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Review
Post-hardcore has become such a broad and muddled term, it almost doesn’t do Helmet justice to refer to them as one of its pioneers. Still, anyone who remembers their mix of choppy riffs, broken melodies and articulate aggression producing a string of seminal albums during the 90s would find it hard to reject that notion.
Proving they had more in common with Unsane than Quicksand by being unable to resist a reunion in 2004, Helmet’s second phase material has so far suffered from inevitably sounding like they were both revisiting former glories as well as coming across as slightly dated, regardless of the fact that they’ve cranked the aggression back up since 1997’s maudlin and masterful then-swansong, Aftertaste. Mainmain Page Hamilton’s adopted new bandmates and a slightly higher pitch when he sings and screams, but much of the rest has stayed the same.
The good news is that Hamilton’s discontent still makes him an irresistible malcontent at times. So Long is the soundtrack to a marriage unravelling like a length of razor wire, while LA Water eventually breaks down to reveal a soaring, almost pop-like quality that paints a sheen over something much darker. Beyond that, string-infused interlude Morphing mainly highlights the stomping, suffocating pace of much of the rest of the album. And Your Bird Can Sing is another successful stab at lending a greater amount of melody, but it also highlights a nagging quality to Helmet’s music these days: they have one foot planted in the past while looking to push forward.
There was a question mark over whether Hamilton’s muse would have been better served by adopting a new moniker to go with this band. It’s not a question of him stepping away from an impressive legacy, rather giving him the freedom to fully explore his creative urges. A jazz-trained musician who has previously contributed music to films, including Michael Mann’s Heat, and toured with David Bowie, he certainly has the capacity to achieve such goals. In the, ahem, meantime, albums like Seeing Eye Dog have their appeal, but quite often sound trapped in limbo.
--Alistair LawrenceFind more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
CD Description
Seminal rock band HELMET return with a new full-length album SEEING EYE DOG--their first since 2006 s critically acclaimed Monochrome. Marking their first release on the indie Work Song label, SEEING EYE DOG is the seventh album overall and was produced by band leader, vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Page Hamilton, with additional production by Toshi Kasai and vocal production by Mark Renk. On songs that consistently cut deep, Hamilton s guitar is on fire as always and his vocals are as wicked as ever. The album s 10 tracks include the title cut, Welcome To Algiers, White City, the mostly instrumental Morphing and a cover of the Beatles And Your Bird Can Sing. HAMILTON is joined by drummer KYLE STEVENSON, guitarist DAN BEEMAN and bassist CHRIS TRAYNOR; Helmet s live bassist is DAVE CASE.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Since Page Hamilton resurrected Helmet back in 2003, things haven't always gone smoothly for the band. An ever changing line-up possibly contributed to the average reviews their previous two releases, 2004's "Size Matters" and 2006's "Monochrome" received. Despite containing some decent new material, comparisons with the band's mid-90's heyday were unflattering and it was a full four years before this record saw the light of day.
So what to make of "Seeing Eye Dog"? The usual stop-start dynamics and dischordant solos are present and Page's vocals flit from incredibly rough (the title track) to the more melodic singing adopted in recent years. "LA Water" features strings and is a real high point, as are "Welcome to Algiers" and "White City", which are both strong enough to slot in with their critically acclaimed 90's catalogue. "Morphing" is an instrumental throwaway and The Beatles cover is naff and unnecessary, coming off like a Britpop band, but I suppose it all depends on your views on The Beatles. Still, two duff efforts out of ten is a ratio that "Monochrome" would have killed for.
This is a definite improvement, it feels like a more natural continuation from "Aftertaste". It's not a complete return to form, but it is their strongest post-reformation release so far. It's good that they're still here with us, it will be an honour to see them on their UK tour come December.
So what to make of "Seeing Eye Dog"? The usual stop-start dynamics and dischordant solos are present and Page's vocals flit from incredibly rough (the title track) to the more melodic singing adopted in recent years. "LA Water" features strings and is a real high point, as are "Welcome to Algiers" and "White City", which are both strong enough to slot in with their critically acclaimed 90's catalogue. "Morphing" is an instrumental throwaway and The Beatles cover is naff and unnecessary, coming off like a Britpop band, but I suppose it all depends on your views on The Beatles. Still, two duff efforts out of ten is a ratio that "Monochrome" would have killed for.
This is a definite improvement, it feels like a more natural continuation from "Aftertaste". It's not a complete return to form, but it is their strongest post-reformation release so far. It's good that they're still here with us, it will be an honour to see them on their UK tour come December.
5 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Being partially sighted, I was thrilled to receive this item. However, it was not designed as well as it could be for its purpose. I had difficulty trying to attach it to Jess's head - fortunately, she's a very patient creature - and resorted to using strong tape. Perhaps consider an adjustable chin strap on future models? It kept the top of Jess's head dry - but she has big ears and these stick out. Even after I'd located the hinge which doubles the size, those ears still felt the cold and rain. Also, the plastic is not too strong, in my view, and would not stand a sudden jolt or offer much protection to a working dog. Still, I did like the pleasant surprise of a CD of music inside which is why I'm awarding you 5 stars.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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12 reviews
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Definitly worth it for the live portion
12 Sep 2010
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
When you order this album, you will receive two CDs; one that is the new album, and the other that is their live set from the 2006 San Francisco stop of the Warped tour. If anything, this is a must buy for the live CD. There are some moments where you can hear Paige interacting with the crowd that are pretty funny.
The new material is all in all pretty good. This is a hard album to describe because there are so many different styles going on here. I will try to point out some highlights.
