Say what you will about The Hives lead singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist being nothing but a mini Mick, but the dude's got pizzazz. Sure his cocksure swagger brings to mind the essence of Jagger, but big deal! At least he's a breath of fresh air in this bubble gum pop world we live in. Four years (two for us Americans) since the release of the pulse poundingly perfect Veni Vidi Vicious, Almqvist and the rest of these raucous Swedes have finally released their much-anticipated third album, fittingly titled Tyrannosaurus Hives.

Tyrannosaurus is true to its name right out of the gate, because the first three tracks on this album have razor sharp teeth. "Abra Cadaver" (awesome song title) sounds very similar to The Strokes fantastic "The Way It Is," but for a minute and a half Almqvist frantically blurts out paranoid lines "Need no alibi, honestly I tell no lies, tried to stick an office worker inside of me. Bad! Bad! They tried to stick a dead body inside of me." "Two-Timing Touch" and "Broken Bones" is an audacious bouncy rocker that feels like Veni Vidi's "Hate To Say I Told You So's" kid sister. Third track "Walk Idiot Walk" though is the cream of the crop here, and it's no surprise that it's the first single to be released. Almqvist may be a young Jagger reincarnate, but Nicholas Arson does his best Keith Richards impersonation with a tasty lick that's as sweet as "Brown Sugar." And those sleigh bells during the chorus? Who knew Santa's reindeer's favorite accessory could kick so much ass in a rock song! If you don't turn this song up to 11 every time you hear it, you need to throw the Norah Jones out the window and maybe schedule a check-up.

The rest of the album pales in comparison to those first three songs, but there is still some really good stuff here. "A Little More For Little You" is very reminiscent of The Clash's "Death or Glory," and speaking of The Clash, it seems their "Rudie Can't Fail" off of London Calling was also an inspiration to the excellent track "Dead Quote Olympics." "Diabolic Scheme" borrows string arrangements heavily from ELO's "Evil Woman," but does so in a way that's clearly meant to simply bring back a good memory. Really the only dud on the disc is "B is For Brutus," which unfortunately just feels like a slowed down rehashing of Veni Vidi's superior "Knock Knock." But other than that one misstep, this is a bloody good album that proves The Hives are still abuzz. If you're looking for a way to rev up your summer go get Tyrannosaurus and get Jurass in gear.