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

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.

"Or how about Finger Eleven, whose name must be a reference to some sort of creepy extra finger that only truly creepy people have. Their song "Drag You Down" has the NIN midtempo march of the slugs thingy down pat. The lyrics sound like stuff Trent Reznor writes down in the middle of the night to help him remember his dreams better: "Teething," "It's biting," "I'm bleeding." And the video itself, much like Spineshank's and a whole lot by other nü-by bands, takes place in one of those haunted machine shops that evoke NAFTA more than they evoke some blasted postapocalyptic vision of decay. Blame it on Einstürzende Neubauten, or maybe Janet Jackson. Or Helmet, whose prescient 1992 "Unsung" video introduced warehouse space, lockstepped dude-friendly Big Black riffs, skater shorts, and Dischordian X-estential vagueness to a generation of future Finger Elevens whose previous delvings into metal consisted of their big sister's Ratt collection. Anyway, Finger Eleven's bass player, like most bass players, has one of the lamest hairdos on earth. And the guitarist is still wearing X-tremely huge pants which everyone will agree are like
so over."

He was in Tomahawk (he's on their first album, anyway) and going back a bit further he played drums on an album by the Mark Of Cain, who sounded a lot like Helmet's Australian cousins anyway.

He's in Battles.

Sorry, but you're an utter dingbat.

If you can't tell the difference between shit like "Prove You Wrong" (the only Prong song anyone other than metal mooks ever heard or cared about) and Helmet you are deaf and musically ignorant.

Prong = Just because your singer was the doorman at CBGBs doesn't make you cool. Face it, you're a 4/4 metal band.

Prong released three albums prior to Prove You Wrong, all of which pre-date Helmet's debut.

You're still a dingbat and obviously have a hard time admitting when you're out of your depth.

or..Downtown Juile Brown!

They're playing a local venue here tonight. 14 years ago they played to a place about fifteen times as big not far away. I don't so much feel old as think, "They've reached their best level."

In every old thread dug up Alex is fighting with someone in a new, very entertaining way.

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

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.

This live set from 1992 is crushing my head right now. This must have been absolutely turn-your-bones-to-jelly loud in person.

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

US tour cancelled, Europe still happening

https://www.brooklynvegan.com/helmet-local-h-cancel-tour-due-to-lower-than-expected-ticket-sales/

ticket sales are down industry-wide, it's something managers & artists are talking about a lot.

Gen Z figuring out its cheaper to just drink and talk loudly at home with music on the stereo

worry about not being seen by the important folks? Just instalive it or some shit

Helmet never was huge, so not being able to headline a club tour 30 years on might not be surprising.

That said, the economics of music are really upside down. Too many people. Just like when the Jazz big bands got priced out of existence- seems for many ‘bands’ it is going the same way now.

I think it was Allen Ravenstine who said something like rock and roll is just moving big black heavy boxes from place to place- well that is much more expensive now.

Wish I’d seen them live in their prime, though a friend told me he fell asleep during one of their shows!

Going to shows has definitely changed for me -- I probably make it out to maybe 10% of the shows I want to see (on paper at least) these days, whereas it used to be more like 60-70%. I thought this was due to me getting old though rather than the landscape changing post-Covid.

My sister had tickets to this tour, but was apparently going to see Local H and had never heard of Helmet. Not really surprised that a Helmet/Local H combo isn't filling up not especially small venues in places like Little Rock, Destin, and Knoxville, though -- kind of an odd tour to begin with.

It's interesting, I've definitely upped my show going this year. I've already seen more than I saw the last two years combined and I've still got Pearl Jam, Goose, Slift, Osees and Blood Incantation on deck.

I liked Helmet more than Wire when I saw them both a bunch of years ago, was not expecting that

https://i.ibb.co/pjMt3B8/ugly-american-overkill.jpg

this was the one time i saw Helmet live, 1991 in London on an AmRep package tour. bought the 'born annoying' 7" and the first album when they came out cos i was a huge Band Of Susans fan. didn't really love them tbh but they were absolute fire live. Tar were also superb. could've sworn that Cows played too, but maybe that was another time in the same venue?

no, they were, but not on that poster apparently

https://www.setlist.fm/search?query=london+the+venue+1991-05-25

oh top work stan! thank you!

Here you are

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ-qPXfc2bU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3UnAWhPbQw

I was there too! They were the best band of the 5 by a long way.

lol i did have a sneaking suspicion that you wouldve been there too

Even though I liked them well enough, I've always felt that Helmet would have been and done much better with another singer, even as a more shouty stylist he's unremarkable.

touring one album for 30 years..............

which is what it boils down to.

not that i don't love that album. i rilly rilly do.

they should just say fukk it and rent a big transport van and play smaller club shows and go nuts and play 20 minute skronk guitar versions of their songs. actually, do that with the songs nobody knows - basically every song after that one album - and then play mindblowing heavy versions of your famous songs in a small space.