Easily their best and most consistent work to date,
By the Grace of God
from Sweden's
garage rock
stalwarts
the Hellacopters
is a flawless collection of anthemic soulful
rock
songs from start to finish. Picking up where 2001's
High Visibility
left off,
continues to show singer/guitarist
Nicke Andersson
's transformation from a mere garage punk with a great sense of melody into one hell of a songwriter. In fact, the group as a whole has grown tighter as a unit and loosened up in the process, which ultimately has made them more confident musicians. The lightening fast and fluid fret work of
Robert "Strings" Dahlqvist
recalls the soul and attack of
Ted Nugent
in his prime, playing every note and riff like it was his last. Drummer
Robert Eriksson
plays his kit with machine gun precision, and bass man
Kenny Hakansson
, who lays down perfect melodic grooves that hold each song together like super glue, and keyboardist
Anders "Bobba Fett" Lindstroem
's piano and organ work is the icing on the cake. The impeccable production courtesy of
Chips Kiesbye
(
) is a big part of what makes this record work so well. With its big guitars and widescreen sound
would equally please fans of classic '70s
arena rock
as it would fans of their earlier, rawer Detroit-influenced material. Such tracks as
"Carry Me Home,"
"Rainy Day Revisited,"
and
"Go Easy Now"
are infectious and edgy enough so that they wouldn't be out of place on a trendy
alternative rock
station wedged between a
Foo Fighters
song and a
Vines
song. The 13 tracks off
are also soulful and timeless enough that they could be heard following tunes by
legends such as
Thin Lizzy
or
Cheap Trick
on any classic
station. Not to say Stockholm's finest have lost their edge; on the contrary, they've only sharpened and refined it. The title track
"By the Grace of God"
instantly goes for the throat as does
"It's Good but It Just Ain't Right"
in classic
Hellacopters
fashion. While other bands of their ilk continue to release virtually the same record year after year,
have grown with each subsequent release, maturing into a great
band transcending scenes and fads.
The Hellacopters
have truly outdone themselves on
and proven that the term "classic
" doesn't only apply to bands of days gone by, and gives hope to those who still love great
rock & roll
. ~ Rick Kutneroe