It definitely was not easy to find accurate information about this band. Most of the stuff I found out was in Norwegian and their Facebook page is pretty much incomplete. Only thing I know is they are a Punk Rock band from Norway and have been honing their craft for more than a decade. It is safe to say I am jumping in open waters on this one.

The Punk Rock genre has had its fair share of publicity in the 70's and 80's but has been pretty much filtered out by the emergence of the Pop-Punk bands in the middle of the nineties and slightly before that. Yet the genre is still very much present in Europe and still has its roots up there.

We are far from the audio quality from back in the infancy of the genre. It's miles away from the genre that was based on quantity before quality. The quality of the production is above standard and was a really nice surprise; I was not expecting something to sound this good even for a Punk Rock band.

The lyrics aren't the most innovative and most of the time lack direction. We are far from the angst and hatred of bands like the SEX PISTOLS. Legends like them were based on their hatred for the government, religion and society in general. Well, HELLHIKERS are more a party Punk Rock band that likes to talk about women, alcohol and partying! It's a very outgoing album and has some really catchy tunes. Nothing really stands out for me but I enjoyed the whole vibe of the album. They may not be the most innovative band in the world but it's a nice change of pace from the other bands in the genre. They stick to their roots and don't try to overdo it. They don't dive in that mid-nineties slump that we had in this genre; I felt that slump almost killed the genre and I am happy that someone remembered that this genre was a staple of society back then.

HELLHIKERS stuck to the basics and made a really nice album. It's a breath of fresh air and is really enjoyable. "Death Rattle & Roll" may not have that edginess that a lot of people loved about the grassroots of the genre but they dish out some well-needed vivacity in a dying scene.

A band to look for if they ever get out of Europe...