The Hellacopters
Overdriver
Nuclear Blast Records
The holiday festivities are firmly in the rear view mirror and the slog that is January continues to drag on, draining one’s time, energy and money with it. So what better way to alleviate the melancholy with some good ol’ fashioned rock ‘n’ roll via Scandinavia? Continuing on from their 2016 revival, Sweden’s The Hellacopters descend down from upon high with their ninth offering in ‘Overdriver’, and it is a welcome blast of feel-good rock during the bluest of months. Even the most miserable of souls would struggle to remain stone-faced at the joyous bounce that heralds the arrival of “Token Apologies”, whilst the Hammond-laced groove of “Wrong Face On” sounds deliciously retro. Where the majority of the album rocks with verve, stellar penultimate track “The Stench” conjures grimy dive-bar vibes, with its plonky-piano arpeggios lending a slight drunken haze to the fold. It’s a gratifying addition, and one you can assuredly raise a drink to. Thirty years is a long time in music, and while The Hellacopters themselves took an eight-year hiatus, the break clearly did the batteries some good. This may be only their second album since returning, but ‘Overdriver’ demonstrates a band’s knack for writing good-time music – cue your newest rock house party album. Happy 2025
Review by Lee Carter