“So Sorry I Could Die” is a classic-rock inspired tune driven by a punchy piano and a snarling guitar riff, produced by Nicke Andersson and Chips Kisbye, who has worked on every single Hellacopters album since 2000’s High Visibility. For fans, this new album is an exciting milestone indeed, as Eyes of Oblivion will mark the group’s first full-length since 2008’s Head Off, which was originally intended to be a farewell, however this was thankfully not to be, as the band once again became active following a 2016 reunion to celebrate their debut album Supershitty to the Max!

The music video for the song was directed by Amir Chamdin, who edited the videos for the two previous singles “Reap a Hurricane” and title track “Eyes of Oblivion”.

Of the new record, The Hellacopters’ guitarist and vocalist Nicke Andersson said, according to a recent press release: “The album has 10 songs and although it’s obviously not easy to be objective at all, I think musically it sums up everything we’ve touched upon from the start in 1994 up until now. Some of the songs date back as far as 10 years or more, and some were written more recently. It’s rock and roll played with high energy, so for lack of a better term I say High Energy Rock And Roll. You could say it sounds like THE BEATLES meets JUDAS PRIEST or LYNYRD SKYNYRD meets THE RAMONES but the best way to describe this album is that it sounds like THE HELLACOPTERS today.”

Eyes of Oblivion will be available to purchase in the following formats: a Limited Edition 2 CD Box set, a Jewel Case CD, Cassette and a vinyl LP complete with an album artwork poster. Numerous different colour variants are available for the vinyl, and can be viewed here. The track list for the album can be viewed down below.

1). Reap A Hurricane
2). Can It Wait
3). So Sorry i Could Die
4). Eyes Of Oblivion
5). A Plow And A Doctor
6). Positively Not Knowing
7). Tin Foil Soldier
8). Beguiled
9). The Pressure’s On
10). Try Me Tonight

The band reunited back in 2016 playing a few short shows for the 20th anniversary of their debut album Supershitty to the Max!, and have since performed at Sweden Rock Festival, Psycho Las Vegas, Download, Hellfest, Roskilde, Ilosaarirock, among others. In October 2021 they announced that they had signed a deal with Nuclear Blast Records and that their new album would be in the works for Spring 2022 and now right on schedule here comes their latest album.

Frontman Nicke Andersson said of the new album via a press release: “The album has 10 songs and although it’s obviously not easy to be objective at all, I think musically it sums up everything we’ve touched upon from the start in 1994 up until now. Some of the songs date back as far as 10 years or more, and some were written more recently. It’s rock and roll played with high energy, so for lack of a better term I say High Energy Rock And Roll. You could say it sounds like The Beatles meets Judas Priest or Lynyrd Skynyrd meets The Ramones but the best way to describe this album is that it sounds like The Hellacopters today.”

For those who don’t know The Hellacopters were first formed back in 1994 by the aforementioned guitarist and vocalist Nicke Andersson, Dregen (guitar), bassist Kenny Håkansson and drummer Robert Eriksson. Andersson was already well renowned in the metal scene due to his work in the Swedish death metal band Entombed whilst Dregen had built a reputation as co-founder and guitarist of his main band Backyard Babies. Since then the band have gone on to have a very successful career releasing seven albums as well as four dozen singles, splits, and EPs.

Eyes Of Oblivion (album artwork pictured above) is due out on April 1 2020 and is available in a variety of formats such as a Limited Edition 2CD Box Set containing a CD Digipak and cardboard sleeve, a beer coaster, woven patch and 2 buttons, as well as four bonus tracks: “Eleanor Rigby” (The Beatles cover), “Circus” (String Driven Thing cover), “I Am the Hunted” (GBH cover), “I Ain’t No Miracle Worker” (The Brogues cover). It is also available as a CD Jewelcase, Cassete and several varieties of coloured Vinyl as well as on most streaming platforms. You can view the full list of tracks below and pre-order the album here.

