Apocalypse Dudes
Apocalypse Dudes is the fourth album by the Norwegian band Turbonegro. It is the first studio album with Euroboy as the lead guitarist and the last before the band disbanded in December 1998. Released in early 1998 in Norway and Germany, the album was a huge success for the then underground band.
| Apocalypse Dudes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1998 26 January 1999 (US) | |||
| Recorded | Autumn 1997 by Pål Hlaast, additional recording by Christian A. Calmeyer | |||
| Studio | Endless Sound, Oslo | |||
| Genre | Glam punk, hard rock, punk rock | |||
| Length | 47:31 | |||
| Label | Virgin (Norway, 1998) Boomba (Germany, 1998) Bitzcore (Germany, 1998) Man's Ruin/Sympathy for the Record Industry (US, 1999) Burning Heart (re-press) (Sweden) Epitaph (re-press) (US) | |||
| Turbonegro chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Man's Ruin/Sympathy for the Record Industry 1999 edition cover | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Austin Chronicle |  [2] |
| Mojo | [3] |
| Pitchfork | 8.6/10[4] |
| Q | [5] |
| Record Collector | [6] |
| Spin | B+[7] |
| Uncut | [8] |
Adapting a more glam rock-oriented sound, Apocalypse Dudes set the standard for future Turbonegro records and became the first part of the Apocalypse trilogy, consisting of Apocalypse Dudes (1998), Scandinavian Leather (2003) and Party Animals (2005).
Production
Following the addition of Euroboy and the drummer Chris Summers, Turbonegro had adapted a new sound with the release of their "Prince of the Rodeo" single, gradually moving from punk rock to glam rock. The band went into the studio in late 1997, after extensive touring. The band originally planned to release an EP including the songs "Get It On", "Zillion Dollar Sadist" and a cover of David Bowie's "Suffragette City". But as they wrote more songs, they decided to record an album instead.[9]
While its predecessor, Ass Cobra, was an all-out punk rock record, Apocalypse Dudes adds a more produced, rock-oriented sound characterized by a wall of guitars and blistering solos. "The Age of Pamparius" starts out with an ascending guitar solo over piano and acoustic guitar, reminiscent of Alice Cooper, before fading into a myriad of synth noises and a whispering voice introducing the album. A plucked guitar riff is then played before the song erupts into fast-paced glam rock. "Get It On" is introduced by thundering drums and a guitar riff in the style of The Dictators. "Rock Against Ass" and "Don't Say Motherfucker, Motherfucker" contains elements of pop rock. "Prince of the Rodeo" features conga drums while "Humiliation Street" is a dark ballad, ending with an extended guitar solo. The album's final song, "Good Head", is a cover version of the song by Schreiner and Seltzer's earlier garage rock band, The Vikings.
Hank von Helvete struggled with heroin addiction during the recording process and almost quit the band. The vocals for "Are You Ready (For Some Darkness)" took several days to record due to his poor health.[9]
Turbonegro finished the recording in late 1997 and signed a contract with Virgin Records to release the album. The album was released 23 February 1998.[9]
Release
Apocalypse Dudes was released on Virgin Records on CD in Norway, on Boomba Records on 12" vinyl and CD in Germany, on Bitzcore Records on 12" vinyl in Germany and on Man's Ruin/Sympathy for the Record Industry on 12" vinyl and CD on 26 January 1999, in the United States. It was re-released on 27 January 2003, on Burning Heart Records in Sweden and on Epitaph Records in the USA. It went gold in Norway.[10]
Apocalypse Dudes presents Turbonegro's trademark deathpunk sound, "a new resurgence of glam rock'n'roll" as the Boomba announcement put it[11] - much due to guitarist Euroboy, who had been playing with the band live since 1996.
Moshable magazine commented, "Apocalypse Dudes is the perfect mix of classic 70's US punk / rock'n'roll like The Dictators, The Heartbreakers & The Ramones... every tune on this release is fucking brilliant." Jello Biafra was quoted as saying, "The new Turbonegro record is possibly the most important European record ever."
