo" this coming April as a 4x7" set with handling the CD and digital. Tramp features Markus Karlsson (ex-The Turpentines), Stefan Brändström (Henry Fiat's Open Sore), Johannes Borgström (ex-Captain Murphy) and Robert Eriksson (ex-The Hellacopters) and can be previewed at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/tramptramp
Listen to Mattias Hellberg (Hederos & Hellberg, The Hellacopters, etc.) and Mattias Areskog (Brothers of End, Consequences, Friska Viljor, etc.) perform the song "Black cloud man" together: http://soundcloud.com/hellberg-areskog/black-cloud-man
Apparently the duo of Mattiases will be releasing an album together and this is the first rough mix sample.
Necronaut, the solo project of ex-Dismember/Carnage drummer/Sunlight Studios engineer Fred Estby, has signed with and will be releasing their self-titled album later this year. The band features music written by Estby with a huge cast of metal all-stars contributing guest vocals and guitar tracks including luminaries such as Tomas Lindberg (Disfear, At the Gates), Nicke Andersson (Death Breath, ex-Entombed, The Hellacopters), Robert Pehrsson (Death Breath, Dundertåget), Robert "Strings" Dahlqvist (Dundertåget) and many more. Hear a sample tune at myspace featuring vocals from Chris Reifert (Abcess, Autopsy) and lead guitar from Uffe Cederlund (Disfear, ex-Entombed): http://www.myspace.com/necronaut666
Via Rogerts Blogg, here's the tracklist and guest vocalists that will be appearing on the upcoming Bad Hands (aka Per Nordmark) album:
Black and white - Linnea Jönsson (Those Dancing Days)
Bad hands - Nina Kinert
Northern lights - Britta Persson & Karl Larsson (Last Days of April)
Kick you out - Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters) & Howlin' Pelle (The Hives)
Andra relationen - Subbah
Close enough - Choir of Kiemi
We love blood - Henric de la Cour (Strip Music)
Cartoon wolf - David Sandström
I can do it - Therese Johansson (Lowood)
Sillodill - Britta Persson
Swedish hard-rockers Bonafide will be releasing their new Chips Kiesbye-produced (The Hellacopters, Sator, etc.) album "Something's dripping" on September 18 via Black Lodge. Hear a few tracks at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bonafiderocks
Amir Chamdin of Infinite Mass has a new solo project called Mean Streets which will be releasing his Nicke Andersson-produced (The Hellacopters, Death Breath, etc.) album on September 30 via Sheriff Records. Hear a track at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/amirchamdin
This is the band that won the Manifest award for best punk/hardcore act? Really? Over Disfear, Nitad and Meanwhile? I think they're a decent band, but c'mon -- those Disfear and Nitad records are serious ragers, the latter especially. Meanwhile is a bit too by-the-books dis-core for my tastes, but that's beside the point. Disco Volante should've been way outmatched. Listen to the first minute of "It's your funeral" and tell me that doesn't sound like The Hellacopters. Another great band to be sure, but come on! Even though they pick it up for the rest of the track, it's lacking the roughness I expect from punk. I don't know; usually the Manifest is fairly right-on in their picks, but I think they might have blown it with this one.
Black Lodge has announced the signing of Swedish rockers Bonafide and will be reissuing the band's debut album with two live bonus tracks and a Nazareth cover ("Miss Misery") before sending them into the studio with producer Chips Kiesbye (The Hellacopters, Sator, Millencolin, etc.) to work on a follow-up.
Imperial State Electric