The Hellacopters
The Hellacopters are a Swedish garage rock band that was formed in 1994 by Nicke Andersson, Andreas Tyrone "Dregen" Svensson, Kenny Håkansson and Robert Eriksson. Andersson had been the drummer for death metal band Entombed and Dregen was taking a break from his full-time band Backyard Babies. Dregen and Eriksson had been roadies for Entombed, while Håkansson was a childhood friend of Andersson's. The Hellacopters were initially conceived as a side project for Andersson and Dregen, but it eventually became the main songwriting and performance vehicle for Andersson. The band, together with The Hives, is considered one of the most important Swedish bands in the garage rock revival and one of the most influential rock bands in Sweden.
The band released their Swedish Grammi-winning debut album Supershitty to the Max! in 1996. Just before a tour opening for Kiss, the band recruited keyboardist and percussionist Anders Lindström on a part-time basis; he would become a full-time member in 1999. After the album Payin' the Dues in 1998, Dregen left the band to return to Backyard Babies full-time, and Mattias Hellberg and Danne Andersson were recruited to complete the band touring responsibilities. After the release of Grande Rock, which featured additional guitar playing from both Lindström and Hellberg, Robert Dahlqvist was hired as a full-time lead guitarist in 1999. With the lineup now solidified, the band released three more studio albums and a cover album, with many EPs and limited edition releases as well. The Hellacopters disbanded amicably in 2008 so the members could move on to other projects. Eight years later, the band reassembled in 2016, initially for an exclusive performance at Sweden Rock Festival to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of their award-winning debut album Supershitty to the Max!.
In October 2021 the band announced that they had signed with the record label Nuclear Blast to release a new album in the spring of 2022. The album, Eyes of Oblivion, was released on 1 April 2022. The group's latest album, Overdriver, was released on January 31, 2025.
Band history
Formation and ''Supershitty to the Max!''
The band name was inspired by a magazine article discovered by Andersson and Dregen while on tour with Entombed in San Francisco. The article was about how the CIA was spying with helicopters on marijuana fields in Mexico and that the Mexicans called them "Hellacopters." The first Hellacopters rehearsal took place on 4 November 1994 as just a jam session, after two more rehearsals the band released their first single "Killing Allan" in January 1995 on their own label Psychout Records.After releasing their second single "1995," the Hellacopters were signed by White Jazz Records and they released their debut album Supershitty to the Max! in June 1996. The album was recorded all live in only 26 hours. The band won a Swedish Grammy for the album. Anders "Boba Fett" Lindström, guitarist of the Swedish rock band The Diamond Dogs, was then recruited to play keyboards shortly before they supported Kiss on their Scandinavian dates in June 1997.
''Payin' the Dues'' and Dregen's departure
The band recorded their follow-up album Payin' the Dues in February 1997. The record barely managed to break into the top 20 in Sweden and the top 30s in Finland. Andersson then left Entombed completely to concentrate full-time on the Hellacopters. A Swedish tour included a show at the second largest stage at the Hultsfred Festival, while the band famously played a secret gig backstage on a small makeshift stage. In 1998 the band toured Europe with Gluecifer, with whom they recorded the split album Respect the Rock. Soon after, Dregen left the band and returned to Backyard Babies.With Dregen's departure in the middle of an extensive tour, the band recruited guitarists Chuck Pounder and Mattias Hellberg for their tours of Scandinavia and U.S./Canada, respectively. While on tour in America the band also had the opportunity to jam with legendary Detroit rockers Scott Morgan of the Sonic's Rendezvous Band and Wayne Kramer of the MC5, beginning long working relationships with both.
''Grande Rock'' and Dahlqvist's debut
In September 1998 the band recorded their third album Grande Rock. Due to the absence of a second guitarist, Lindström and Hellberg both contributed on guitar. The album's 1970s classic rock sound was a departure from their previous albums, which featured a louder Detroit punk rock and garage rock sound. One reason for this was that the band recorded the album in an older studio from the 1970s in the Swedish woods, where they learned from an older and more experienced engineer who knew how to create the vintage seventies sound the band desired.Grande Rock became the band's first album to break into the Swedish top ten, before dropping out of the list after one week. For the ensuing tour, the band considered recruiting an American guitarist but hired Robert Dahlqvist. With Dahlqvist as a full-time replacement for Dregen the band set out on tour along with Wayne Kramer, The Nomads and Powder Monkeys.
''High Visibility'' with Chips Kiesbye
In 2000 the band headed back into the studio to record their first album with Robert Dahlqvist who by then had earned the nickname "Strängen" or "Strings" due to all the strings he had broken during rehearsals. It was also their first time working with producer Chips Kiesbye, who had worked with artists such as Sahara Hotnights, Millencolin, Thåström, The Nomads, The Turpentines, his own band Sator, and many other Swedish rock bands. Kiesbye would become their producer of choice and he produced all of the band's subsequent studio albums. High Visibility spent twelve weeks on the Swedish charts and was certified gold in that nation. The band set out on a Scandinavian and European tour in support of the album along with the then-unknown band The Hives as their opening act. High Visibility was later released in the United States and the band's tour was chronicled in the documentary Goodnight Cleveland. The title is a reference to the mockumentary This Is Spınal Tap in which Derek Smalls yells "Hello Cleveland" to an unseen audience while the band tries to find their way onto the stage. Andersson adapted the phrase at the end of the band's show at the Agora Ballroom.''By the Grace of God'' and side projects
In early 2002, the band released their first compilation of non-album tracks Cream Of The Crap Vol. 1, the CD's booklet contained one half of a poster designed by Andersson the second half of the poster was included in the second volume of the Cream of The Crap series. The band recorded 20 songs for their fifth album at Polar Studios in Stockholm, 13 of the 20 songs were included on By the Grace of God. It became the band's most commercially successful album, debuting at number two in Sweden and number eight in Finland, and the band was rewarded with another gold record in Sweden. The title track also spent seven weeks on the Swedish singles chart and gained significant airplay on radio and TV. The band also had the opportunity to be the opening act for The Rolling Stones and ZZ Top in Stockholm and Helsinki.Before recording their next album, the band decided to take a break to find time to focus on other projects. Nicke Andersson worked on his side project The Solution with Scott Morgan, releasing the album Communicate! in 2004; he also contributed backing vocals for The Cardigans album Long Gone Before Daylight. Dahlqvist started a side project called Thunder Express, which was later renamed Dundertåget, and also recorded the album Fula Gubben Hitler with Swedish singer/songwriter Stefan Sundström; Dahlqvist was pictured on the album's cover suspended on a cross. Dahlqvist also toured along with former Hellacopters member Mattias Hellberg in support of the album.
''Rock & Roll Is Dead''
During the Hellacopters' break, the second compilation of non-album tracks Cream Of The Crap Vol. 2 was released. The band claims they have enough material for a Vol. 3 and a Vol. 4, but there are no plans for more parts in the Cream of the Crap series. Eriksson and Lindstrom also did a small DJ tour in Italy before joining up with the rest of the band to record and release Rock & Roll Is Dead in 2005. The name is a reference to the band's opinion about the state of the music industry.The album entered the Swedish album charts as number three and reached the top twenty in Finland. In March 2006 The Hellacopters went on their first American tour in three years, and also toured Sweden with The Hives, Millencollin, Backyard Babies and The Soundtrack of our Lives on the Where the Action Is Tour. The track "Nothing Terribly New" was also mentioned several times as one of E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt's favorite garage rock songs.