The original Boomba announcement from April 1998 said, "This my friends, is a virtually perfect record! Excellent production - a huge, FAT sound; lots of power and excellent songs that you can't get out of your head. Not one let down through 47 minutes of music!! This is not an underground tip !! 'Apocalypse Dudes' appeals to the masses. From punk to metal to mainstream, "Apocalypse Dudes" has something for everyone."
Pitchfork rated Apocalypse Dudes 8.6 out of 10.[12] Punk News rated it four and a half stars out of five.[13]
Legacy
- The track "Age of Pamparius" is used as the theme for MTV's Wildboyz.
- The album is listed in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[14]
- The tracks "Selfdestructo Bust" and "Prince of the Rodeo" were used in Jackass: The Game.
- The song "Get It On" was used in season 3 episode 13 of the TV show Sons of Anarchy.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Turbonegro, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Age of Pamparius" | 5:59 |
| 2. | "Selfdestructo Bust" | 2:55 |
| 3. | "Get It On" | 4:08 |
| 4. | "Rock Against Ass" | 3:49 |
| 5. | "Don't Say Motherfucker, Motherfucker" | 2:10 |
| 6. | "Rendezvous with Anus" | 1:59 |
| 7. | "Zillion Dollar Sadist" | 3:20 |
| 8. | "Prince of the Rodeo" | 3:45 |
| 9. | "Back to Dungaree High" | 2:57 |
| 10. | "Are You Ready (for Some Darkness)" | 3:35 |
| 11. | "Monkey on Your Back" | 2:52 |
| 12. | "Humiliation Street" | 5:54 |
| 13. | "Good Head" | 4:08 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Prince of the Rodeo" (single version) | 3:41 |
| 15. | "Suffragette City" (David Bowie cover) | 2:52 |
Personnel
- Hank von Helvete (Hans Erik Dyvik Husby) - vocals
- Euroboy (Knut Schreiner) - lead guitar
- Rune Rebellion (Rune Grønn) - rhythm guitar
- Pål Pot Pamparius (Pål Bøttger Kjærnes) - keyboards and percussion
- Happy-Tom (Thomas Seltzer) - bass
- Chris Summers (Christer Engen) - drums
Additional personnel
- Martin Anderson - photography
- Oliver Brand - director
- Christian A. Calmeyer - engineer
- Rocco Clein - director
- Dimitri 'from Oslo' Kayiambakis - artwork
- Marco Finger - photography
- Pal Klaastad - engineer
References
- Henderson, Alex. "Apocalyse Dudes – Turbonegro". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- Renshaw, Jerry (4 April 2003). "Turbonegro: Ass Cobra (Burning Heart) / Apocalypse Dudes (Burning Heart)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- "Turbonegro: Apocalyse Dudes". Mojo. No. 114. May 2003. p. 118.
- Stosuy, Brandon (16 March 2003). "Turbonegro: Ass Cobra / Apocalyse Dudes". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- "Turbonegro: Apocalyse Dudes". Q. p. 119.
[P]erversely entertaining in every sense.
- "Turbonegro: Apocalyse Dudes". Record Collector. p. 96.
[W]ith a tighter, more commercial sound overlaying the innuendo, and the band acknowledging more melodic influences such as Alice Cooper and 70s glam.
- Gross, Joe (June 2003). "Turbonegro: Ass Cobra / Apocalyse Dudes". Spin. Vol. 19, no. 6. pp. 106–08. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- "Turbonegro: Apocalyse Dudes". Uncut. p. 106.
[A] quantum leap forward, a glam-metal classic built for fans of everyone from The Glitter Band to Black Flag.
- Håkon Moslet (1 March 2018). TRBNGR - Sagaen om Denimfolket. Gyldendal. ISBN 978-82-05-36242-0.
- "Trofeer". IFPI Norway. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
- "turbonegro archive - Turbo 97-98". turbonegro archive. Retrieved 8 June 2007.
- "Turbonegro: Ass Cobra / Apocalypse Dudes". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- Punknews.org. "Turbonegro - Apocalypse Dudes". www.punknews.org. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.