Swedish garage rock outfit The Hellacopters have covered Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along The Watchtower” for the country’s long-running game show På spåret. This cover debuted last Friday, around the same time their cover of The Rolling Stones’ classic “Sympathy For The Devil” appeared on the same program. That performance saw the band accompanied by Papa Emiritus IV, the frontman for fellow Swedish outfit Ghost.
This take on the Hendrix classic is as authentic as possible, retaining the electrifying guitar chords and anthemic rock feel that “All Along The Watchtower” has brought to audiences for decades. Frontman Nicke Andersson brings some rough vocals onto this performance, while lead guitarist Dregen hammers out blistering note after note throughout the entire cover.
While the band have been active for the past few years, with a live appearance during Psycho Vegas 2018, the Hellacopters have not released a new studio album since 2008’s Head Off. That album preceded the band’s hiatus until 2016, when they reunited for the Sweden Rock Festival to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of Supershitty to the Max!, their acclaimed debut album.
Andersson also serves as the drummer for Entombed and the hard rock outfit Lucifer, who released Lucifer III last year. “This new landscape retains the influence of Black Sabbath but incorporates sounds more reminiscent of acts like Heart and Deep Purple. Sadonis’ penchant for a retro and unpolished recording style only enhanced this evolution in genre, with each scratch and instrumental misstep spicing up the thoughtfully layered guitars, jubilant basslines and crashing percussion,” mxdwn reviewer Matt Sedgwick explained.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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