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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best thing since...their last album!, July 20, 2004
Finally a follow-up to one of my favorite albums in recent years! If you listened to the second Hives album, 'Veni Vidi Vicious', a whole lot and are still listening to it every now and then today you will most likely love this album. The Hives have always felt to me like a very punked up version of the Stones, and while nothing they do is ENTIRELY original they don't feel like a rip-off; their influences are prominent, but their sound is more of a sum than it's parts. With 'Tyrannosaurus' they have perfected that sound.
The biggest difference on this album is the inclusion of some synth riffs here and there and the overall sound of the album is much tighter and claustorphobic. The flow of the album is similar to Veni Vidi in that you get several fast paced songs, then one ballad (in this case it's "Diabolic Scheme") then a few more upbeat songs to round out the album. The playtime isn't entirely long but it takes them 30 minutes to accomplish what other bands take HOURS and ALBUMS to not accomplish.
After listening to this at work all day and two times at home since I got off work, I am thoroughly pleased. Highlights for me include, "B Is For Brutus", "Love In Plaster", "A Little More For Little You", and the recently released single, "Walk Idiot Walk" (which if you haven't seen the video for, you should treat yourself to it; it's incredible!) If you are a fan of the Hives or just a fan of fast, excellent garage/punk rock in general, chances are you'll enjoy this.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
They're back!, October 6, 2004
Swede rock has been on the upswing in recent years -- Division of Laura Lee, Sahara Hotnights, and (of course) the Hives. After their hit debut "Veni Vidi Vicious," the Hives return with a (short) sophomore album that still harkens back to classic punk, yet expands their old sound. Ladies and gentlemen, "Tyrannosaurus Hives."
It kicks off with a roar in the rebellious "Abra Cadaver," a catchy bass/guitar-driven rocker that slips into the even catchier "Two-Timing Touch And Broken Bones." The first half of the album is made up of songs that sound like their older sound, like the rollicky "No Pun Intended" and roaring bass-rocker "B is for Brutus."
But in the second half, they start to experiment. For example, that the sparking electric guitar sound in "A Little More For Little You," the twitchy squeaks of "Missing Link's" opener or the symphonic punk sound of "Diabolic Scheme." Strings, synths, head-spinning riffs, robotic backing vocals and gentler percussion? You go, boys.
Copying the Ramones? The Stooges? The Rolling Stones? It isn't the Hives' fault that they weren't born in the golden age of rock, and they know it. They do borrow quite a bit, but at least they don't do it badly. While they're not on the level of those rock legends, the Hives do produce good rock -- as in, not the cookie-cutter productions of Train and similar bands. As in, their sound is complex, evolving and shows some of the rebel spirit of classic punk.
Yes, they're a famous, hit band -- but that doesn't make them bad. Nor does the half-hour long playing time. Their music is a solid mixture of bass and guitar at the core of it all, with twisty melodies that have plenty of verve and punk spunk (I can't believe I just said that). But they add in new elements -- is that a tambourine I hear? And was that a Mexican guitar solo?
Howlin' Pelle Almqvist still yells a lot instead of singing, but at least he's good at it. His high yowls at the start of "Diabolic Scream" are an annoyance -- please, I'm trying to listen to that glorious music. But one area that the Hives have definitely worked on is: songwriting. No gooey girlfriend pop punk here. It's a celebration of noncomformity as Pelle sings "There's no deadbeat worker inside of me!" or the entire "Walk Idiot Walk" song.
The Hives prove that they're no one-hit wonder with "Tyrannosaurus Hives," a solid rock album that hints at their influences, yet explores new territory. A nice listen with some excellent songs.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Back in style, July 21, 2004
The Hives, probably the band with the highest self esteem in the world (the frontman was qoted as saying "We love you but you love us more!", return for a fourth outing with a bang. Their three previous albums, "Barely Legal", a collection of poorly produced, sometimes painfully recorded songs that showed that the energy was certainly there. Their breakout album, "Veni Vidi Vicious" overflowed with engergy and put it in a better produced, more accessable package, naturally this was a huge hit. THen came the almost-an-EP "Your New Favorite Band" with had several cuts from Veni Vidi Vicious and not much interesting. Now comes "Tyrannysaurus Hives", upon a first listen you realize these guys are on some ungodly form of speed. This there is electricity flowing through every inch of this record, they even seem to find distortions that make you feel like if you touched your stereo, sparks would fly. Just listen to the first fifteen seconds of "B is for Brutus", this distortion is something I've never heard before, its so energetic without being painful the only comparibly "heavy distortion" guitar production ive heard is the Smashing Pumpkins "Saimese Dream". However in terms of the energy in the guitars, they are on opposite ends of the spectrum, on "Saimese Dream" is comes at you as a wall of smooth, almost beautiful, distortion; in "Tyrannosaurus Hives" the guitar is fast, choppy, agitated, and confident.
Track by track...here be go:
Abra Cadaver- this seem like its probably something written back aroudn the barely legal era, it has the same feel to it. Alquvest certainly knows how to constrcut lyrics that sound cool, even if you can't understand what he's saying.
Two Timing Touch And Broken Bones - Probably the coolest, tightest punk song ever written. The rythym in this song is pretty incredible, the only misstep is a slightly clunky chorus.
Walk Idiot Walk - Guitar sound like "Sticky Fingers" era stones. Vocals sound like like a very angry Sgt. Pepper. Clapping always makes everyone happy.
No Pun Intended - A straightforward punk song, nothing too interesting.
A Little More For You - Another song with with cool rhythym guitar work. This one has a more skaish feel towards the beginning, then turns into something more similar to AC/DC for its chorus. It works quite well, it has a nice building effect that you don't get much because Hives songs are so short usually.
B is for Brutus - this is my personal favorite. The distortion sounds like electricity. The riff is killer. The lyrics are defiant and in your face, just what a good Hives snobby punk rock song should be.
See Through Head - This is like a much better version of No Pun Intended. More stylized, has something to remember it by. A neat song.
Diabolic Scheme - You gotta give them credit for this song. Nothing in the song really works that well when you deconstruct it, but they do it with such conviction and it reminds you for a minute of why the Rolling Stones were so cool, you can't help but appreciate it for that.
Missing Link - Another rhythmic one, this time at twice the speed. Double as impressive as Two Timing, but not as original.
Love In Plaster - this one doesnt really tickle my fancy, but still adds synth to the list of experiments. Reminds one of Baba O'Riely, but it goes away just in time for you to realize that thats probably a bad thing.
Dead Quote Olympics - um, this songs great, but I really don't know why. It shouldn't be. It's just fun.
Antidote - The most straightforward rock song here. ONe guitar becomes two, add drums, then bass. Insert a cool riff, and lyrics that could be about naughty things. A nice closer, personanlly it doesn't quite wrap up the album the way "Supply and Demand" did for Veni Vidi Vicious, but hey, whatever.
A fantastic group of songs, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, you'd swear it was an hour and a half. Especially if you listen to it loud.
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Howlin' Pelle shares his favorite music with Amazon customers. See all artists' picks on our Music You Should Hear page.
by The Hives 