While the songs all have the Helmet sound, there are a few songs where Paige has taken a step out of his mold. And to me, these are the better songs on the album. In particular, I find LA Water to be a direction that I would like Helmet to go. It is still heavy, but it is more complex and layered composition. It even has some good melodies in it. Easily the best song on the album to me.
Another great song is Seeing Eye Dog. This is a nod to old school Helmet. Its main riff is heavily syncopated ala Meantime. You are just slapped in the face with a wall of guitar sound.
Interestingly, Helmet have chosen to do a cover song for this CD. That song is And Your Bird can Sing, by the Beatles. A peculiar choice, but it works somehow. When I first heard it, I didn't realize it was a cover, but all I could think was "So this what Paige would sound like if he was going to write a song in the style of Boston."
Another stand out track to me is "She's Lost". Again, its a wall of guitar that just hits you. The drums come in followed by some screeching guitar until the singing starts. This too is a song that has a more melodic feel to it, but it is still true to Helmet's sound.
The rest of the album is pretty good, but it is pretty standard fare for other Helmet. It mostly resembles songs from Size Matters and later. IMO, Paige needs to stop screaming. It just doesn't work anymore, so he should just save his voice. And that would probably be my main negative comment about the CD. Fortunately, he doesn't do it too much. Certainly he screams less than he did on Monochrome.
Some of you may think to yourself that "Why would I want melody in a Helmet song? I listen to them to head bang. This guy is crazy." To put this in perspective, Meantime came out while I was in high school. I loved the heaviness and aggressiveness of that album. I still like that today, but that was about 18 years ago. My tastes have evolved to more than just fast and heavy power chords. I usually need more to keep me interested. Paige can write some great complex songs and still be true to the Helmet moniker. Some of the songs on this album show to me how much better some of his songs can be if he were to expand beyond just heavy riffs. Don't get me wrong, he is the riff writing master, but I hope that this is a direction he continues with, either with Helmet or another band.
The new material is all in all pretty good. This is a hard album to describe because there are so many different styles going on here. I will try to point out some highlights.
While the songs all have the Helmet sound, there are a few songs where Paige has taken a step out of his mold. And to me, these are the better songs on the album. In particular, I find LA Water to be a direction that I would like Helmet to go. It is still heavy, but it is more complex and layered composition. It even has some good melodies in it. Easily the best song on the album to me.
Another great song is Seeing Eye Dog. This is a nod to old school Helmet. Its main riff is heavily syncopated ala Meantime. You are just slapped in the face with a wall of guitar sound.
Interestingly, Helmet have chosen to do a cover song for this CD. That song is And Your Bird can Sing, by the Beatles. A peculiar choice, but it works somehow. When I first heard it, I didn't realize it was a cover, but all I could think was "So this what Paige would sound like if he was going to write a song in the style of Boston."
Another stand out track to me is "She's Lost". Again, its a wall of guitar that just hits you. The drums come in followed by some screeching guitar until the singing starts. This too is a song that has a more melodic feel to it, but it is still true to Helmet's sound.
The rest of the album is pretty good, but it is pretty standard fare for other Helmet. It mostly resembles songs from Size Matters and later. IMO, Paige needs to stop screaming. It just doesn't work anymore, so he should just save his voice. And that would probably be my main negative comment about the CD. Fortunately, he doesn't do it too much. Certainly he screams less than he did on Monochrome.
Some of you may think to yourself that "Why would I want melody in a Helmet song? I listen to them to head bang. This guy is crazy." To put this in perspective, Meantime came out while I was in high school. I loved the heaviness and aggressiveness of that album. I still like that today, but that was about 18 years ago. My tastes have evolved to more than just fast and heavy power chords. I usually need more to keep me interested. Paige can write some great complex songs and still be true to the Helmet moniker. Some of the songs on this album show to me how much better some of his songs can be if he were to expand beyond just heavy riffs. Don't get me wrong, he is the riff writing master, but I hope that this is a direction he continues with, either with Helmet or another band.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Not great but pretty good.
16 Sep 2010
Format:Audio CD
Not a fan of Monochrome at all, but I do like Speak and Spell, Throwing Punches, Smart and Crashing Foreign Cars from Size Matters. I agree that 'LA Water' is the best track and quite possibly the only "5-star" song on this album. It works because it has a classic simple riff that gets built on and layerd over, the melodies are great with Page's classic dry humour "I haven't felt now for a while, the weather here is always warm." This album does suffer from the yelling/growling when singing could have done the job so much better; IMO 'Seeing Eye Dog' is a classic example of this - I always go away with the song being 'sung' in my head, instead of it being growled like in the recording.
At the end of the day, this album could have done with a different rhythm section - great riffs, pretty decent songs, but lacking something really strong to push those riffs out to the listener. My mate always raves about Stanier and Bogden's work on Betty, and as much as we might lament their loss, it's still great that Helmet is alive and active, even if we do only get 3 or 5 songs that we like per new record - that I say is better than nothing!
At the end of the day, this album could have done with a different rhythm section - great riffs, pretty decent songs, but lacking something really strong to push those riffs out to the listener. My mate always raves about Stanier and Bogden's work on Betty, and as much as we might lament their loss, it's still great that Helmet is alive and active, even if we do only get 3 or 5 songs that we like per new record - that I say is better than nothing!
En la linea rockera acostumbrada
2 Sep 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Gran trabajo de esta excelente banda rockera, cada CD nuevo siempre trae algo nuevo fuera de buenas guitarras y baterias. Grande
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