Helmet – Dead To The World

[nyrating]

5th December 2016 Thomas Nielsen Album Reviews 0

Now, there is no doubt that Page Hamilton has meant the world to a lot of musicians out there. Many, many bands that are today part of the metal canon have Helmet on the list of influences, and no wonder. With ‘In The Meantime’ (1992) and later ‘Betty’ (1994) and ‘Aftertaste’ (1997), Helmet made three alternative metal classics that certainly didn’t sound like anyone else out there.

Then they broke up. And reunited in 2004. And released three more albums that honestly weren’t the top of the pops.

Not so with ‘Dead To The World’. This is kind of like hearing Helmet coming home. Balancing on an edge of punk/alternative/metal, Page drives forward with innate energy and sprawling cynicism. Page’s singing is definitely more about attitude than actually voice. This is not Pavarotti, my friends! The same can be said, as was always the case with Helmet, about the music. There is a kind of imbalance or distortion of the soundscape, but at the same time a monstrous groove. The song Die Alone totally embodies this if you’re looking for an example. Wonderful thing, that is.

I’d say that Helmet are back. And hooray for that!

Track list:
01. Life or Death
02. I Love My Guru
03. Bad News
04. Red Scare
05. Dead To The World
06. Green Shirt
07. Expect the World
08. Die Alone
09. Drunk in the Afternoon
10. Look Alive
11. Life or Death (Slow)

Playing time: 36 minutes

Release date: 28th of October

Label: Ear Music

Website: www.helmetmusic.com

About Thomas Nielsen 1051 Articles

When my old buddy Kenn Jensen asked me if I wanted to contribute to the new site he had created, then called powermetal.dk, I didn't hesitate. My love for metal music was and is great. I wrote my first review during the summer of 2004 (Moonspell's 'Antidote' album). In 2015, I took over the editor-in-chief role.