Helmet Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
Faith No More is a band that was often sited as a prime influence by the glut of nu-metallists during the late '90s and early 2000s, but another band that definitely left their mark on the likes of Korn, the Deftones, and Limp Bizkit was Helmet. Led by singer/guitarist/songwriter Page Hamilton, the band went on hiatus for a spell during the late '90s and early 2000s, before rising from the ashes with 2004's Size Matters. But by this point, Hamilton was the only original member left in attendance, which continued on the 2006 follow-up, Monochrome. Looking to recapture the magic of their first two albums (which are considered to be Helmet's best recordings) -- 1991's Strap It On and 1992's Meantime -- Hamilton enlisted the aid of Wharton Tiers to co-produce the album (the same gentleman who engineered the two aforementioned albums). And the move has certainly helped Hamilton accomplish his goal -- tracks such as "Brand New" and "On Your Way Down" could have easily fit on Meantime -- while the title track offers some emo-esque melodicism. Monochrome proves once and for all that Hamilton is Helmet's main man. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The resurrected Helmet pits a growlier Page Hamilton against a new rhythm section, but that's about the only change. Size Matters stutters just like the old days, and favors skewed melodies that, even if they're a little slower or more layered, still sound like New York City in 1990. "Crashing Foreign Cars," for example, could be part two of Strap It On's "Blacktop." There's Hamilton-branded guitar freakery here -- check the bleating car horn intro to "Enemies" -- and opener "Smart" is as economic as metal derivation is going to get in the new millennium, when the genre's dominated by bombast and ridiculously compressed electric guitars. (Ex-Rob Zombie drummer John Tempesta gets credit for his precision snare and deliberate pacing.) And yet, despite its throwback sound, Size Matters starts to run together. Middle-range tempos emphasize the slow-motion roar of Hamilton's guitar, but tracks like "Drug Lord" and "Unwound" also begin to plod at that meter. It's like they lose interest after introducing the huge part. "Everybody Loves You" is stronger, and "Last Breath"'s crunch and altered tempos are knife sharp and cool. "Speak and Spell" is another highlight. Size Matters emphasizes for the bloated alt-metal elite what it means to have craft and a little self-control. It isn't necessarily memorable, but as an exercise in measured, even artistic rage, it's classic Hamilton. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With the corporate rock cognoscenti frothing at the mouth to sign the next Nirvana, in 1991, a seemingly nerdy band from New York by the name of Helmet were about to set the world on fire -- at least on paper. Seemingly overnight, the Amphetamine Reptile faves had a fat check in their pockets and an astounding major-label debut by the name of Meantime. Eschewing Cobain's neo-punk power pop instincts, Helmet opted instead for a more a minimalist approach, whereby rhythmic tension over 4/4 melodies reigned supreme. Now poised to step into their role as future darlings of a sound that can only be described as bludgeoning agro-punk atonal rock, the band was propelled by a massive hype campaign and heralded as East Coast tastemakers du jour. But for all its accolades (mostly well deserved), Meantime's commercial success sadly fell short of expectation, and, by '94, Helmet was giving it another try with Betty -- its second effort for Interscope. Label pressure notwithstanding, the album had a lot more riding on it than even perhaps Hamilton was willing to admit. Lacking some of the tightly focused ferocity of their previous release, Betty appears to be an almost too well thought out affair, and, ultimately, its songs miss out on some of the discreet melodic accents which had served to underpin even the most bludgeoning noise-fests on Meantime. Songs like "Wilma's Rainbow," "Biscuits for Smut," and especially "Milquetoast" have their moments, but don't quite live up to expectations. And although Helmet's tuned down, stop-go-stop dynamic (originally pioneered by New Yorkers Prong) would go on to influence hundreds of up-and-coming acts, their complete lack of image or star quality (a key ingredient to Cobain's magnetism, as much as he himself despised it) would play a major role in eventually doing them in. Betty initiated a commercial spiral for the quartet that not even the return-to-form and progress displayed by 1997's massive sounding Aftertaste could reverse. ~ John Franck & Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In 1991, Interscope won a ferocious multi-label bidding war (which according to firsthand accounts, pitted an estimated 18 to 22 different labels against each other) and signed Helmet for a reported cool one-million-plus dollars. Under the watchful eye of the record biz, and on the heels of Nirvana's huge commercial breakthrough, Helmet were curiously touted as the next big thing. Unsurprisingly, expectations would never be fully realized. Arguably one of the most influential and overlooked rock records of the '90s, Meantime threw the rule book out the window. Led by the classically trained Page Hamilton, Helmet's bludgeoning riffs combined with their stop-go-stop-go minimalist attack changed the face of aggro-rock. Its importance cannot be overstated. From the Steve Albini-produced title track through "Role Model," the band is relentless. On "Give It," Hamilton spews "killing hurts/has to be done/peace and love/who's number one," and later "the right to give/learn to bleed/it's free/pain is outside/lift it up to see." As the hypnotic riff and John Stanier's piccolo snare echo throughout, the band thrashes through the song like a ten-ton hammer. Again, every song is colored by Teutonic riffs, with only "Unsung" hinting at a gasp of commercial accessibility. ~ John Franck, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Little noticed upon its initial release, Helmet's debut full-length, Strap It On, left a sledgehammer-like indention upon those few who did hear it at the time and served as the template for the band's successive major-label breakthrough, Meantime -- albeit a very raw and abrasive template that may jolt fans of the band's later work. The nine-song album is a brief one, clocking in around a half-hour, but even such brevity proves wonderfully exhausting by the time you near the last couple songs. In fact, by the time you make it past "Sinatra," one of the album's highlights and also the halfway point, slow fatigue threatens as the riffs continue to hammer away unrelentingly and vocalist Page Hamilton's sometimes-tuneful, oftentimes-bellowing shouting grows seemingly further agonized. The overall relentlessness should be a sheer pleasure to those who enjoy the intensity of metal without the clownish clichés yet, at the same time, enjoy the originality of alt-rock without the pansy passivity. Much like Black Flag and the Jesus Lizard, Helmet plays rabid alt-rock -- teeth-grinding, sweat-inducing, ear-bleeding, head-smashing music that transcends trend and is downright physical for the hell of it. Of course, this shouldn't be news to anyone familiar with Helmet's other albums, yet Strap It On is a less labored, more grating album than any of its successors. Its production is borderline lo-fi, sounding as if the album was recorded to eight-track in a Lower East Side basement, and the tone is consistent throughout, sounding as if the band recorded the songs one after another with little, if any, post-production. As such, the album plays best as a whole, with few tracks standing out except the aforementioned "Sinatra" and the stop-and-go "Bad Mood," which in some ways foreshadows the neck-snapping rapture that would be "Unsung." On the other hand, these very qualities that make Strap It On such a compelling listen also limit its appeal. It's simply too harsh and confrontational for anyone but metal/alt-rock fringe-dwellers, and the utter lack of hooks certainly don't make it any more accessible. Though definitely not the place to begin investigating Helmet's legacy, Strap It On is an album that fans will want to seek out at some point down the line. [Originally release independently by Amphetamine Reptile in 1990, Strap It On was re-released by Interscope in 1991 shortly before the label unleashed Meantime.] ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
