Helmet

Jeremy Chatelain - bass Mike Jost - drums Page Hamilton - vocal/guitar Chris Traynor - guitar Page Hamilton disembarked from his native Oregon in the 1980s to pursue jazz guitar studies in New York at the Manhattan School of Music. While playing in a band named Band Of Susans, he discovered Big Black, Killing Joke, Wire and Sonic Youth. In 1989, he formed Helmet with Henri Bogdan on bass, Australian Peter Mengede on guitar and drummer John Stanier, known on the hardcore scene of Florida. The band was soon spotted by Tom Hazelmeyer, boss of Amphetamine Reptile Records (The Melvins , Cows , Unsane , Chokebore , Today Is The Day , The Thrown Ups ), who had him signed on his label. After recording some songs for compils, Helmet releases an ep titled Born Annoying . The first album, Strap It On , produced by Warthon Tiers, was released in 1990. The band quickly acquires an important reputation because the music it offers is very original: nervous and heavy, repetitive and syncopated. Helmet is also atypical in its look: the musicians are very clean and do not match the metal cannons of this period. Helmet's impact is well known enough for large labels to be interested. In 1991, Page Hamilton negotiated a large contract with Interscope (The Hives , No Doubt , Trail Of Dead , Queens Of The Stone Age , U2), while maintaining complete artistic control. The album Strap It On was re-recorded in November and the band entered the studio in New York from December to February. The second album, entitled Meantime , was released in June 1992. It is entirely produced by Helmet and mixed by Andy Wallace (Nirvana , Rage Against The Machine , Slayer , Sonic Youth , The Strokes , System Of A Down , Sepultura , Rise Against ). Note that the song "In The Meantime" was worked with Steve Albini (Nirvana , Nine Inch Nails , Tortoise , Flogging Molly , Gogol Bordello , Pixies , Neurosis ). This album projects Helmet in the foreground: it will be a gold record in the U.S.A. and the song "Unsung" will become a real hit. Three videos are made for "Give It", "In The Meantime" and "Unsung". The band then toured with Ministry, Sepultura, Quicksand and The Melvins. Following internal tensions, Peter Mengede left Helmet in early 1993 and founded Handsome with guitarist Tom Capone of Quicksand and Pete Hines, former drummer of Murphy's Law and Cro-Mags. It is replaced by Rob Echeverria de Rest In Pieces . Helmet, recognized by all musical trends, continues his work and collaborates with House Of Pain on the song "Just Another Victim" for the compilation rock-rap Judgment Night. The third album, Betty , was released in 1994. It is produced by Helmet and T-Ray and mixed by Andy Wallace. He is hailed by critics as the most accomplished and experimental album of the band, which actually produces a very rich music where one feels jazz, blues and funk influences. Three videos are made for "Biscuits for Smut", "Wilma's Rainbow" and "Milquetoast". The ensuing tour, together with Rage Against The Machine and Rollins Band, was a huge success for Helmet, but at the end of it, Rob Echeverria left the band and joined Biohazard. In 1995, the band re-recorded Born Annoying with new or remixed songs. He also composed songs for films such as "Complete" for Johnny Mnemonic, "Disagreeble" for Feeling Minesota or "Symptom of the Universe" for The Jerky Boys. It will be necessary to wait until March 1997 to listen to Aftertaste . The album was indeed released six months late because Helmet was not satisfied with his first production. Recorded by P. Hamilton, H. Bogdan and J. Stanier, the album is produced by the band and Dave Sardy (Red Hot Chili Peppers , Nine Inch Nails , System Of A Down , Slayer , Marilyn Manson , Vision Of Disorder ), mixed by Terry Date ( Prong , White Zombie , Pantera ). Despite its quality, Interscope's interest in the group is decreasing. The guitarist Chris Traynor of Orange 9mm is recruited to tour. Poor understanding and ongoing tensions within the group led to its separation in 1999. Henri Bogdan leaves to play in Midnight Serenaders. John Stanier, after dropping the battery for a year, reprises in Tomahawk and then plays in The Mark Of Cain and Battles. Page Hamilton, Helmet's central figure, works on a solo project and contributes to various artists such as David Bowie or Nine Inch Nails. He composes songs for movies and forms a group named Gandhi. A compilation of Helmet's career, named Unsung: The Best Of Helmet 1991-1997, was released in 2001 and seems to definitively endorse the group's dissolution. After settling in Los Angeles, Page Hamilton works with drummer John Tempesta ( Testament , White Zombie ) and then looks for a label and a name for this new project. Pushed by Interscope and after many hesitations, he opted for Helmet's reformation. But he is only joined by C. Traynor with whom he stayed on good terms. The band recorded its fifth album from March to June 2004 at the Cello Studios in Hollywood, California, and Size Matters was released in October at Interscope. Recorded by P. Hamilton, J. Tempesta, C. Traynor and the addition of F. Bello for live bass, the album is produced by P. Hamilton, Charlie Clouser ( Nine Inch Nails , Marilyn Manson , A Perfect Circle ) and Jay Baumgardner ( New Found Glory , Papa Roach , Ugly Kid Joe , Hobastank ). Helmet then toured but Frank Bello joined his former band, Anthrax, before his conclusion. He was replaced by Jeremy Chatelain, former Handsome vocalist and bassist of Jetz To Brazil. In late 2005, Interscope lache Helmet and John Tempesta left the band for The Cult in early 2006. In March, Helmet signed with Warcon Records (Bleed The Dream ) and released his sixth album, Monochrome , in July. The line-up includes the unmissable Page Hamilton on singing and guitar, Chris Traynor on guitar, Mike Jost (Seven) on drums and Jeremy Chatelain on bass. Monochrome , produced by P. Hamilton and Warthon Tiers, is a return to roots. In September, shortly after the end of the Warped Tour, C. Traynor, M. Jost and J. Chatelain left the group. drummer Kyle Stevenson and bass player John Fuller joined Helmet in October, followed in November by Australian guitarist Jimmy Thompson. These changes in line-up greatly disrupted the tour of the band that ended the year with Guns N'Roses.
Helmet is a leading band of the 1990s with a sound and especially a rhythmic recognizable between a thousand. Marked by the strong personality and creative talent of his iconic figure, Page Hamiltion, he successfully merged metal, punk, indie-rock and jazz, allowing the connection between metal and indie rock.