ALBUM REVIEW: Grande Rock Revisited – The Hellacopters
In 1999, mighty Swedish rockers THE HELLACOPTERS released their third album, the perfectly titled Grande Rock, and it became an instant favourite with fans of the band and their high-octane and punked up garage rock anthems, complete with vital splashes of rock ‘n’ roll piano littered through the songs on the record. Although you couldn’t tell in the songs due to the positive energy that they espoused, the band were in a state of flux prior to the recording of the record, following the departure of original guitarist Dregen, who left to spend more time with fellow Swedish firebrands BACKYARD BABIES as his main priority.
THE HELLACOPTERS powered on though, with the band’s percussionist Anders Lindstronm aka Boba Lee Fett stepping up to play guitars (as well as piano) on Grande Rock and the album was well received. It saw frontman Nicke Andersson and the rest of the band putting on a hell of a performance throughout with raucous songs like Action De Grace, Welcome To Hell, Electric Index Eel and The Devil Stole The Beat From The Lord showing off exactly what made THE HELLACOPTERS such a special band.
Although the original album was obviously excellent, there has been a bit of a question mark over what it would have sounded if Dregen hadn’t left and how the album would have sounded if he was still in the band. Now, however, that question can be answered 25 years after the original release of Grande Rock with the release of Grande Rock Revisited, a double album that acts as a tribute to the original record.
With Grande Rock being long out of print on vinyl, THE HELLACOPTERS have not only brought it out on wax again but have done something very special to celebrate it as well. Grande Rock Revisited contains two versions of the album. Firstly, and most excitingly, there is the Revisited version that features a brand new mix of Grande Rock that not only features added guitars from the now returned axeman Dregen but also beefed up piano and percussion, which were always a big part of the album’s sound, as well as extra backing vocals added into the mix too and the results are stunning, adding an extra layer of uplifting power to proceedings.
The second side contains a remastered version of the original Grande Rock which still sounds as good as ever and adds as a nice contrast to the Revisited version. Initially, it does sound a little strange listening to this same record back to back with the differences but it is a very interesting thing to have two versions of an album as great as Grande Rock where you can appreciate both of them. Naturally the original album sounds rawer than the Revisited version which is completely beefed up, but both are undoubtedly essential listens in their own way.
THE HELLACOPTERS have chosen a unique and highly enjoyable way to celebrate this momentous anniversary and this way you can listen to Grande Rock back to back in both of its forms and appreciate both to the max and celebrate how good an album it was and undeniably still is.
Rating: 8/10
Grande Rock Revisited is set for release on February 16th via Nuclear Blast Records.
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