This week, the Tacoma Washington outfit Helms Alee released their third and finest album yet, Sleepwalking Sailors. The release is the band's first on Sargent House Records, after their previous label, HydraHead, stopped releasing new music. The band is a great fit for its new label and will no doubt reinforce Sargent House's already stellar lineup. The trio are first-rate torch bearers for the Pacific Northwest's heavy music heritage. The sinew that connects Helms Alee to such legendary acts as the Melvins is strong. While the comparisons the band gets to earlier sludge pioneers is apt, Helms Alee offers much more than many of their predecessors. Nowhere is this more apparent than on Sleepwalking Sailors. The band seamlessly incorporates elements of shoegaze, 90s alternative, and punk into songs that are complex, elegant and punishing all at once.
The trio features Ben Verellen on guitar, Dana James on bass, and Hozoji Matheson-margullis on drums with all three contributing vocals. The combined musicianship of these three creates a sound that is much more dynamic and textured than one would normally expect from a three-piece. The band's sound builds off of the stellar drumming of Matheson-margullis, which is both elaborate and powerful without ever being over the top. James' gritty bass lines occupies enough sonic territory so that Verellan can jump back and forth between heavy riffs and more open, ambient guitar work. Where Helms Alee separate themselves from their peers is in their vocal work. Verellen's thor-like bellow is juxtaposed against the melodic vocal layers laid down by James and Matheson-margullis. If the Pixies and Neurosis had a love child, it would be Helms Alee. That is not to say that the group is aping the sound of either of these bands, it is just necessary to cast that wide a net to get close to accurately describing their sound.
On Sleepwalking Sailors, Helms Alee craft songs that strike a delicate balance. Each section of a song connects on a visceral level that is achieved only through contrast. The heavier parts featuring Verellan's blistering vocals seem much more primal when they follow a more melodic, spaced-out passage. One of the albums heaviest rockers,“Tumescence,” is underpinned by an odd 5/4 guitar riff which the band never abandons. As the song unfolds, the play between the vocals creates a mood that is both heavy and hypnotic. The next song, “Pinniped,” falls into a mid-tempo groove vaguely reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr. contrasting the trio's myriad of influences. “Fetus. Carcass.” displays the band's more melodic side, with Matheson-margullis' superb vocals leading the way in a dynamic song that bounces between delicate and brutal. Helms Alee throws just about everything they have into the epic album closer “Dodge the Lightning,” displaying the full scope of tension and harmony that the band is capable of producing.
In Sleepwalking Sailors, the band has created one the most pleasurable listening experiences of 2014 thus far. Helms Alee have honed in on a sound that is one the most unique in the metal community. Each song exudes raw energy and brilliance. Hopefully the band has found a long term home on Sargent House and continue to put out high-caliber records like this one.
Grade: A
0 comments
Post a Comment