Album Review: The Hellacopters - "Eyes Of Oblivion"

 

The prospect of the Hellacopters coming back after a hiatus of over a decade was something that had rock fans of a certain vintage very excited when it was announced in the dying days of last year. As you'll know if you read the Sounds From The Junkshop column we did on the band last year, this is a group who provided a much needed raw, stripped back and nasty take on garage rock in the early years of the millennium as opposed to the polished corporate version of the Strokes et al. However, the harsh truth is that those golden years are over two decades ago now which is pretty much an eternity in rock music. Eyes of Oblivion, the group's comeback album, has a lot to live up to - can it manage it?

You'll be pleased to know that it only takes until the opening barrage of lead off single Reap A Hurricane to realise that the answer is yes. Barrelling through like a force ten tornado, this is everything you needed to reassure you that the Hellacopters have most definitely still got it. The frenetic Can It Wait? follows up in fine style before the slinky blues strut of So Sorry I Could Die proves an unexpected change-up with an almost Motown ballad style feel to it which works way better than it really has any right to. The title track quickly picks the pace right back up with a frenetic intro riff from a returning Dregen with the track speeding through satisfying quickly with a big chantalong chorus to embed itself in your brain. There's a definite Thin Lizzy influence on this album with A Plow And A Doctor probably being the most obvious evidence yet with its muscular guitar crunch and lurking menace to it.

Positively Not Knowing cranks the urgency up another notch with Dregen and Nick's snaking guitars and the pummelling drums sounding like Dr Feelgood at their most pepped up before Tin Foil Soldier is another unexpected turn, rolling in on a Slade style '70s glam stomp - again, maybe not what you'd expect from the Hellacopters but it most definitely works. Beguiled is definitely a throwback to the classic '90s Hellacopters sound, tight and wiry garage rock just the way it should be before the laid back acoustics of The Pressure's On (which has a bit of a hint of Eyes Of Alice era Alice Cooper about it) and the wiry Lynott style rocker Try Me Tonight to guide this one home in style.

It would have been very easy for the Hellacopters to just phone an album like this in but I'm pleased to report that Eyes Of Oblivion is anything but a "will this do?" effort - it crackles with energy and tight musicianship packing choruses and hooks that'll keep you coming back for repeat listening as well as throwing in a few unexpected turns off the expected route without losing sight of the group's strengths. Definitely one of the best albums I've heard in 2022 so far and I really can't recommend it enough. 

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 (9/10)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: Diablofurs - "Neon Satellites"

Image
  Diablofurs have previously shared a split release with the very under-rated Deadcuts (RIP) and feature at least one ex-member of semi-legendary "we were the Manics before the Manics" Coventry indie-punks Birdland so the initial omens for this release were pretty promising. Put any thoughts of the scuzzier end of early '90s alternative music out of your mind though because on this evidence, Diablofurs appear to have set their controls for a good decade earlier with a full on power-pop/new wave sound. The opening duo of Chase The Beat  and Everybody's Dreamin'  come on like Parallel Lines  era Blondie being fronted by Gary Numan and it's not an unpleasant sound at all. The album continues on the early '80s vein throughout with the title track coming on like Tubeway Army going pop while the epic Obsession/Meteors  is probably the closest thing stylistically to Birdland on here but the bubbling synths certainly mark it as being a new evolved version of the s
Read more

Album Review: Dead Sheeran - "A National Disgrace"

Image
  "I saw a clip of Boris Johnson on the news the other day/Made me wanna punch the screen, the man's a fuckin' disgrace!" . Now there's an opening line for you. Dead Sheeran (aka Paul Catten) first came to our attention recently with his self-titled EP recorded in the first lockdown which was a sheer howl of frustration at lockdown society and the state of Britain in 2020 and as opening number Can Things Get Any Worse?  demonstrates here, the intervening six months or very much haven't seen him mellow. In an era where we've had several bands who've tried the "electro rock 'n' roll with a social conscience" schtick (Sleaford Mods, Idles, Fontaines DC), most have come frustratingly close to putting out a good album but not quite pulled it off. However, the lack of pretentiousness and sheer vitriol here sees Dead Sheeran properly nailing the formula and A National Disgrace  might just the most damning inditement of the sorry state this s
Read more

Garbage Days Revisited #15 (part 1): Michael Monroe - "Whatcha Want?" (2002)

Image
  "Some self-proclaimed selfish hypocrites lay down their laws and rules to make ya think there's gonna be some great reward for all your suffering some day soon"  - Michael Monroe  - Right Here Right Now As you might have guessed from the title, this week's Garbage Days Revisited is a two-parter dealing with Michael Monroe and Hanoi Rocks. As well as being one of my favourite bands, they're also a bit of an oddity in that there were two albums released in 2002, one the group's first reunion album and the other Monroe's final solo album for almost a decade, that probably had an equal share in drawing me into being a fan. So today we'll deal with the latter of these and tomorrow the former. Got that? Okay, good, let's do this. Similar to the Clash, I think it was probably through the Manic Street Preachers that I first became aware of Hanoi Rocks as Nicky Wire would go on to anyone who'd listen about what a huge influence they were on the early
Read more