Performer Notes

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
The Hives: Howlin' Pelle Almquist (vocals); Nicholaus Arson, Vigilante Carlstroem (guitar); Dr. Matt Destruction (bass); Chris Dangerous (drums).
Those who can remember the '60s probably weren't there, right? So goes the old adage, and Sweden's The Hives work it to their advantage in a remodeling of the garage rock motifs beloved of aficionados of the genre. It's much to their credit that they do it with a fresh energy and obvious affection, not to mention a ready wit (witness "The Hives Introduce the Metric System in Time") that recalls not only long-vanished garage bands of the '60s but also later inheritors of the garage rock mantle such as the Flamin' Groovies. "Declare Guerre Nucleare" doubles as appropriate opener and statement of intent with a blast of hot, ear splitting guitar, distorted cymbals and screaming Iggy-type vocals, swiftly followed by a steaming slice of unreconstructed punk rock courtesy of "Die, All Right!" In case you were still unsure where they were coming from, there's a Saints-style rock outing on "A Get Together to Tear It Apart." With its determinedly lo-fi sound and scrappy energy, VENI VIDI VICIOUS is a time capsule of '60s dynamism and intensity, as interpreted by early 21st century Swedish rockers. It took the British to revitalize '60s American rock & roll--at the dawn of a new century, this time it's the Scandinavians' turn.

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.106) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2002"

Rolling Stone (6/20/02, p.83) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...VICIOUS is a combination of punk's snottiness, Detroit rock's raw power and the stylized blues freak-outs of bands like Pussy Galore....Nevertheless, the white-hot sound [on the album] is unmistakably the Hives."

Spin (1/03, p.70) - Ranked #10 on Spin's list of 2002's "Albums of the Year" - "...Five natty graduates of Sweden's Universitet for Iggy Pop..."

Alternative Press (7/02, p.82) - 8 out of 10 - "...12 blasts of retro garage punk, played so close to the mic that you'll be wiping spittle from your ears....They came, they saw, they rocked viciously."