Helms Alee: Weatherhead (Hydra Head, 6/21/11)
“8/16”
With its 2008 debut album, Seattle trio Helms Alee forged a sound all its own — part metal, part post-punk, part melody-driven rock, and all abandon. As a trio, the band’s personal contributions to its sophomore effort, Weatherhead, are easier to discern: the driving, effected guitar and guttural screams of Ben Verellen, the distorted low end and breathy, light-weight vocals of bassist Dana James, and the steady, pounding aggression of Hozoji Matheson-Margullis.
On top of alternately punishing and pulchritudinous riffage, Verellen and James again are paired for vocal harmonies. But this time around, they’re joined by the assertive vocals of Matheson-Margullis. James, however, takes the lead at other points, and she frequently harmonizes with Verellen’s clean vocals to produce some of the album’s most hypnotic tracks. The egalitarianism of the vocals is nearly matched by the diversity of the music — albeit music that nearly always rocks.
so over Mike Patton and his garbling..with that said, True Widow is great, but have to give the nod to Implodes for the genre..no Disappears? Pinkish Black? Chelsea Wolfe? Dimmu Boogr over Krypts?
some fantastic stuff here I’ve never even come close to discovering, thanks guys, this list has been well and truly bookmarked.
I have a feeling that you’ll see Chelsea on our year-end list…
Glad you’re enjoying!
Bardo Pond’s self titled album needs to be on here.
Wow! I saw Tobin’s ISAM, DEP’s Option Paralysis, and AAL’s Weightless all on the same list and had to investigate. I’ve been sitting here for hours. As another poster said, this page has been bookmarked.
great list… personally I would have thrown In And Out Of Youth ANd Lighness from Young Widows and Go Tell Fire To The Mountain from wu lyf on there, but I can def get behind selections like helms alee, cave in, Trentemoller and Intronaut.
on and blackest curse from Integrity was a nice touch as well. Something tells me the new deafheaven could have made this list if it came out and the end of the year
Great diverse list. It does help that the selected sampels are mostly of astounding quality, sonically and musically both.
In and out of youth is so so great
That Cave In record is a sleeper classic
It sounds like you have impeccable taste, Mr. Hill.
Thanks, Rob! Indeed…we almost put the new Deafheaven on here anyway. Maybe it will be a retroactive inclusion. That Young Widows album is great too.
very good list! Thx
Clicking next a loading a new page each time sure isn’t tedious
BTBAM only an honorable mention? Are you fucked?