Trashy, hedonistic, decadent fun was the focus of
Turbonegro, a band that was formed in Oslo, Norway, in the '90s but had more in common with '70s and '80s pop-metal, hard rock, and glam metal than with the alternative rock played by their Scandinavian peers. Blending traces of punk with such influences as
Alice Cooper,
Quiet Riot,
Mötley Crüe, and
Judas Priest,
Turbonegro's late-'90s recordings were over the top and proud of it. Although all of its members are Norwegian, all of the band's lyrics are in English. Lead vocalist
Hank Von Helvete, sings quite convincingly in English, and only the slightest traces of a Scandinavian accent come through. Other
Turbonegro members of the late '90s included lead guitarist
Euroboy, bassist
Happy Tom, rhythm guitarist
Rune Rebellion, keyboardist/percussionist
Pål Pot Pamparius, and drummer
Chris Summers.
In 1997,
Turbonegro recorded
Apocalypse Dudes, which was released in the U.S. by Man's Ruin in early 1999. However, the group had broken up at the end of 1998;
Darkness Forever!, a selection of live performances from the band's final year, was released in early 2001. The breakup, however, was short-lived, and
Turbonegro were back for tour dates in 2002, followed by the release of
Scandinavian Leather in 2003. A handful of northern European dates coincided the release of the band's seventh album,
Party Animals, in 2005. A collection of remixes appeared in 2006 as
Small Feces, Vol. 1, with the full-length
Retox arriving in 2007. The band eventually parted ways with Summers and Von Helvete, eventually recruiting singer Tony Sylvester and drummer Tommy Akerholdt to replace them in 2011. Their ninth album, Sexual Harassment, followed in 2012.
–
Alex Henderson, Rovi