THE HELLACOPTERS – ROCK’N'ROLL ISN’T DEAD YET!

The Hellacopters, the band that since 1994 until today dignitied us with seven albums, few complitions, many singles and concerts is one of those full-blooded rock’n'roll machines whose products we impatiently wait for and whose tours are on our “must go” lists. And then in 2007 they surprised us with announcement they will leave worlds rock’n'roll scene. But before that, The Hellacopters will play farewell tour and once again dignify by live album that will record (evidentirati) this tour for eternity.
For those who maybe doesn’t know The Hellacopters, this energetic rock’n'roll band is coming from Sweden and beside The Hives are one of the most influental rock bands in their homeland. Band is formed in Stockholm in 1994 as Nick Andersson’ today more known as Nicke Royale, side project who in that time focused his death metal band Entombed and Dregen, the guitarist of not-less known Backyard Babies who were joined by Kenny Håkannso (bass) and Robert Eriksson (drums). The name The Hellacopters arrives from the last Enthombed’ USA tour when in the newspaper were written about the CIA spying with helicopters on marihuana fields that the Mexicans called The Hellacopters.
Their first album “Supershitty to the Max” recorded in only 26 hours, The Hellacopters released in 1996 and followed by the tour winning also Swedish Grammy and supported Kiss on their Scandinavian tour in June of 1997.
Soon after that followed the album “Payin’ the Dues” and Andersson left the Entombed to concentrate on The Hellacopters. Soon after the big European tour when they supported Gluecifire and released a split album “Respect the Rock” Cregen left the band to devote to work with his old band Backyard Babies. But the band continued without him with guitar players Chuck Pounder and Mattias Hellberg and played 111 concerts in four different countries including USA, Canada, New Zealand and Japan. What followed was the album “Grande Rock” with Anderson Lidström on a rhytm guitar. This album brought a bit different, pure rock sound and launcedd the band on the top of European rock.
In 2000 was released album “High Visibility”, the first one released with producent Chips Kiesbye while 2002 brought the first compilation “Cream of the Crap Vol. 1″ followed by the “By the Grace of God” that soon in Sweden became one of the most noticable rock albums and reached gold while the band opened The Rolling Stones and ZZ Top gigs in Stockholm and Helsinki on tour that included 120 dates.
Before they released the next album the band took a break to work on some other projects so Nicke Royale worked with The Solution and released album “Communicate!” with them and recorded back vocals on the album “Long Gone Before Daylight” of worldwide known The Cardigans. By the time was released the second compilation “Cream of the Crap Vol. 2″ and although there were some thoughts of third and fourth part of this series it seems the band still doesn’t have that on the mind.
The album “Rock & Roll Is Dead” was released in 2005 and its title clearly express bands opinion about the actual situtation in music industry. The next step was tour through the USA, first in a three years, and also tour in Sweden with The Hives, Millencollin, Backyard Babies and The Soundtrack of our Lives.
On 12th October 2007, The Hellacopters announced their final break after they will release their sevent album “Head Off”, cover collection, that will be followed by the farewell tour all over Europe and Scandinavia.
There is no dobut, The Hellacopters leaves from the top and there is only few bands who are enough categorical and brave to do this step. That is just another proof of The Hellacopters greatness and The Hellacopters is a band interesting in so many ways that never accepted compomises. However, The Hellacopters leaves indelibel trace on worlds rock’n'roll scene and in the same time they obliged the same scene not only to keep the heritage but also to develop it. In the same time The Hellacopters stay what they always were – The Hellacopters!

Text: Ivana Sataić