Staff pick of the week...
This week...Michael picks it!

Artist: The Hellacopters Title: By the Grace Of God Price: $11.05 15% off	Tracks on this CD:
	By the Grace Of God
	All New Low
	Down On Freestreet
	Better Than You
	Carry Me Home
	Rainy Days Revisited
	It's Good But It Just Ain't Right
	U.Y.F.S.
	On Time
	All I've Got
	Go Easy Now
	The Exorcist
	Pride

If you are a ROCK music fan, BUY THIS ALBUM. If you have a sweet spot for Thin Lizzy, Kiss and Cheap Trick, BUY THIS ALBUM. If you want to hear the best 30-second rawk intro this year, BUY THIS ALBUM. “By the Grace of God” was #2 on my 2002 year-end list, but received zero recognition because it was only available overseas, was released late in the year, and import copies were $25+. Cheers to the U.S. label Liquor & Poker for finally releasing this stateside on July 13. It might be #1 on my list this year.

The Hellacopters somehow missed inclusion in the big Swedish invasion of 2002. They had released a handful of domestic titles beforehand, were passed over for coverage in favor of The Hives, Soundtrack of Our Lives, Sahara Hotnights and Division of Laura Lee, and by the time they completed “Grace” it seems the invasion had been fully absorbed.

Maybe “Grace” was too much a paean to ‘70s guitar rock for its time. I remember seeing The Hellacopters play live in 2002 at Champaign’s 400 capacity venue, The Highdive, and was struck by their Thin Lizzy-meets-UFO-meets-Molly Hatchet stage show, all long-hair and harmony guitars. I had come to see what I thought was a garage-rock band, but had been blissfully teleported to the riff-rock concert going days of my youth.

“By the Grace of God” has riffs, hooks, and songs. Darkness fans will like this album, and people who read the early Darkness raves with anticipation but didn’t “get” it, will love this album. There is no schtick or irony. Just a great rock and roll album.