Unitron With how experimental the 90's were for music, to define the sound of a genre in the decade may seem hard. However, somehow one of the first albums I think of when I think of metal in the 90's is Helmet's classic Meantime. Blending post-hardcore, grunge, and groove metal, it acts as both a mix of some of the best stuff the early 90's had to offer and a fantastic prototype for future alt metal and nu metal to come later in the decade.

There's something about Page Hamilton's monotone version of melody mixed with punishing hardcore riffing that just works so well. Though when he's screaming, you basically have sludge without the doom in crushing songs like Ironhead and Turned Out.

The album is just 36 minutes of hard pounding metal for a workout or release of anger. There's no room for anything less, and each song is a guaranteed angry good time.

Necrotica Imagine being crushed by a bunch of bricks. Imagine slamming headfirst into solid concrete. All while either of these events are happening, imagine you are also wading through a thick river of mud at the same time. Better yet, listen to Helmet's debut because it's the audio equivalent of having all that happen to you. It's a brutal, unpleasant experience; it's one that doesn't try to paint a pretty picture or have any polish from the production studio. But at the end of the day, that's exactly what makes Strap It On such a powerful gem of an album. It bridged alternative rock and metal, alternative metal with hardcore punk, and brought in some noise rock to tie it all together. It's still an uncompromising experience to this day and hasn't lost its punch over the years.

Helmet spawned from the NYC hardcore scene back in the early 1990, and instantly stood out from the rest of the metal bands of their day. They were often regarded as the "thinking person's heavy metal band" during their heyday due to their penchant for precise staccato riffing, unorthodox time signatures, and experimenting with jazz and noise rock. They also stood out from an image perspective, having a more earnest and "down-to-earth" look with t-shirts and jeans; there was no theatricality or grandiosity, nor were there any wankish or ridiculously flashy solos either. Now, I should mention that Helmet didn't hit their commercial stride until their second effort Meantime, which had their signature song "Unsung." But Strap It On definitely provided the building blocks of what would become the band's sound, while also being their rawest and most relentless piece of work. Much of what made Helmet so fresh came from frontman Page Hamilton, who still leads the charge today as the band's leader and figurehead. Also, if you're wondering where the jazz and blues influences come from, Hamilton actually studied jazz guitar in the Manhattan School of Music prior to forming Helmet. In any case, his guitar work is simply insane on Strap It On. His solos can range from showing off his technical skills ("FBLA") to becoming utterly incomprehensible nonsense at times to fit the song's mood ("Murder"), or be a mixture of both ("Bad Mood"), but his guitar skills allow him to bend a song to his will just by the way he plays and experiments with his instrument.

Strap It On may be a short affair (only thirty minutes), but just like Reign in Blood, it packs such a punch in that time that it warrants several replays. Right from the percussive bass/drum-centric intro of "Repetition," the album's production is instantly catches the ear with it mixes rawness and instrumental clarity. There's a thick wall of sound coming from the guitars during the more textural moments, such as the solo section of the slowly crawling "Sinatra" and the lengthy intro of the midtempo alt-metal number "Rude," but it's always punctuated by a punchy drum performance and tone courtesy of the legendary John Stanier. Then there are songs like "Bad Mood" or "Repetition," which are basically straight-up hardcore punk songs without any of the alternative metal elements the band is usually known for. But those are some of the best tracks on Strap it On as they're the best displays of a group who was young, pissed off, and (as I stated) uncompromising as hell. Perhaps the best thing about this album is that it mixes intelligence and strong talents with brutality in one fell swoop, something that would be lost in future records as Helmet would eventually get cleaner and more melodic. There are melodic flourishes here and there, as the guitar textures of "FBLA" and "Repetition" prove, but there's always something propulsive going on in the backing instrumentation so Helmet don't really linger on them for too long. But whenever the more emotive moments are on display, they're often incredibly gloomy or depressing; the bridge of "Sinatra" in particular is pretty hard to listen to for this reason, as the lead guitar work just makes it sound defeated... until the chorus kicks back in, that is.

