| Strap It On | 1991 |
| Meantime | 1992 |
| Betty | 1994 |
| Aftertaste | 1997 |
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(reviewed by Alex Wilson)
Although it can't hold a candle to the band's magnum opus, Meantime, Helmet's debut album is still a relatively enjoyable romp and a decent addition to any fan's collection. All the elements are there: Page Hamilton's grinding riffs, noisy soloing and barked vocals, Henry Bogdan's steady bass and the excellent drumming of John Stanier. However, the album doesn't really gel together for a couple of reasons, and these are what prevent it from being the blissful bludgeoning it was meant to be.
Firstly, the production is fucking horrible. Now don't get me wrong, I don't expect pristine radio-ready production on every record, but something as badly lo-fi as this irritates the hell out of me, mainly because it robs a tight band of their power. Helmet was clearly trying to capture the raw feel of a live show, but instead ended up with what sounds like a really shitty bootleg. The bass and guitars are thin and powerless, and John Stanier's drums have all the presence of someone banging cardboard boxes. Seriously, for such a visceral, riff-based band, this kind of production is suicide.
The other really big problem is the songwriting. Page Hamilton's talent for riffs is shown on a few tracks, especially on "Sinatra," "Bad Mood" and "Repetition," yet the rest of the album tends to descend into a meaningless, unfocused distortion-fest. Thankfully it's short, only being around thirty minutes and nine tracks long. Despite being impressively heavy and powerful while playing, Strap It On lacks the hooks and craft to be truly memorable afterwards.
Perhaps the nature of this album can be best summarised in one of it's tracks. "FBLA" is a decent rocking track that shows many of the good points of Helmet, yet it lacks the focus and additional power of its companion track from Meantime, "FBLA II." To put it bluntly, anything Helmet did well on this record was done infinitely better on their sophomore effort. If you're only going to buy one Helmet record, don't make it this one…
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(reviewed by Alex Wilson)
Whenever I want to do some serious damage to my neck, I put this album on. It's a great combination of clinical, brutal riffage and avant-garde noise rock. Make no mistake, this album is very one-dimensional, yet the band is so tight and Page Hamilton's riffs so irresistible that it doesn't really harm the album too much. It's also great to hear that the missteps of the first album have been largely remedied. The band produced this album with noise-rock deity Steve Albini and the mix delivers exactly what the band needed: razor-sharp guitars and a breathing, pummeling rhythm section.
Furthermore, band members deliver what I consider to be their quintessential performance on Meantime. The guitars of Hamilton and Peter Mengede grind mercilessly and John Stanier and Henry Bogdan's rhythm section performance is top-notch. Stanier in particular shows why he has become one of heavy rock's most respected and desired musicians: his drumming is both creative and unrelentingly powerful. And although Hamilton has never been the world's best singer, his delivery is convincing and powerful throughout, regardless of whether he's using his trademark bark or more melodic voice.
But most importantly, the songs on this record are easily the most consistent and focused set that Helmet wrote. Bar one or two tracks ("He Feels Bad" and "Better" are a little weaker than the rest,) each cut on Meantime is a lethal combination of ferocious riffs and actual melodies. Although the hooks on Meantime are far catchier and appear more often than on Strap It On, Helmet have by no means become a radio band. Their sound is still unapologetically heavy and the songs are generally uncommercial.
But what great songs they are! Opener "In The Meantime" is easily one of the definitive Helmet songs. After a blast of grating noise, the band launches into what must be the world's greatest syncopated one note riff. This eventually gives way to a surprisingly catchy chorus before again descending into a noise-rock solo in the end. This pretty much summarizes Helmet's approach throughout the record, but each song manages to have it's own distinct characteristics. Both "Ironhead" and "FBLA II" boast awesome riffs and an unrelenting momentum whereas "Turned Out" takes on a multi-faceted, almost progressive structure. "Give It" has a bluesy shuffle that still manages to remain menacing.
In addition, Page Hamilton also shows off his newfound gift for vocal hooks on the infectious tracks "You Borrowed" and "Unsung." The latter was the record's breakthrough single and is arguably it's best song. All the things that were great about Helmet are contained in this perfectly constructed 4-minute blast of melody and aggression. It has an awesome, stuttering riff that descends into a powerful instrumental jam. Page Hamilton delivers his catchiest, most melodic vocals and John Stanier's performance is impeccable. He even does a short drum solo!
The last great thing to say about this record is the quality of Hamilton's lyrics. Rather than resorting to angsty clichés or macho metal posturing, his lyrics are an abstract and scathing attack on the regimented nature of society. In many ways this approach belies the immediate nature of the music. With their noisy, angular riffs and cynical lyrics, Helmet was clearly making cerebral metal that hits you in the head as well as the gut, much like Soundgarden did on Badmotorfinger. However, regardless of intention, this is Helmet's most focused and powerful moment, and ended up becoming a seminal record that influenced many other bands. If you like your rock intense, intelligent and really heavy, you'll probably love Meantime.
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