THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 20, 1995 TAG: 9501200116
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUE SMALLWOOD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
CIRCA 1992, there was no escaping punk-metallists Helmet. The band's multimillion dollar leap from an independent to a major label (unprecedented for an underground act), their gold-selling LP ``Meantime'' and its ubiquitous single ``Unsung'' kept the farflung Helmet hype at full bore.
And then Helmet dropped out of sight.
``Betty,'' ``Meantime's'' dynamic follow-up, was released relatively quietly last summer and despite a cut on ``The Crow'' movie soundtrack (``Milquetoast'') and near nonstop touring since then, the band's profile has remained markedly low-key.
``It goes to show you the power of hit singles,'' said bassist Henry Bogdan recently from Florida. `` `Unsung' seemed to sort of take off and there was a lot of hype about the band. It's brought us back down to earth. We have some work ahead of us.''
``Betty'' reflects much work that the New York-based foursome already has done in new musical terrain. To capture a fresh sound, the group chose T-Ray, a young rap producer-on-the-rise, to co-direct the LP and emerged with some intriguing results.
Helmet's distinctively dense, precisely angular arrangements bear a refreshing melodism and are intermingled with many unlikely sounds: a loving deconstruction of jazz chestnut ``Beautiful Love,'' a psychedelic shuffle with the Bogdan-penned ``The Silver Hawaiian'' and tinny Robert Johnson-type blues on ``Sam Hell.''
``We wanted to do some things that were segues between songs,'' Bogdan said, ``we wanted to try some new stuff, add some dynamics to the album. We wanted the record to ebb and flow - maybe some of the quieter numbers might make the heavier numbers sound heavier.''
The group's exacting brand of sharp-edged aggression is no doubt attributable to the musical backgrounds of its members. Guitarist and vocalist Page Hamilton studied jazz at the Manhattan School of Music and played with underground jazzbo Glenn Branca before founding Helmet. Bogdan and drummer John Stanier also studied their instruments before succumbing to the rock jones.
``We can communicate a little better than maybe your average punk rock band,'' Bogdan said of Helmet's signature sound. ``It's just common ground for all of us. It's what we all do best together.'' by CNB