''Apocalypse Dudes'' is the fourth album by the Norwegian band

Turbonegro Turbonegro (Turboneger in Norway) is a Norwegian rock band, active from 1989 to 1998 and from 2002 to the present. The band combines glam rock, punk rock, and hard rock into a self-described "deathpunk" musical style. History Early years (19 ...

. It was released on February 23, 1998, and is the first studio album to feature lead guitarist Euroboy and drummer Chris Summers, and the last release before the band disbanded in December 1998. The album saw the band move towards a more

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...

-oriented sound mixed with punk and proved to be a breakthrough record for the underground band. It is the first part of the ''Apocalypse Trilogy'', consisting of ''Apocalypse Dudes'' (1998), ''

Scandinavian Leather ''Scandinavian Leather'' is an album by the Norwegian band Turbonegro that followed the band's reunion in 2002 and was released in April 2003 on Burning Heart Records in Sweden, on Bitzcore Records in Germany, on JVC/Victor Records in Japan, and ...

'' (2003) and '' Party Animals'' (2005). The snake on the cover art is taken from the American militant far-left organization

Symbionese Liberation Army The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (commonly referred to simply as the SLA) was a small, American militant far-left organization active between 1973 and 1975; it claimed to be a vanguard movement. The FBI and wider Am ...

's banner/flag.

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. After extensive touring in support of their previous album, '' Ass Cobra'', the band entered Endless Sound studio in late 1997. The band originally planned to release an EP consisting of the songs "Get It On", "Zillion Dollar Sadist" and a cover of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

's "

Suffragette City "Suffragette City" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally released in April 1972 as the B-side of the single " Starman" and subsequently appeared on his fifth studio album ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardu ...

", but as they wrote more songs, they decided to record an album instead.

Hank von Helvete Hans-Erik Dyvik Husby (15 June 1972 – 19 November 2021), also known as Hank von Helvete in Norway and Hank von Hell internationally, was a Norwegian singer best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Turbonegro. He was a member of Turbone ...

struggled with

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

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. Turbonegro finished the recording in late 1997 and signed a contract with

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

to release the album. While its predecessor, ''Ass Cobra'', was an all-out punk rock record with fast, short songs and a harsh sound, ''Apocalypse Dudes'' featured a more produced, rock-oriented sound characterized by a wall of guitars, lengthier compositions and guitar solos. The album's opening track, "The Age of Pamparius", begins with a slow, ascending guitar solo over piano and acoustic guitar, reminiscent of

Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...

, before fading into a myriad of synth noises and a whispering voice introducing the album, followed by a plucked guitar riff that erupts into fast-paced glam rock and sing-along vocals. "Get It On" is introduced by hard-hitting drums and a guitar riff in the style of

The Dictators The Dictators are an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Known for their acerbic and provocative approach in their music, the Dictators underwent several changes in their lineups. Its founding members included musicians Andy " ...

. "Rock Against Ass" and "Don't Say Motherfucker, Motherfucker" contains elements of pop rock. "Prince of the Rodeo" features a signature Euroboy riff and conga drums bridge, while "Humiliation Street" is reminiscent of

the Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...

and ends with an extended instrumental section that includes several guitar solos. The album's final song, "Good Head", is a cover version of a song by Euroboy and

Happy-Tom Thomas Seltzer (born 27 July 1969), also known by his stage name Happy-Tom, is a Norwegian-American musician and television presenter. He is best known as the bassist (temporarily drummer) and chief songwriter of the rock band Turbonegro. Ear ...

's former garage rock band, The Vikings.

Release and reception

''Apocalypse Dudes'' was released on February 23, 1998, through

in Norway, and Boomba Records and Bitzcore Records in Germany. It was released in the United States on Man's Ruin/

Sympathy for the Record Industry Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 the R.I.) is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by John Mermis, known as Long Gone John. Notable artists who started on Sympathy and went ...

on 26 January 1999. Following Turbonegro's reunion in 2002, the album was re-released on 27 January 2003 through

Burning Heart Records Burning Heart Records is an independent record label formed in 1993 in Fagersta, Sweden, and currently based in Örebro. It has a close affiliation with Californian label Epitaph Records, who own the rights to distribute Burning Heart's output ...

in Sweden and

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. A large portion of the record label, known as Hellcat Records, is owned by Tim Armstrong, frontman of the punk rock band Rancid. Several ...

in the US. ''Apocalypse Dudes'' is certified gold in Norway. Upon release, ''Moshable'' magazine commented, "''Apocalypse Dudes'' is the perfect mix of classic 70's US punk / rock'n'roll like

The Heartbreakers The Heartbreakers (sometimes referred to as "Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers) were an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1975. The band spearheaded the first wave of punk rock. History Johnny Thunders (vocals/guitar) and Jer ...

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

... every tune on this release is fucking brilliant."

Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and political activist. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Init ...

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

was quoted as saying, "The new Turbonegro record is possibly the most important European record ever." The original Boomba Records announcement from April 1998 states, "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. while Punk News rated it four and a half stars out of five.

In popular culture

* The song "Prince of the Rodeo" featured in

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's '' Jackass''. * The track "Age of Pamparius" was used as the opening theme of the ''Jackass'' spin-off ''

Wildboyz ''Wildboyz'' is an American television series which debuted in 2003 on MTV and moved to MTV2 in its third season. It is a spin-off and follow-up to '' Jackass''. The show stars Steve-O and Chris Pontius, who perform stunts and acts with animal ...

''. * The album is listed in ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music criti ...

''. * The song "Get It On" featured in the third season of the TV series ''

Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American Action film, action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX (TV channel), FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008, to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-k ...

''. * The track "Back to Dungaree High" was used in the movie '' The Worst Person in the World''.

Track listing

Personnel

Turbonegro *

(Hans Erik Dyvik Husby) – vocals * Euroboy (Knut Schreiner) – lead guitar * Rune Rebellion (Rune Grønn) – rhythm guitar * Pål Pot Pamparius (Pål Bøttger Kjærnes) – keyboards, percussion *

(Thomas Seltzer) – bass * Chris Summers (Christer Engen) – drums Additional personnel * Pål Klaastad – producer, engineer * Christian A. Calmeyer – engineer (additional) * Christa Brüggemann – lacquer cutting * Dimitri 'from Oslo' Kayiambakis – artwork * Marco Finger – photography * Martin Anderson – photography * Stian Andersen – photography

References

{{Authority control Turbonegro albums 1998 albums Burning Heart Records albums Man's Ruin Records albums Sympathy for the Record Industry albums