HELMET AT THE MASQUERADE MAY 12
Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 5/23/24
We saw Helmet at the Masquerade on 5/12/24. Helmet is an alternative metal and rock band out of New York fronted by guitarist and lead singer, Page Hamilton, boasts some early 90s classic rock albums from 1992’s Meantime to 1994’s Betty. Their sound is creatively unique for the time with melodious metal if that can even be a thing, mixed with grunge notes of the time and very distinct repetitive guitar work called drop D tuning (per wiki).
John and I were both huge lovers of the Crow movie soundtrack back when it came out in 1994 and that’s how I discovered Helmet with their song, “Milquetoast” one of the lead tracks! From there we listened to all of album Betty with its repetitive heavily distorted guitar paired with riffs and melodious lyrics. But my heart stays with Meantime and the song “Unsung.” The albums are similar, but I feel Meantime was a little edgier and harder. A recurring MTV staple, I just remember the “Unsung” video looking like it was filmed in a nuclear silo. Fun fact: Beavis and Butthead critiqued the song on the show in 1993 (from wiki).
Something I found interesting in their wiki was that the New York Times called Helmet, “a band that made important connections between indie-rock and metal.” and that they had a HUGE impact on the nu metal bands of the late 90’s. And even called “smart rock” by the New York Daily News. We agree, their songs and riffs are highly influential, and we think they are one of the most underrated bands of the 90’s in terms of notoriety. They should be rock gods!
Helmet is on tour right now to promote their new album, LEFT, that is now out, and their new track “Holiday” is just what you’d expect from them. Ripping chords blurred with power guitar, fast slow, and grunge reverb. I love it when bands keep their sound, and this new album is just that.
