ALBUMS THAT WILL F*CK YOUR FACE OFF IN 2012: IMPERIAL STATE ELECTRIC, TBA
Imperial State Electric
TBA
Label – TBA
Release Date – February/March
Nicke Anderssonn has been in more bands, side projects, and collaborations than, uh, Dave Grohl. I’m sure there’s a better comparison, but I can’t think of one right now, so Dave it is.
Anderssonn has done everything from producing bands to founding labels to drumming for Entombed and basically one-man banding the hilariously named Death Breath. Not to mention Supershit 666, his power-trio collaboration with Backyard Babies’ Dregen and Ginger Wildheart that resulted in an EP under the name. (What can I say? I have the maturity level of a teenage boy. Silly names get my attention.)
Amongst all his endeavors, though, The Hellacopters is probably my favorite. Gritty, basement punk with a melodic metal edge. I’ve literally spent months hunting down everything I could possibly find from them, and I’m pretty psyched that his newest project, Imperial State Electric, has shades of that band. Especially since I was quite self-righteously pissed off when they broke up in 2008. Yes, I’m still grouchy about it.
Imperial State Electric sound like bluesier Motorhead meets Hellacopters via early Beatles. And I do mean early Beatles; when they were punk-ass Liverpool lads that were more likely to punch you in the face than want to hold your hand. Andersson started recording all the instruments himself after the break-up of the Hellacopters, and then decided to add some more members to the mix. Andersson is on vocals and guitar, for now, but I hope he continues on vocals even though he has expressed that he might switch back to drumming. He has one of my favorite voices in music, and I could probably quite happily sit and listen to him sing nursery rhymes — and I loathe nursery rhymes. I’d even prefer Christmas songs, such is my level of distaste. THAT’s how much I love Anderssonn’s voice.
ISE actually released their first, self-titled album in 2010 with another one, In Concert, just last year — but apparently I missed ’em both. That’s what being butthurt about a band break up for four years gets me, I guess. I’m up to speed now and their newest single, “Sheltered in the Sand,” comes out January 27. Their new album, title unknown, will be released around February-March of this year as stated by their website.
-LF
