Search - Hellacopters :: Grande Rock

If ever there were a manifesto against electronica's bleeps, blurps, and brainwashed soundscapes and that decried alt-rock's fey pretensions, Grande Rock could be it. The Hellacopters play kick-ass, butt-stomping rock à la Ted Nugent at his most gonzo, MC5 at their most coherent, and Mudhoney at their least bratty. The best thing about the Hellacopters is that they pull off their rock caper without a trace of irony; this is the pure dose. These guys were born to Rawk! and they know it. Hellacopter fans are largely co-opted by this Swedish outfits outstandingly thunderous and frenetic live escapades: their studio albums somehow never quite recreate the sweat and smell of the 'Copters onstage. But Grande Rock, their stateside debut on legendary-but-tarnished grunge-rock label SubPop, comes damned close. Just listen to the slabs of meaty hooks, primal vocal screams, raging tornado drum rolls, and ear-searing guitar solos. Unlike their loud progenitors, the Hellacopters know how to keep it short and sweet: the opening track "Action De Grace" ends as soon as it hits it's crescendo--after only two minutes. Most tracks barely clock over three minutes. Yet somehow the boys manage to cram in a hellish amount of rock in that short time. The best song here is "The Devil Stole the Beat from the Lord"; Grande Rock makes the case that the Hellacopters are the horned one's accomplices. No just court of rock could acquit them. --Tod Nelson