Helmet /Page Hamilton : Classic Or Dud, Search & Destroy.

I think their particular approach flamed out pretty quickly, though. Betty just seemed like going through the motions, and I never heard anything after that. I wish they could have found a way to liven or broaden their sound somewhat. For all the lip service Page Hamilton paid to guys like Ornette Coleman, or how into "jazz" he always claimed to be, you sure couldn't hear it in the music.

There are definite affinities between the music of Helmet and some of the nu-metallers. What little I've heard of the Deftones struck me as kind of a Helmet redux. I actually just auditioned Betty a few weeks ago, because I've been going through a cd purge (it didn't make the cut); I listened with the nu-metal guys in mind, as I've heard the idea of a linkage advanced before. But who can say how much of that is a direct borrowing/whatever? Most of the formal elements in Helmet's music had long been present in the metal vocabulary. The churning, repetitive chord-based riffs of AC/DC; the fussy time signatures and jerky rhythms of something like King Crimson's Red. Sometimes their occasional use of space even recalled Pink Flag-era Wire.

I once saw 'em in like 1991 opening up for the Melvins in a little shithole performance space that was only around for a couple years. It was a great show. Helmet's sound completely filled the room; it was like swimming in sound waves. LOUD AS FUCK.

I can see a link to nu-metal in that Helmet was one of the first bands to get significant airplay blending many of nu-metal's signature elements, though they lacked nu-metal's hip-hop stylings and angsty lyrics.

_meantime_ really, really bores me.

Never liked their music much, though the song "In The Meantime" was okay.

That's the other way round, surely? Chaos AD was perceived as their sellout/bandwagonjumping album because they moved to the US and adopted the sound/songwriting that was popular in the US at the time (Biohazard/Pantera et al). A typical "me too" album, so to say...

DESTROY: Paige playing for Bowie.

I've seen it around on slsk and wasn't sure if it was a rarities album but i found the above article.
So has anyone heard it?

When the show was over, I slipped on a patch of ice outside and landed right on my ass.

I hope this record sucks and sells peanuts.

Anyway yeah, listening to Monochrome. Not having heard anything since Betty, I'm sort of thrown by how shredded his voice sounds now.

Oh wait, the title track sounds like King's X. WTF?!

I'm not sure I want to finish this.

Helmet just didn't seem to be able to come up with enough good tunes after that one. Betty would about make a good EP.

I would have liked to seen them live back then, but never got around to seeing them play.

Page Hamilton has one thing to prove: "can he make another good record?"

Because that hasn't happened since Meantime.

He does have a right to be a grumpy old man. Garbage like Candlebox stole his gimmick and trademark riffs and hit platinum with them. And becuase they did, they got dated quick.

Not once have I ever heard a Candlebox song on the radio and thought "hmm, is this Helmet?"

Dunno about that, but Page stole it from Prong in the first place, so it's all relative.

anyway...strap it on and meantime are classic.

Bwahahahaha

Candlebox's breakout hit had a hook that ripped off "In The Meantime."

Um, you've heard Prong, right?

it's true, that "heaven let your light shine down" turd they did

that was collective soul not candlebox wasn't it?

its definitely better than Candlebox's hit at least! i can't even hardly remember what it sounds like.

Ok anyways Helmet rules and Page is OTM here:
"I hear so many bands that, to me, I can't distinguish between them," he said, talking about the current scene. "It's sort of like, 'Insert four guys with tattoos here.' And it's pseudo-hardcore or pseudo-punk rock or emo. It just seems like you get your 'Rock Star 101' manual and fill in the blanks. This music just doesn't interest me at this point in my life."

1. Bands who are influenced by Converge/Botch/Coalesce/Dilinger Escape Plan, but with simpler riffs and a tendency to break up the dissonance with cheesy stabs at melody. Alternating screaming and obnoxious sing-songy vocals. Sound like a cornier Deftones.

2. The more metallic-sounding bands with ripped-off In Flames/At the Gates riffage, also alternating screaming and obnoxious sing-songy vocals.

3. Bands rooted in "hardcore" but unabashedly pop-punk influenced as well. High-pitched, nasal vocals.

Of course none of these categories are exclusive or anything.

there are times when i really need a loud, heavy riff-charged assault a la 'meantime'. aside from these times, i don't feel the urge to listen to it all that often.

i'll add that 'i know' from betty is amazing

How many posts and not one mentioning how stunningly beautiful Page Hamilton is?!?!?

i'd like to think i'm more beautiful

certainly not the reason i listen to helmet

It was kind of weird playing 'Born Annoying' (the song) a few mornings ago, sandwiched in between seeing John Stanier kick my head off two seperate times as Battles drummer. Dude's certainly switched up his style over time

Helmet's pretty good workout music.

