Like most band breakups, The Hellacopters’ 2008 split was meant to be permanent. After all, the Swedish rock battalion had released seven albums in 12 years, toured the globe, and even won a Swedish Grammy. “The band had run its course and I wanted to move on,” guitarist, vocalist, and co-founder Nicke Andersson tells Apple Music. “It probably took a year before people started asking about a reunion show, but I always said, ‘No, we broke up. Let us be broken up.’”
As the years passed, Andersson began seeing things differently. In 2016, The Hellacopters played a reunion show to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album. “It felt really nice playing the old songs again,” Andersson recalls. “As we started playing more and more shows, we felt we needed a new album because we’re not old enough to be a nostalgia band.” Enter Eyes of Oblivion, The Hellacopters’ first album in 14 years—and their first with guitarist and co-founder Dregen since 1997’s Payin’ the Dues. Below, Andersson comments on each track.
“Reap a Hurricane”
“It was actually the last song I wrote for the album. Up until then, we didn’t feel like we had a song that would be suitable for a first song on the album. And loving the album format, the sequencing is really important to me. The first song on any rock album should always be upbeat. The lyrics are talking about how, since industrialization, things have been moving pretty fast in the world—and that doesn’t look very good. But I tried to wrap it in a little bit of humor.”
“Can It Wait”
“I probably wrote this song at least ten years ago, back when I had my other band Imperial State Electric. I remember we all thought that it sounded too much like The Hellacopters. So, when we started talking about recording a new Hellacopters album, this was the first one I showed to the other guys.”
“So Sorry I Could Die”
“This one is also around ten years old, I think. It’s just my Swedish take on American rhythm & blues. Being me, it’s not going to sound like rhythm & blues from the ’60s, but that’s what I had in the back of my head. It’s something we have never tried before, so that was really fun for us. And it got Boba, our keyboard player, to shine a little bit.”
“Eyes of Oblivion”
“I think this is probably the one song on the album that sounds most like The Hellacopters. It reminds me of other songs we have. The lyrics are talking about how the world can be too much sometimes. Russia is attacking Ukraine at the moment and we’re almost over the pandemic and I think a lot of people just want to disappear for an hour or two. You want to escape a little bit. That being said, I don’t want to ignore things around me, either.”
“A Plow and a Doctor”
“The theme for this one is a little bit of a different take on the first song. We’ve gone so far so quickly, but perhaps we should just destroy everything and start from scratch. And then we’d need a plow so we can eat, and a doctor so we don’t get too sick.”
“Positively Not Knowing”
“I’ve written a few songs about religion over the years, and this is one of them. I would call myself an atheist, but I’m also very fascinated how people can be so convinced. And it amazes me that I’m not so convinced. And then another guy can believe something completely different and also be so convinced. Maybe I’m right and they’re wrong, or it’s the other way around. I don’t know. So, I’m just having fun with that topic.”
“Tin Foil Soldier”
“I am a big fan of ’70s glam, so this is me trying to channel Sweet and Slade. But then, it’s through the Swedish filter, so it will come out different. But that was the idea when I sat down with the guitar. I had this riff that I thought sounded a bit like it could be from that era. Even on the demo, I put handclaps because a song like that needs handclaps. And then Dregen wrote the lyrics to this one.”
“Beguiled”
“I listen a lot to the Ramones, and sometimes you just want to play something that’s similar. But then, of course, you’re not the Ramones, so it won’t sound exactly like that. But the song is about internet trolls—just me having fun with them.”
“The Pressure’s On”
“That one's a little different because Boba, the keyboard player, wrote the music. I wrote the lyrics and the vocal melody and arranged a little bit of it, so that’s the team effort of the album. Lyrically, it’s pretty simple. It’s just about the pressure that’s on everybody these days. It’s coming from all over the place.”
“Try Me Tonight”
“Musically, I think that’s just me trying to channel a little bit of a Stooges/MC5 type thing, but there could also be a little bit of Kiss and Ted Nugent in there. And the lyrics are me having fun with that old phrase, ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover.’ In the narrative of the song, I may look like a geek to you, but just wait and see. Maybe I have a black belt in martial arts. Just try me tonight.”