The Hellacopters rip into Rock & Roll Is Dead with a Buddy Holly opening riff and immediately saddle into classic rock reminiscent of The Sweet and Cheap Trick. The neo-classics roll-on steadily through their sixth LP, proving neither the Hellacopters nor rock & roll are dead at all.
Already available in Europe since June ’05, R & R…has received critical acclaim, rocking numerous festivals and stadiums on the old continent. They will soon be touring the US for the first time in four years—appropriately so, considering the southern rock-ness of this LP.
Subject matter ambles from the simple inspirations of man in Monkeyboy (about the monkey in singer Nicke Royale’s brain, which is responsible for his behavior as well as the noise that keeps him up at night), to the pure, clearly-stated ‘over it’ contemplations in “Murder On My Mind.”
The standout hits on this one are the high-speed, piano-key-banging, punk anthem “Bring It On Home,” and immediately following, the nearly reprise-sounding “Leave It Alone,” a Stones-y, gospel track chocked full of good advice. These two tracks combine to sit among of the most shining examples of continuity genius in history.
From end to end, Rock & Roll Is Dead is as solid an album as one can expect from any band and exactly what you’d expect from a group putting out a sixth record. If the record is this good, we can’t wait to see ‘em live.
