The Hellacopters
Rock & Roll Is Dead

THE REVIEW

Is rock & roll dead? Where? When? They are the ones coming to tell us, they who are its champions; it certainly doesn't live on mere hopes, but dead? No, let's not joke.

This sixth album by the Swedish band is certainly not their strongest testimony, but beyond the usual circumstantial considerations, it shows that rock played seriously, with the necessary technique and a spirit of dedication, always manages to convey strong emotions and energy to spare.
I've read that the group is starting to show signs of fatigue, and this might be true, but listening to the first three or four tracks of the album, many groups would want to be as "tired" as they are. The sound is always impactful, saturated, perhaps less dirty and rough than before, especially compared to the earlier albums, but it's rock played brilliantly.
It's likely that Hella have embraced the role of those who know they can wipe out the competition with minimal effort, and for this, they play at outdoing themselves, bordering on a certain mannerism, in a slightly more cerebral and calculated structure.
All of this may be true, but the product is still commendable.
As I've been telling a friend lately: "come on, give me a smile but most importantly ROCK ON!" along with Hella, of course....
Teutonic