by Ed Rivadavia

The Hellacopters reconvened for a second album in 1998, churning out a platter that retained the raw ferocity of their debut while featuring even better songs. Payin' the Dues is a winner from start to finish, but special kudos go out to "You Are Nothin'," "Hey!," "Where the Action Is," and "Soulseller." One has to wonder how huge these guys would be if they were American instead of Swedish. The record did so well in Europe that vocalist/guitarist Nicke Andersson (aka Nicke Hellacopter) decided to quit the security of his day job on the drum stool of death metallers Entombed to concentrate on the Hellacopters full-time. Unfortunately, co-leader Dregen chose to carry on with his main band, Backyard Babies.