HELMET
Bowery Ballroom, NYC
November 14, 2004
Live photos by Hal Miller, others courtesy Interscope Records
Sometimes it’s a good thing to know what to expect from a band, especially when you know you will get exactly what you want. Listening to HELMET is like scarfing down a perfect cheeseburger; it really hits the spot when you want to hear some no-bullshit, meaty heaviness. Going to see HELMET live fulfills the same craving, but it’s an even more satisfying double-cheeseburger that somehow doesn’t leave you with a stomach ache.
It’s been a long time since I got so amped about seeing a band that my stomach tied in knots. I knew that, even after all these years, despite this questionable “reunion,” Page Hamilton and company would still kick ass.
The closest I got to experiencing HELMET again, post-break-up, was last year when Hamilton brought his band Gandhi to Brooklyn’s Northsix. The Gandhi material was vaguely HELMET-like and they even played a handful of songs off of Aftertaste. However, Gandhi never released an album, but, the speculation out there (i.e. message boards, fan flapdoodle, etc.) was that Hamilton still owed Interscope an album or two. I secretly hoped for something to materialize.
Many have remarked that this HELMET reunion sounds dubious, but, for the most part, it was always Hamilton’s band anyway. Additionally, a situation involving an artist making good on a record label contract is typical of the reality of making your living off of music. Even though he is the only original member now, it was probably best that Hamilton chose to return to the music world under his old band’s name. Personally, I was surprised and excited when I saw “9/27 HELMET” listed in the Bowery Ballroom ad in the Village Voice. HELMET!!!
Whatever opinion you may have, the bottom line is that Size Matters is a pretty damn good album that will forever stand up on its own merits. Although the songs feature uncharacteristic melodic singing and radio-friendly choruses, you will still hear trademark Hamilton heaviness and riffs that you wish you had written yourself. The ultra-catchy and sing-songy “Surgery” and “Speak and Spell” both sound like radio staples, but think about all the bands that have ripped off Hamilton’s style and currently clutter Clear Channel’s rock stations.
The moment of truth was nigh. After an excruciatingly bad set from HELMET wannabe’s Totimoshi, four shadows finally appeared on stage to the tune of a room full of excited screams. The lights came up, and we saw before us Hamilton, guitarist Chris Traynor (formerly of Orange 9MM, joined HELMET for Aftertaste), former Anthrax bassist Frank Bello and drummer John Tempesta (Rob Zombie, Testament). The band members themselves seemed just as excited to play the songs as we were to hear them. Bello punched the air between notes throughout the set as “Smart,” “Crashing Foreign Cars,” “Iron Head” and “See You Dead” came rolling out like tanks.
Traynor did his signature twitchy guitar hero thing while Bello shook his mane as he banged away on his bass. The two crowded around Tempesta a few times for maximum tightness as the crowd went varying degrees of nuts depending on what song was being played. Bello sang with Hamilton on a few songs, but the crowd provided back-up vocals the entire night. The moody and sarcastic Hamilton shredded away with monstrous VHT amp stacks behind him, remaining taciturn until about the middle of the set.
“Apparently, Frank planted his face in Chris’ guitar,” Hamilton informed us while the band took a brief break to regroup. Hamilton next went on to introduce his three band mates and chide the handful of Red Sox fans among us. “I can’t hear you,” smart-ass Hamilton replied to various called-out requests, “it doesn’t matter because we won’t play those songs anyway.”
“Remember the album you made called Betty?” one fan called out. Audience members begged for “Just Another Victim,” “Meantime,” “Unsung” and various others. “This next song is a better song,” the guitarist informed us, as the band crouched down to blast us again, this time with “Enemies.” Bello’s “ooooo-oooooo”’s before the final chorus sounded a little slick in the context of live Helmet, but it also sounded really good. Soon enough, we were graced with “Wilma’s Rainbow” and “In The Meantime,” turning the floor into one big, violent funnel of testosterone.
After an encore with “Driving Nowhere” and “It’s Easy to Get Bored,” the tension in the room became tangible. Would they play it? The four turned to face one another, and the entire room went ape-shit the instant we heard the apocalyptic bassline and militaristic thump of “Unsung.” Determined to get some decent shots of the band during the carnage, I held my own up front with my tiny digital camera and snapped away during one of the most ferocious moments of the night.
