The Hellacopters - Payin' The Dues


4x****
Happily the energy and impact of this album makes the previous, Grande Rock, sound like a piece of crap, as I remembered. The sound is hotter and the pedal is pushed all the way to the floor, case in point "Like No Other Man"****, like Judas Priest on speed with Stooges production. Lead track "You Are Nothin'"**** wears it's 70's influences (Kiss, Alice Cooper) proudly, but with a lyrical menace unlike anything on Grande Rock. Spoken/sung rock-n-roll casualty tale "Colapso Nervioso"**** sounds as big and dumb as songs come, which belies the complex and pummeling toms building to the neck-snapping one-two riff. Instead of just lazily swinging, the stops and starts add a dynamic of released energy. Speaking of Kiss, "Looking At Me" screams it. "Hey!"**** delivers as swift kick as the title suggests, with a perfect hook in the opening riff. The remaining songs push the velocity limit of punk, except for straightforward closing track "Psyched Out And Furious", which ends with enough bravado to make Spinal Tap Proud.

Live Disc - 3x****
The live treatment gives "Action De Grace"**** a much-need shot missing from the album version, while "Already Already Now" is also better but still a sputtering mess. This version of "You Are Nothin"**** already had a better production but it's still great. All the performances are energetic, but the best surprise is "Born Broke"**** from the first album Supershitty to the Max, with a riff worthy of comparison with "Kick Out Jams" (though the jamming goes on far too long).

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