So you thought hair metal died with the 80s? Fat fucking chance. Just as
bands like Antarctica and The Faint are carrying on the fine tradition of
80s synth-rock, bands like the Tight Bros From Way Back When and The
Hellacopters are carrying on the fine tradition of 80s metal. 


Hailing from Sweden, The Hellacopters have become very well known recently
for their explosive live shows and have seen much of their Swedish output
re-released domestically on Sub Pop. Payin' the Dues is a 2 CD set. Disc 1
contains 9 hard rocking songs from the studio, and disc 2 is a very
well-recorded live show from Vancouver. 


Both CDs are missing one track -- a cover of Sonic's Rendezvous Band's
"City Slang". City Slang is only available on the vinyl version, which is
pretty cool because it gives you one more reason to fuck the digital age
and rock out on analog. 


The Hellacopters keep their rock slick, but not as slick as, say, Poison,
so you definitely won't feel really sick about admitting to liking this
band in 10 years. The live disc captures what was surely a beer-drenched
party where the horns were all waving in the air.


Scandinavia seems to be a hotbed for this type of metal these days, with
bands like Gluecifer (who, when I saw them live, called all there songs
"Rock N Roll," I think. If they didn't, it would be a good gimmick!) and
The Hellacopters leading the pack.


If you miss the days of wanky guitar solos and posturing rock stars,
definitely check the Hellacopters out, as they definitely deliver all the
licks you've been missing.