Hamilton gave “Unsung” some extra breathing room by letting Traynor handle all guitar duties during the verse. The added singalong quality boosted the energy as the song hurtled to its abrupt and very satisfying conclusion. Hamilton saved the best bite for last.
SET LIST
PURE
SMART
CRASHING FOREIGN CARS
EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANTED
SEE YOU DEAD
IRONHEAD
ENEMIES
BIRTH DEFECT
UNWOUND
CRISIS KING
DRUG LORD
MILQUETOAST
LAST BREATH
WILMA'S RAINBOW
IN THE MEANTIME
+++++++++++++++
DRIVING NOWHERE
IT'S EASY TO GET BORED
UNSUNG
And now for a little HELMET history ...
You were expecting ripped jeans and long hair? HELMET circa 1995: Henry Bogdan, John Stanier, Page Hamilton, Rob Echeverria
I met and interviewed HELMET at Wash., DC’s Bender Arena on Aug. 6, 1995. For a band with such a huge, menacing sound, the guys were very modest, and even seemed surprised that I wanted to talk to them.
The clean-cut quartet assembled for a post-interview snapshot, moments before they took the stage to open for Primus. We shook hands and I returned to my friends, leaving the band to their pre-show preparations. Soon enough, the four soft-spoken guys I had just hung out with backstage appeared under the lights, ready to crush our skulls with brutal riffery.
The crowd responded to “Unsung,” “Milquetoast,” “Just Another Victim” and “Ironhead” with violent exuberance as the band slammed down one riff after another. That night, I found myself caught in the mosh, Anthrax-style. Truly, one of the most vicious ‘pits I’ve ever experienced. Having met the band that stirred shit up like that made it even cooler.
HELMET Links:
Helmet Music.com
Official Helmet Myspace
Born Annoying
Helmet on Wikipedia
Page Hamilton
Hamilton's Signature ESP guitar
Hamilton's guitar rig
November 14, 2004
Live photos by Hal Miller, others courtesy Interscope Records
Sometimes it’s a good thing to know what to expect from a band, especially when you know you will get exactly what you want. Listening to HELMET is like scarfing down a perfect cheeseburger; it really hits the spot when you want to hear some no-bullshit, meaty heaviness. Going to see HELMET live fulfills the same craving, but it’s an even more satisfying double-cheeseburger that somehow doesn’t leave you with a stomach ache.
It’s been a long time since I got so amped about seeing a band that my stomach tied in knots. I knew that, even after all these years, despite this questionable “reunion,” Page Hamilton and company would still kick ass.
The closest I got to experiencing HELMET again, post-break-up, was last year when Hamilton brought his band Gandhi to Brooklyn’s Northsix. The Gandhi material was vaguely HELMET-like and they even played a handful of songs off of Aftertaste. However, Gandhi never released an album, but, the speculation out there (i.e. message boards, fan flapdoodle, etc.) was that Hamilton still owed Interscope an album or two. I secretly hoped for something to materialize.
Many have remarked that this HELMET reunion sounds dubious, but, for the most part, it was always Hamilton’s band anyway. Additionally, a situation involving an artist making good on a record label contract is typical of the reality of making your living off of music. Even though he is the only original member now, it was probably best that Hamilton chose to return to the music world under his old band’s name. Personally, I was surprised and excited when I saw “9/27 HELMET” listed in the Bowery Ballroom ad in the Village Voice. HELMET!!!
Whatever opinion you may have, the bottom line is that Size Matters is a pretty damn good album that will forever stand up on its own merits. Although the songs feature uncharacteristic melodic singing and radio-friendly choruses, you will still hear trademark Hamilton heaviness and riffs that you wish you had written yourself. The ultra-catchy and sing-songy “Surgery” and “Speak and Spell” both sound like radio staples, but think about all the bands that have ripped off Hamilton’s style and currently clutter Clear Channel’s rock stations.
