The Hellacopters: Overdriver
LP | CD | DL
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Out Now
The Hellacopters return with their eighth full album of original material, Overdriver! The hugely prolific Swedes are back – and they’re kickin’ ass and takin’ names. Sean Millard is in a spin over their latest collection of full-blown Rock ‘n’ Roll.
When was the last time you heard a new ROCK record? I’ve capitalised it. For emphasis, and to accurately manage your expectations, because despite the words of the intro, I could argue with myself that the ROLL is redundant – Overdriver is purer than that. It’s not as vintage sounding, as a ROLL would suggest. It’s not veering towards Metal, either. It’s Punk in attitude but not in articulation. It’s got Garage energy, but it’s far too polished and crafted to be dismissed as charmingly amateurish. Its influences are Classic and worn proudly, but it’s not bloated, misogynist or trite. It’s not dumb. It’s special.
There are Lizzy twin guitars, Kiss rhythm riffs, Chilton-esque harmonies and, in places, even the junky honky-tonks of The Stones. But the magic of The Hellacopters is that they take those ‘retro’ influences and shape them into something unique to them – something entirely contemporary and exciting.
So – when was the last time you heard a new ROCK record?
Musical savant Nicke Andersson has been on a quest to create the perfect ROCK record since he left Entombed to focus full-time on The Hellacopters in 1994. His ramshackle company of misfits, gathered from a cluster of Scandinavian roadies and glamsters, have succeeded many times at perfection. And even though their catalogue has highs and lows, I’d argue they’ve never released a shitty record – and Overdriver might be the high point of the band’s last few albums.
Nicke’s an itchy soul, but he always delivers the goods. The Entombed LPs he drums on are the band’s best. Lucifer have overtaken themselves since he joined them on drums, bass and second guitar in 2017. Check out his pop-rock band Union State Electric. They soar. Death Breath is his still-active self-deprecating Death Metal band. The Solution is the vehicle for his Soul adventures. It’s safe to say Nicke is a musical fidget – but what worthwhile fidgeting it is.
The Hellacopters split amicably in 2008 to allow all their members to spend more time on their other projects. They came back together in 2016 and returned to turntables with Eyes of Oblivion in 2022. On the way they won awards, gained huge audiences, especially in Scandinavia, and earned a reputation for creating world class Punk ‘N’ Roll. Consistently.
And now Overdriver.
To be clear from the start, they’ve done it again. Overdriver doesn’t have a duff track on it, but it IS a departure – especially from their earlier work. It’s not as raw or instantaneous, reactive or punching. All those things have always made The Hellacopters ace. But just because Overdriver doesn’t sound like Supershitty To The Max doesn’t mean it’s… erm… supershitty. Far from it: where once the joy was found lurking in the rough edges of spontaneity, now it is sat, bold as brass, straddling its own ego, in the craft and perfection of some of the best writing the band has ever committed to tape.
It makes for a richer, more engaging record. More than just addictive party hits in tribute to Rock and Roll Itself, Overdriver looks inwards as well as upward. It’s jubilantly confessional, defiantly broken and celebrates its own dysfunctionality. It picks at the scabs of fading relationships, domestic maturity and the endurance of life – and flicks them into a big sanitary disposal bin of huge choruses, impossibly harmonious solos and magnificent drum patterns.
What I find so cool about Overdriver is that it has a pumping heart that’s exposed in every song, for better or worse. The sincerity of the lyrical journey draws you in as a listener, just as much as the inventive riffing. That’s new for The Hellacopters. Not that their lyrics are usually weak at all – they just feel more considered on Overdriver. And the recording is richer – it feels so fucking analogue it could be an abacus. It’s thick and creamy, like the neck pickup of a ’70s Les Paul. It’s a tactile sound. Everything has space. There is clarity without sanitisation. If it was edible, it wouldn’t be good for your arteries.
