Helmet
Monochrome
4/5

The definition of the word monochrome is a picture in made up of different shades of grey. Many people say the debate between right and wrong is the difference between black and white, resulting in shades of grey. The grey that Helmet has created with Monochrome isn’t too dark at all, but it’s just light enough to keep you going. The revival of Helmet’s proto-alt punk-metal is colourful and welcomed in this day and age of over the top, ultra aggro nu-metal leftovers and oversaturated metalcore.

Manning the production boards is the same man that produced Helmet’s landmark album Meantime, Wharton Tiers (with the assistance of Helmet mastermind Page Hamilton). The result? This album definitely has a Meantime feel on several tracks, i.e. “Bury Me.” Throw in some melodic vocals, and you’ve got a classic Helmet album in the making, complete with chunky, stop-start, staggered riffs that Helmet is known for.

Hamilton has handled all the guitar duties on the album, while live guitarist Chris Traynor plays bass on the album (the band is rounded out by drummer Mike Jost and Jeremy Chatelain handling the live bass duties). Hamilton’s song writing has its mind on older Helmet for sure, but when you hit the title track of the album, you’d think with all the spacey vocal effects and poppy guitar chords Hamilton might have really been into The Beatles or Stone Temple Pilots at the time he wrote this song. “On Your Way Down” has enough bounce to be a Weezer song gone kind of heavy. Hamilton’s gravely, gruffly sung, barked-like vocals are ever present on Monochrome (“Swallowing Everything,” “Bury Me”). Throughout the album it becomes quite obvious why (and where) acts like Deftones and Chevelle pay tribute to Helmet as well (“Almost Out Of Sight,” “Money Shot”).

I think the true intention of Page Hamilton and his band Helmet is to show that throwing back to the 90’s can still be done without sounding cheesy and to prove that Helmet’s influence over the years is obvious. Listening to a Helmet album is kind of like going out for dinner at an amazing Italian place while most other nu-metal from the last few years is like having some sort of can of Chef Boyardee’s pasta. Quality versus quantity here folks.


Track Listing:

1. Swallowing Everything
2. Brand New
3. Monochrome
4. On Your Way Down
5. Money Shot
6. Gone
7. Almost Out Of Sight
8. Howl
9. 410
10. Goodbye

- Michael Kopko

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