Helmet "Aftertaste" (1997)

 

Lured to Betty by Spotify's auto-play, I thought a follow up on Helmets final output before a later reunion was due. By fans and critics alike, Aftertaste wasn't well received at the time. Its a mild affair but personally I've enjoyed this one. Harking back to their roots, Helmet pump out a rather stripped down, straightforward rendition of syncopated Drop D riffs alternating on shimmering shoe-gazing chords.

Effective and simple drum grooves build an easy framework for each song to deliver a handful of riffs that rarely venture beyond a few bars. Shuffling back and forth with monotone vocals overhead, It gets repetitious fast. Their songwriting finds little in the way of "special" or ambition, its just simplistic structures playing out their basic ideas.

Its all about aesthetic, If the mold matches your taste, then its worth a spin or two. Beyond that, I'm not sure much else can be found. Occasional compositions resonate well, poking its head above the mediocrity on display. For example, the opening riff of Broadcast Emotion melds a grooving riff with hazy texture wonderfully! On the other hand, its crass guitar solo not on the same level. This record is really for fans of Helmet, beyond serving that crowd, there is little to be said about the music.

Rating: 6/10

Helmet "Betty" (1994)

 

To discover Helmet, is to learn of the bridge between Grunge and Nu Metal. Familiar with their classic Meantime, Betty drew me in after Spotify's auto-play kept spinning I Know. The rhythm laden kick snare groove it opens held uncanny resemblance to Deftones' Around The Fur. The following loitering Shoegaze guitar chords present a striking affirmation of influence on yet another Nu Metal era band. These drifting, hazy, fuzzed out riffs seem seminal to the Deftones sound, leading me to wonder what else the record offered. Between the expectant roll out of syncopated Drop D riffs, dense and hazy showgaze aesthetics conjure a little atmosphere to counteract its grungy metallic stiffness. Its a warm, bold tone, lacking any lean to the dark or light and driven by competent percussive kick snare grooves. Bustling with choppy riffs, they routinely veer into that hazy texture. The back and forth is pleasant and undemanding.

Its other distinction was surprisingly that of Primus. Just a couple of songs venture into the bizarre oddities that their breed of the short lived Funk Metal established a few years prior. Its quite obvious, cheeky baselines, discerning noises and comical vocals break the sound suddenly. It works but lacks originality and serves to spice up an otherwise narrow sound as there is little to be found in the way of expansive song writing or progressive ambitions. This is straight riffs and Hamilton's meager cleans and reaching shouts tend to simply accommodate rather than spear on any energy. He definitely chimes better with the Shoegazing sections but doesn't feel like a key component of this simple syncopated style that would go on to influence so many bands. Betty is a really solid record, a firm execution of simple and effective ideas.
 

Rating: 7/10

Helmet "Dead To The World" (2016)

Helmet are an Alternative Metal band who had their moment of success in the early 90s among the grunge hype. They have been cited as a part of Nu-Metals development through their influence on bands like Korn with their dropped guitar tuning for accessible power chords. Essentially they are tinged with a grungy sound that is partly Alternative Rock and has a metallic overtone. After four records the group split before front man Hamilton reformed with a new line up 2004, releasing "Size Matters", my favorite of their releases. Six years since their last they are back with "Dead To The World", the bands eighth.

Its no grand ambition of creative endeavor. Unsurprisingly the band return with their usual sound for a collection of tracks to pass the album mark at thirty six minutes. The songs stroll through simple structures and enjoyable riffs that focus on chunky drop d grooves and chord progression riffs that derive from power chords too. At times it can get a touch atmospheric, in others its heavy, crunchy and a little mesmerizing with the way some riffs are strummed over and over as the get lost in the dense sound. The occasional simplistic solo might drop in over a riff to fire a bit of color into the music.

Unfortunately its all a bit to mediocre, unspectacular and forgettable. As pleasant and listenable the record is, it does very little beyond appease the appetite for their sound and with better records in their discography its not going to make much of an impression. One thing that dawned on me is a similarity between Hamilton's vocals and that of Billy Corgan. Not a mirror but there are moments where he sounds alike. "Dead To The World" is passable with a couple of good songs in the first half of the record but overall is just lackluster after six years.

Favorite Tracks: Life Or Death, I Love My Guru

Rating: 4/10