Helmet made a number of brilliant records during their 90s heyday, but Strap It On is the one that just sticks with me the most. This just seems like the most impressive document of their sound, creating a perfect balance of alternative metal, hardcore punk, and noise rock in one complete package. It's short, but to the point. It's brutal, but coherent and melodic enough that it never seems too abrasive. Plus, it's still one of the most headbangable (is that even a word?) albums I've ever heard to this day. And on top of all that, there's not a bad song to be found here. If you're into punk, metal, alternative rock/metal, noise rock, or just 90s rock/metal in general, this (along with Meantime and Betty) is simply essential.

aglasshouse Due to the booming success of Grunge in the 90's, record labels were hungry fora new cash cow band to sign on. Out from the darkness emerged Helmet, a band who seemed perfectly fit to take Nirvana's place for the next big band. Helmet was very distinguished from Nirvana when the time came around, however, bringing a slamming rage to their music when 1992 rolled in with Meantime. Hailed as an extremely influential album to others of it's genre that came in the late 90's and 00's, and critics absolutely loved it. Meantime sold relatively well in the years after it's release, and was certified gold with two million copies sold in 1994.

Meantime is a very well-structured album, and utilizes the 90's grunge/hard rock mix to a stretched out limit. The bad thing here is that with so much fury and pure noise blaring from every track, it's very hard not to get burned out, which sometimes they did. Many of the songs sound similar at first but do tend to become more diverse with multiple spins. It's a unique yet comfortable album that earns the top spot as one of the most influential alternative metal albums of all time.

alice-in-chains4lyfe "Strap it on" is the debut album from the legendary alternative metal band Helmet. Helmet are one of those bands who simply don't ever get enough credit. Many often credit band's like Faith no More and Rage Against the Machine for starting the so called nu metal genre, however Helmet are definitely a band who had a large impact on the genre, with their use of drop d tuning influencing everyone from Korn, to Tool, to Marilyn Manson.

This album is their most hardcore punk influenced, and sounds very different from the band's later albums which were more straightforward alternative metal/hard rock affairs. The sound of this album is a very unique mix of post-punk, noise rock and metal. The albums production is very raw (like most underground 80s hardcore albums) however this is a good thing as it adds to the whole rough and dirty feel of the album.

All the songs have the same raw anger, but my favourite has got to be "Sinatra" a song with some incredibly heavy riffs, later covered by fellow alternative metal Deftones. "Make Room" is an interesting heavy blues type of song, and features a monster riff/drum outro. Page Hamilton has never been known for his singing ability, and it shows on some songs on this album. Songs like "Rude" could have been much better with a different singer. This problem was especially prevalent on the band's post-90s albums.

Overall a fine album, and a great addition to any hardcore or alternative metal fans collection.

UMUR "Seeing Eye Dog" is the 7th full-length studio album by US hardcore/alternative metal act Helmet. The album was released in September 2010 through Work Song Incorporated. It´s the first album release in four years since the release of "Monochrome (2006)" and the 3rd album release since Helmet´s reformation in 2003.

The music on "Seeing Eye Dog" is unmistakably the sound of Helmet. For better or worse. The combination of raw angular post hardcore riffing, shouting and aggressive vocals and softer and more melodic alternative rock/metal elements is something Helmet have more or less perfected over the years. They´ve carved a niché for themselves and they actually have a rather unique sound. Lead vocalist Page Hamilton is probably an aquired taste with his often monotone and at times almost sedative clean vocal style but this vocal style combined with his more raw and aggressive type vocals have always sounded pretty good to my ears. It´s not completely unlike what Jaz Coleman does in Killing Joke.

While the band have their basic style nailed, it´s unfortunately always been so and so with highlights and "Seeing Eye Dog" is no different in that respect. The quality of all tracks is high, but I´m not able to remember many tracks after the album finishes. With only 10 tracks and a playing time of 37:41 minutes that should have been quite easy. It gets better the more spins you give the album, but the songs never truly stick.

...so in the end "Seeing Eye Dog" is a bit too much of a "by the numbers" Helmet album. It´s enjoyable, professionally produced and performed with conviction, but it doesn´t set standards like their early releases did. A 3 - 3.5 star rating is warranted.