Classics: Helmet - Meantime

In 1992, I was about midway through high school, and in the post-Nevermind world I had realized that I actually enjoyed hard rock quite a bit.  In junior high, I probably would have avoided Helmet like the plague, but Zeppelin led to Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam, which led to Jane's Addiction and Primus, which led to Fugazi and Red Hot Chili Peppers, which led to Rollins Band and Helmet.  And I've never put this album down since.

Their sound is a little evocative of Tool, in that they use odd time signatures with a really solid rhythm and hard groove.  Apparently, the lead singer, Page Hamilton, had intended to study jazz, but changed up his game once he found harder inspiration.  This was their second album, and the first, Strap it On, is also good, but this one has zero filler.  Every song is great.

The big hit off of the album was "Unsung,"

That video is so 90's and awesome.  Old school train footage!  Abandoned warehouse/industrial zone! Overexposed lighting and spotlights that are unsteady in their focus!  The track kicks off with the deep bass chug, develops a feedback-y crunch, and then jams along until the break happens at about 2:30.  That is the money shot of the song, when I used to get all sorts of thrashy in my car while listening to this album.  That is a stone cold hard groove.  If you don't air-drum the crap out of that section of the song, then you aren't livin'.

"Turned Out," "FBLA II," and "You Borrowed" were also big for me, but the other one that grinds out the feeling of the album is "In the Meantime," which opens the album with tight crunch and is great to growl along to while psyching yourself up to go be tough.  

I might have used this album (along with Pantera and Smashing Pumpkins) to get psyched up for lacrosse games in high school.  I was so tough, all 160 pounds and big glasses held on with croakies, grumbling about "high times, hard time, downtown Julie Brown" under my breath. In fact the whole album is pretty good getting psyched up, especially the start, bashing from "Meantime" to "Iron Head" to "Give It" to "Unsung."  And speaking of that nonsensical lyric above, from "Turned Out," the bass-driven groove in the center of that song is tight as hell as well, stops on a dime, and then kicks in all over again.  Again, air drumming is required here.

I fully understand this kind of hard music isn't for everyone, but I still love this album to this day, and if you're ever in a mood to want to go berserker with your tunes, this is a great start.