Review THE HELLACOPTERS “Cream of the Crap! Volume 3”

The Hellacopters are at the forefront of Swedish and Scandinavian rock. Founded in 1994 and getting back together in 2016, the band has released plenty of albums. Their most recent releases, “Eyes of Oblivion” and “Overdrive”, have brought them back into the spotlight.

As well as studio albums, the five-piece band has released two compilation albums: “Cream of the Crap Vol. 1” and “Cream of the Crap Vol. 2”. Both records feature songs that have been released as B-sides, non-album tracks and/or have been part of an EP released by the band. Now, 22 years after unveiling the second compilation album, the band is presenting “Cream of the Crap! Vol. 3″.

Nicke Andersson and his bandmates have stayed true to their approach, launching an exciting collection of songs that have always been overshadowed by the band’s great longplayers. “Cream of the Crap! Vol. 3′ includes 23 songs.

Some of these are The Hellacopters tunes that were originally released between 1995 and 2004. One of them is the blistering opener, “Long Gone Loser”. Like each of the other songs on the album, “Long Gone Loser” has been fully remastered. It provides an explosive start to the album. The Hellacopters’ musical roots originate from the ’60s and ’70s, when bands such as Kiss were reaching the first peak of their careers. These influences resonate through songs such as “Disappointment Blues” and the pulsating rocker “Freeway to Hell”.

Alongside the band’s own songs, the album features several cover versions, which are real treats for fans. Songs such as “American Ruse” (originally by MC5) demonstrate the influence of the Detroit Rock City sound. It is therefore unsurprising that The Hellacopters have a brilliant cover version of Alice Cooper’s “I’m Eighteen” on “Cream of the Crap! Vol. 3”.

As well as their hard rock influences from the ’70s, the Swedes are also passionate punk rock enthusiasts, as evidenced by their furious versions of “Stab Your Back” (The Damned) and “What’d Ya Do” (The Ramones).

With “Pack of Lies”, the five-piece band has revived a song by The Nomads, thereby referencing their Swedish roots. A smoother rock song is ‘Little Miss Sweetness’, originally by The Temptations, while ‘Speedfreak’ reflects the raw power of hard rock. The latter is a Motörhead song and starts with Motörhead’s iconic bass sound. It is a hard-hitting rock song that embodies the untamed energy of Motörhead. It is a massive cover version, and any seismograph would document the vibrations while it is playing.

Southern rock is also present on “Cream of the Crap! Vol. 3”. “Workin’ for MCA” by Lynyrd Skynyrd is given a blasting interpretation by The Hellacopters.

These are just a few examples of what you can expect from “Cream of the Crap! Vol. 3″. The Hellacopters have added a brilliant third chapter to this compilation album series. This release is fun and entertaining, as well as being an untamed homage to some of the greats of rock ‘n’ roll and punk.