Back with a blast, Stockholm-based rock veterans The Hellacopters have recently signed a deal with Nuclear Blast Records, self-described as “the world’s biggest independent heavy metal label”. Alongside this news, they have also announced the re-release of their hit third album Grande Rock on streaming services, as well as a new studio album to be released in Spring next year.
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
