The Hives

It's been a little under four years since Veni Vidi Vicious was released, and by all accounts the Hives have prospered. Since they owe heavy thanks to the "garage" explosion of late 2001 for their major-label deal, it seems like a tall order to produce a successful followup. But the Swedish quintet are out to prove their skeptics wrong, and keep nervous label execs at bay, with twelve tracks in the clip.

On Tyrannosaurus Hives, the Hives continue to produce a frenetic blend of raw punk rock and roll and late-Sixties Detroit grunge. Great guitar riffs complement the rhythm section's strong metronome. Frontman Pelle Almqvist continues his vocal exploits as a maniacal (albeit quasi-bratty) pretty boy in the vein of a Clockwork Orange-era Malcolm McDowell. "Walk Idiot Walk" is the single being pushed, but truer gems exist later in the disc. "Love in Plaster," "Dead Quote Olympics," and "Antidote" close the album with the edgy agitation and furibund rumpus that their refined garments betray.

Previously devoid from earlier recordings, but tastefully added here, are synths that pepper the recording. Whoever lent the Hives a copy of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar ought to pat themselves on the back, because "B is for Brutus" is a rocking halfway point on the disc that's meant to be played loud, like everything else on this album. -- Abel Folgar