Eyes Of Oblivion Track List:

Reap A Hurricane
Can It Wait
So Sorry i Could Die
Eyes Of Oblivion
A Plow And A Doctor
Positively Not Knowing
Tin Foil Soldier
Beguiled
The Pressure’s On
Try Me Tonight

As a celebration and/or promotion of the new record deal, Grande Rock has been re-released on all major streaming platforms, for the first time ever. A reminder of this fan favourite will serve as an adequate promotion for their upcoming album, as of yet untitled. Accompanying this re-release is a remastered version of their music video for “The Devil Stole The Beat From The Lord”, a major single and cult classic from Grande Rock. See the video below.

Grande Rock was a major release, with drummer Robert Eriksson noting that it “turned out to be a landmark album and the first one of ours that was released simultaneously in May 1999 by four different labels in four different continents”, spawning a gargantuan world tour where they played 130 shows in 25 different countries. Nuclear Blast Records are thus doing a great service to the fans for releasing it on modern streaming platforms, honouring its legacy. Listen to Grande Rock below.

Formed in 1994, The Hellacopters enjoyed well over a decade of success in the genre, before going on a lengthy hiatus, from 2008 to 2016. Despite dropping the EP My Mephistophelean Creed in 2016, they have not released a studio album since their return. Their upcoming album will be their first since 2008, and their eighth in total. Of the new release, frontman Nick Andersson comments “I know I said this was never gonna happen but I was wrong”, “good times ahead indeed!”

Their split in 2008 was reported to be amicable, though with little mentioned as to the reasons why, with the band disclosing that “the reasons behind this very difficult decision are many and too personal to go into here”, as per Caught in the Crossfire. The members since went on to work on other projects, with a total of thirteen projects amongst all the groups members, among them including Dundertåget, The Hydromatics, and The Solution.

To preempt their release next spring, The Hellacopters are hitting the road once again, starting their pre-album tour in Oslo on the 15th of December. They are doing an additional tour after the release, starting on the 8th of June, with more dates to come. See ticket information here and tour dates below.

15/12/2021 – Sentrum Scene – Oslo, Norway
17/12 – Globen – Stockholm, Sweden
18/12 – Göransson Arena – Sandviken, Sweden
19/12 – Luttako – Jyväskylä, Finland
20/12 – Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland
21/12 – Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland

08-11/06/2022 – Sweden Rock, Sweden
15-18/06 – Copenhell, Denmark
16/07 – Ingolstadt, Phnx Rising Festival, Germany
27/08 – Hamburg, Damage Done Fest, Germany

Festival promoters shared the news on Facebook with a note: “The Hellacopters Swedish high energy rockers will be performing as another headliner next year. They belong to the spearhead of the Scandinavian rock and roll wave. Their shows are so far extremely scarce and in Germany, there have been few opportunities to experience the best live band in Sweden“.

The Hellacopters were formed in 1994 by Nicke Anderson (Entombed) and Dregen, who later left to focus on his other band, Backyard Babies. He featured in the 1997 album Payin The Dues. They disbanded in 2008, after recording their last studio album Head Off. 

Since then The Hellacopter have been playing on and off and even made comments about the new album. At the beginning of 2020, Nicke commented: “We recorded about seven basic tracks [so far]. The thing is we do it very ‘here and there.’ The stars have to be aligned — literally. People think I’m the busiest guy, but no. It’s, like, ‘Well, I’m free here.’ ‘Oh, then I have to go to the country to the summer house.’ It’s that kind of thing. And then Dregen has BACKYARD BABIES. I think I’m busy, but he’s the busiest man I’ve ever known.”

In January this year, the band covered Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along The Watchtower” and The Rolling Stone’s classic “Sympathy For The Devil”. Both songs were done during the Sweedish game show På spåret.

On top of next year, Damage Done Fest where they will play alongside Dead Kennedy’s, The Hellacopters plan to hit the road this December with their European Tour. Tickets for all the events are available here.

The Hellacopters Tour Dates are:

15/12/21 – Sentrum Scene – Oslo -Norway
17/12 – Avicii Arena – Johanneshov – Sweden
18/12 – Goransoon Arena/ Konsert – Sandviken – Sweden
20/12 – Tavastia Klubi – Helsinki – Finland
21/12 – Tavastia Klubi – Helsinki – Finland
17/06/22 – Copenhell – Copenhagen – Denmark
27/08 – Damage Done Fest – Hamburg – Germany

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat