Helmet – "Left"
All the grace of a kid with Tourette's giving a speech at a very small family gathering
In an uncanny resemblance to Filter and Prong, Helmet is a hard-hitting, but somewhat alternative '90s one-word band that I dug back in the day, but haven't followed since they broke up and got reunited with new members apart from the sole vocalist/guitarist, and whose newest 2023 release I'm now reviewing.
Three differences, though:
- Unlike Filter and Prong, Helmet is a four-piece.
- I actually listened to Helmet's "reunion" album "Size Matters" ('04). And it was boring and uninspired.
- Unlike the newest releases from Filter and Prong, that's also the impression I'm left with after two near-painstaking spins of "Left".
The biggest problem, like with aforementioned "Size Matters", is that this particular incarnation of Helmet doesn't sound like this particular effort is very urgent for them. (Funny, seeing as how this is their first album in 7 years.) The songs do have unmistakable resemblances to the classic Helmet albums, sure. But unlike those classic tracks that defy their birth-decade to this day – say, "In the Meantime", "Exactly What You Wanted", "Sinatra", and, of course, "Unsung" – the tracks on "Left" seem like they're forced rather than inspired.
Also, sure, Helmet was never about long intros or meticulous build-ups and plateaus like their hard-hitting, but somewhat alternative '90s one-word colleagues in Tool, say. But with nine actual songs and a total playing time of 31:30, the songs on the ninth studio album released under the name of Helmet simply aren't getting any time to present themselves properly or mature properly within themselves before they're out that proverbial other ear.
Another blemish is that... something's happened to Page Hamilton's vocals. His usual full, roomy baritone has gotten more light and throaty, with an almost sneering expression. The result is that he sounds a bit like someone with a birth defect (Helmet deep cut reference). Add to that the seemingly random swearing and lack of focus in opener "Holiday", and you're left with the impression of a kid with Tourette's giving a speech at a very small family gathering:
Dumb luck
You numb fuck
Dumbass, fuckface
Izod, dickwad
You hot rod
My God
... Erm... Yeaaaaaaah. Riiiight. Sure.
That same impression of feigned badass attitude and pure randomness sticks throughout most of the album. A lot of the material sounds like what might have happened if a band like Nirvana had tried playing hardcore. I'd say it fortunately never happened, but here we fucking are anyway.
A song like "Make-Up" does get a bit more tangible, both melody- and riff-wise. And on this one, the lyrics have an uncanny sense of being about one certain American ex-president, and pretty spot-on at that:
Words you never meant
But you say anything it takes
Bloated, feckless
Orange and dickless
Flaunt your lack of grace
Good guys, bad guys
All life choices
Stain upon your name
Competition, recognition
Find someone to blame
The two last genuine songs (not counting that annoying random jazz jam that the band included for whatever reason) are also solid. "Tell Me Again", based on a clean, acoustic western guitar, sounds like it could've been on one of Alice In Chains' "Jar of Flies" ('94) or "Sap" ('92) EPs. Unlike on the amped-up tracks, this one gives Hamilton some room to relax so he doesn't sound all awkward about apparently having to sing. And this impression lasts in "Powder Puff", whose melody, among sadly few others here, actually sticks after the record stops playing.
However, as should come as no surprise for the reader, these coupla stand-outs amount to way too little.
It's a bit sad, because back in the day, those first four albums – not the least of all 1997's staggeringly underrated "Aftertaste" – were not only ground-breaking in their musical expression; originality aside, they had damn good songs on them.
Never mind the fact that historically, Helmet has inspired a lot of nu-metal and similar high school-core garbage; today, the people performing under the Helmet moniker these days just plain sound awkward. And listening to "Left" seems akin to cooking and eating a bunch of frozen chicken nuggets simply because you're hungry and you liked them as a kid, but amidst single points of nostalgia as fleeting exceptions, you realize that chicken nuggets have very little personality and ultimately don't make for a full, satisfactory meal.
If you're a big fan of Helmet and/or chicken nuggets, I'm sorry.
Rating: 2.5 out of 6
Genre: Groove/alternative metal / post-hardcore
Label: earMUSIC
Release date: 10/11/2023
Producer: Page Hamilton + Jim Kaufman + Mark Renk