'betty' really does dip after the first four tracks (which are awesome). way too many tepid, 'nice-enough' snoozers deflating the energy of the thing.

Love exactly two Helmet songs: Impressionable and the 1st version of Born Annoying. Ha ha part is that both come from a demo that AmRep released against the band's wishes. Oh yeah, and they did a swell cover of Killing Joke's Primitive. Other than that, don't give a shit.

'clean' is as good as any of the first four tracks on betty

their best song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y332UtRod_0

still reppin' for 'clean' in june '09

Still reppin' for Aftertaste which is a pretty underrated record IMHO.

Saw Helmet play last year at the Waldrock-festival (which is the second or third biggest metalfestival in The Netherlands), and they were the best band of the day.

He played on a Wire song from Object 47: "All Fours." Not sure he did anything that someone else couldn't have done, but it's a pretty nice track, although to be fair it sounds like Band of Susans with a different vocalist.

what am I missing about this band?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4OKQShgiDk#t=6m11s

fwd to 6:11
http://bit.ly/ajosxb

i've played my tape copy of meantime probably 300 times and it still sounds great!

I just had this memory come back to me that when my family took me to Israel when I was 14 I was playing Meantime over and over again on my walkman and lusting after this girl on the tour bus. Jewish tours suck! Helmet Rules!

Helmet on a Kibbutz. Helmet at Masada. Helmet at King David's Tomb. It was great.

Unsung made the top 100 in the current ILM poll!

http://www.drop-d.ie/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/helmet-meantime.jpg

fuckin the best...

i would be curious to see a best of poll. listening to "so easy to get bored" over and over today for some reason. still sounds amazing!

best of records or best of songs?
cause if it's the first the winner is obvious isn't it?

Helmet on a Kibbutz. Helmet at Masada. Helmet at King David's Tomb. It was great.

― Theodore "Thee Diddy" Roosevelt (Hurting 2), Wednesday, August 4, 2010 11:24 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark

sounds like a line from a Mark Leyner novel.

songs, obv!

id vote in that

the problem is i'm lazy.

are these guys touring again? sure i saw their name on a tokyo listings page.

"What people make the mistake of is saying, 'Well, I don't hear jazz.' I'm not playing jazz," he said. "It's not jazz. But I can hear the jazz influences. Name me one other band on the planet that's using a major-7 sharp 11 chord with a 13 in the chorus. None. This is my tuning. None. I guarantee it."

> Name me one other band on the planet that's using a major-7 sharp 11 chord with a 13 in the chorus

Shudder to Think

this is fucking weird but I am listing to do make say think on spotify right now and p sure I just heard that song

chord I mean

also I bet there's chicago and yes songs with that chord in the chorus

I dig helmet and all I guess, but claiming ownership of a chord is like some next level shredder asshole nonsense.

Pity he didn't put so much care and thought into his crappy vocal melodies or Helmet would have been much better.

C'mon, this is just a Foo Fighters song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkFMvststF0

awful

i'm not gonna listen to that. MEANTIME 4EVER.

i got this double band of susans Cd comp thing not long ago and i don't think i knew that there was this weird proto-helmet phase of that band. it's not great stuff and sounds really weird next to older cooler band of susans stuff. which i like a lot.

or maybe not even proto-helmet. i never heard the last couple of records and page isn't even on them now that i look. anyway, weird beefy grunge-era band of susans.

love agenda and the word and the flesh are still essential though. they sound even better to me now than they did back then.

I've come around on Helmet since 2003, when I posted way upthread about seeing Caspar Brötzmann Massaker open for them. Now I have their first four albums in my iPod. I've still never heard the album Page and Caspar did together. I should get around to that one day.

Scott, the last BoS album is pretty great. There's at least one essential song Pardon My French, and I pretty much love the whole thing, though the opening track is on the gothy side (which might not be a problem for many). I'm sure you can find a cheap copy...

i don't think I ever knew Page Hamilton was in Band of Susans

I think it is possible to mix skronky guitar with Beatle harmonies, but that new Helmet tune is not the recipe.

Meantime is sounding hard as hell atm

Meantime makes me want to pump iron

I’m kind of amazed by how few people are vouching for Strap it On. I still think it’s their one truly perfect album

I listened to Strap It On the other week and it was OK but their run from Meantime through Aftertaste is the good stuff.