The Hyper Actives - "Rock 'n' Roll Lives"

Back when I was an ankle biter, there was a popular pop group from Sweden who were everyone's radar whether they loved or them hated them. Girls often dressed like them at costume parties. Then they became everyone's favourite band to deride but a movie about Australian drag queens put them make on the map decades later although the Swedish rock underground was at boiling point with punk, pop rock and metal with many bands overflowing and receiving mainstream attention.

The Hyper Actives are from Stockholm, Sweden and make no bones about being a rock band with an album entitled "Rock 'n' Roll Lives Again". The band claim influences reaching from AC/DC, Motorhead, The Dead Boys, The Exploited, Johnny Winter and Johnny Burnette.Although the fast drumming pushes them towards punks and has earned their music lazy Ramones comparisons elsewhere on the Internet. Admittedly the Hyper Actives rock path is a well trodden one but sometimes the path chosen because it's a good route to go rather than because it's where everyone has chosen
"Dirty Punk Rocker", is punk rock with a gritty AC/DC charm


  Otherwise this album is just good time three chord rock with an emphasis on fun. There are moments where the band sounds like they're channelling Mötley Crüe's debut but instead of injecting heroin, The Hyper Activesadd a heavy dose of the more affordable substance, adrenalin. Garage and heavy rock meet in "Rock 'n' Roller Man" which can only be compared to MC5 arm wrestling with Led Zeppelin.


Whether they're claiming to be nobodies playing rock 'n' roll or that nobody's playing rock 'n' roll in the song, "Rock 'n' Roll Messiah" both work better than claiming to be the band that saves rock 'n' roll. This album is nothing other than the sound of a band having fun playing and because the band are obviously enjoying themselves. I bet this trio are great live.  I highly recommend checking out "Rock 'n' Roll Lives Again" on the band's soundcloud page.



3.5/5