The moment of truth was nigh. After an excruciatingly bad set from HELMET wannabe’s Totimoshi, four shadows finally appeared on stage to the tune of a room full of excited screams. The lights came up, and we saw before us Hamilton, guitarist Chris Traynor (formerly of Orange 9MM, joined HELMET for Aftertaste), former Anthrax bassist Frank Bello and drummer John Tempesta (Rob Zombie, Testament). The band members themselves seemed just as excited to play the songs as we were to hear them. Bello punched the air between notes throughout the set as “Smart,” “Crashing Foreign Cars,” “Iron Head” and “See You Dead” came rolling out like tanks.
Traynor did his signature twitchy guitar hero thing while Bello shook his mane as he banged away on his bass. The two crowded around Tempesta a few times for maximum tightness as the crowd went varying degrees of nuts depending on what song was being played. Bello sang with Hamilton on a few songs, but the crowd provided back-up vocals the entire night. The moody and sarcastic Hamilton shredded away with monstrous VHT amp stacks behind him, remaining taciturn until about the middle of the set.
“Apparently, Frank planted his face in Chris’ guitar,” Hamilton informed us while the band took a brief break to regroup. Hamilton next went on to introduce his three band mates and chide the handful of Red Sox fans among us. “I can’t hear you,” smart-ass Hamilton replied to various called-out requests, “it doesn’t matter because we won’t play those songs anyway.”
“Remember the album you made called Betty?” one fan called out. Audience members begged for “Just Another Victim,” “Meantime,” “Unsung” and various others. “This next song is a better song,” the guitarist informed us, as the band crouched down to blast us again, this time with “Enemies.” Bello’s “ooooo-oooooo”’s before the final chorus sounded a little slick in the context of live Helmet, but it also sounded really good. Soon enough, we were graced with “Wilma’s Rainbow” and “In The Meantime,” turning the floor into one big, violent funnel of testosterone.
After an encore with “Driving Nowhere” and “It’s Easy to Get Bored,” the tension in the room became tangible. Would they play it? The four turned to face one another, and the entire room went ape-shit the instant we heard the apocalyptic bassline and militaristic thump of “Unsung.” Determined to get some decent shots of the band during the carnage, I held my own up front with my tiny digital camera and snapped away during one of the most ferocious moments of the night.
Hamilton gave “Unsung” some extra breathing room by letting Traynor handle all guitar duties during the verse. The added singalong quality boosted the energy as the song hurtled to its abrupt and very satisfying conclusion. Hamilton saved the best bite for last.
SET LIST
PURE
SMART
CRASHING FOREIGN CARS
EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANTED
SEE YOU DEAD
IRONHEAD
ENEMIES
BIRTH DEFECT
UNWOUND
CRISIS KING
DRUG LORD
MILQUETOAST
LAST BREATH
WILMA'S RAINBOW
IN THE MEANTIME
+++++++++++++++
DRIVING NOWHERE
IT'S EASY TO GET BORED
UNSUNG
And now for a little HELMET history ...
You were expecting ripped jeans and long hair? HELMET circa 1995: Henry Bogdan, John Stanier, Page Hamilton, Rob EcheverriaI met and interviewed HELMET at Wash., DC’s Bender Arena on Aug. 6, 1995. For a band with such a huge, menacing sound, the guys were very modest, and even seemed surprised that I wanted to talk to them.
The clean-cut quartet assembled for a post-interview snapshot, moments before they took the stage to open for Primus. We shook hands and I returned to my friends, leaving the band to their pre-show preparations. Soon enough, the four soft-spoken guys I had just hung out with backstage appeared under the lights, ready to crush our skulls with brutal riffery.
The crowd responded to “Unsung,” “Milquetoast,” “Just Another Victim” and “Ironhead” with violent exuberance as the band slammed down one riff after another. That night, I found myself caught in the mosh, Anthrax-style. Truly, one of the most vicious ‘pits I’ve ever experienced. Having met the band that stirred shit up like that made it even cooler.
HELMET Links:
Helmet Music.com
Official Helmet Myspace
Born Annoying
Helmet on Wikipedia
Page Hamilton
Hamilton's Signature ESP guitar
Hamilton's guitar rig
posted by Hal Miller at 7:25 PM
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