Overdriver by The Hellacopters
The opening salvo of Token Apology, Don’t Let Me Bring You Down and album highlight, (I Don’t Wanna Be) Just A Memory, climb to a peak that gives you the most awesome emotional indigestion:
“I don’t wanna be just a memory, I don’t wanna be just your memory. But a memory’s all we can be, oh no – Just a memory.”
Been there, done that. Universal truths always cut to the quick so much more deeply. The song is fab, in that timeless, yearning, beautiful way that has resonated with us all at one time or another. It feels like this song is the reason we listen to records. It’s one of those songs you finally manage to catch in your net that justifies the endless search for perfection that we Vinyl Lepidopterists all engage in. Nostalgic, sure. But the craftsmanship is superb.
Wrong Face On is high energy, blistering punk and roll. And, in true Hellacopters style, you’re singing the chorus like you’ve known it all your life before the run-out groove is even faintly in sight on the first play through. The wobbly Psyche of Soldier On recalls vintage Magnum – again, I insist, no bad thing – although it took me a couple of goes to truly get behind it. Trust me – it becomes a contender. It just needs a few listens. Side One draws to a close on a high with the alliterating Doomsday Daydreams, which recalls some of the best moments on Eyes of Oblivion.
But we’re not given time to recuperate from our stitch. Deep breaths. Side Two kicks off with the riff monster one-two that is Faraway Looks and Coming Down. The latter of which is a Muscle Shoals-style classic in waiting, with a nagging, harmonising chorus to rival the best that Skynyrd could offer, complete with a mega guitar solo and low string bar end descents. The album’s second preview track, Do You Feel Normal (the first was I Don’t Wanna Be A Memory) is like Big Star on (Ass) steroids. The guitar picking. The vocal harmonising. The key changes. The sparkling rush of the lyric lines. It’s an incredible song.
BUT it might disappoint if you come to the LP with ‘typical’ Hellacopters in mind. It’s significantly different for them – which ends up being the reason I ended up adoring it. So, open your mind and dispel your preconceptions. Otherwise, you might miss out on a corker of an earworm and the golden line:
“Can you relate or would you take offense. If your future’s her past tense?”
It’s followed by The Stench – another left-field track for the band – it’s the slowest song on the LP – but it might be the lyrical high of the ultimate break up song:
“It’s the same conversation we had yesterday. The same situations we always replay. But the stench here ain’t going away”
It’s got a waltzing sway that rapidly becomes addictive and precious. The album ends on Leave A Mark. Longer than the other tracks on the album. It’s a strong song to finish on, but perhaps tellingly, marginally weaker than the others on the album. I found it a bit forgettable compared to the rest of the LP – which sets such a high-quality bar. For anyone else, the song would be huge. Here, it falls into last place in more ways than one. If they had ended the LP with Stay With Me – a real-life single from May last year that was ASTONISHING – and backed with an immaculate cover of The Cure’s Fire In Cairo, to boot – the album would have been a perfect ten.
With Overdriver, The Hellacopters have done the unthinkable – veered away from their comfort zone – both for them and their fans, in some ways – but it’s an act of derring-do that pays dividends. Whereas I play the other LPs in their catalogue when a specific mood raises its horned hand, this latest album feels more like it will be on a constant rotation, regardless of whimsy. And that’s what makes it a classic – unlike their other albums, Overdriver’s not just about energy – it’s about what happens when that energy burns away – what you’re left with and what you do with it. It’s a deeper cut. Mine’s a limited Apricot coloured vinyl copy. It’s pretty. I’ve streamed it and played the record. The difference is significant. The Glorious Format really suits the record’s vibe.
Now all they need to do is play the UK provinces and dig down on reissuing their back catalogue. You won’t believe what their records cost on Discogs. But until they do either if those things, bask in the glory of Overdriver and let it ROCK you to your bones. It’s immense.
Hallelujah! And long live the ‘Copters
All words by Sean Millard
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