Customer Reviews

Monochrome

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

i am glad to have this album in my collection.

i bought my first helmet cd in 1993, meantime. since then i've seen them 3 times in concert and picked up everything i could find.

is it a loss to no longer have stanier on the drums? sure. he can never be replaced... but jost is a pretty damned good drummer in his own right, and fits better than tempesta.

as others have said this album has a more raw sound reminiscent of earlier recordings. i like it better than the production on either aftertaste or size matters.

what always surprises me about these types of reviews is that listeners seem to think that bands stay frozen in time, forever. people change, folks, and as long as bands are made up of people then the music will always change too. it's not something to be happy, or sad about.. it just IS.

Page Hamilton is a guitar master who has changed the landscape of music. Countless bands owe him, Henry Bogdan, Peter Mengede and John Stanier for their muse and thriving careers.

Ok, now I'll tell you something you may not know:

Forget Meantime, forget anything Helmet has ever done before. Enjoy Monochrome on it's own terms. It's different. It's stripped-down. It's honest. It'll rock you silly. The songs are hauntingly good - just give it a chance. I've been singing myself hoarse to songs like "Almost out of sight", "Monochrome" and "Bury Me". Page is back!

This album will endure the test of time. Monochrome will and should be regarded as a great rock and roll album from a great rock and roll master.

The new one from Page and a revamped lineup finds Helmet revisiting some of the noise of Strap it On and Meantime. Mainly, the guitar solos are what stand out as the main link to those former great albums.

This one though, stands on its own as keeping the molody of Size Matters and the aggression of Meantime. Page brings more melody than he used to have but still finds a way to keep intensity for the most part. The new drummer should definately be commended for his contributions to the new-found ferocity.

The main fault of this album is some of the the vocals and lyrics, although Page was never really known for being great in that area. Lyrically, I think Meantime and Aftertaste were Page's high point. Besides that, I haven't seen much......then again, lyrics are not why one becomes interested in Helmet. I'm giving this one a 4.5. A step below Strap It On, Meantime, Betty and Aftertaste. Above Size Matters.

This Helmet album ROCKS, and this is from someone who hated Size Matters. Recorded in three weeks, it has some rough spots, but the insane noisy solos and awesome riffs more than make up for it. This is better than 99% of the heavy rock that is currently out there. To me, each Helmet CD has a unique "feel" to it as a whole, and to me, this is the garage rockin CD! It has the older elements of what makes Helmet great, and adds newer elements as well that long time fans like me can notice and appreciate.

The previous album Size Matters was disappointing, but I was still happy Helmet was back and touring and releasing new material despite the absence of original members Henry Bogdan (bass) and John Stanier (drums) who were integral to creating the signature Helmet sound. I knew it would be tough to match the brilliance of the Meantime or Betty albums but you know what. They came pretty damn close with this one. Monochrome is the real Helmet comeback album I've been waiting for. The drumming was a pleasant surprise....and hearing those crunchy riffs, odd time signatures, and trademark solos made me very happy to once again bang my head away to one of the most underated bands of all time........

Why doesn't he just shut up and make an instrumental HELMET album, concentrating on the guitars and super rhythms instead? I have always felt that HELMET has held back somewhat from something really incredible; Page's solos sound like NO ONE else I can think of, and he should focus on that difference. I mean, seriously, does this music even NEED any lyrics or singing? I don't think so, personally, and man, I thought he sucked as a vocalist before (although I guess it was tolerable, maybe on songs like Overrated and such), but he is unlistenable now. Totally, almost as bad as Billy Corgan, and too, too similar, with the nasal pinching delivery. Please, release another album and just do it without any singing, like a Don Caballero or something. Rely on your awesome guitar playing and metal composition to come to the fore and blow minds. I would like to turn on the windshield wipers and wipe away that horrible shrill ratty voice from this good, heavy music. It just gets in the way, and now that HELMET is not in the spotlight anymore, but has an established following, they should be able to do whatever they want....assuming hopefully that someone must have forced him to sing this way, that is....I hope that's the only excuse for it, for the sake of their artistic integrity....

What the hell happened to Page Hamilton's voice? He used to have a great cathartic clean voice and a growly scream, and now it's like he's regressed into a bad 80's metal shrill. The music's good, but I can't buy this album cause he sounds like a tweener.

This album is helmet reborn. Sure, Page Hamilton is the only original member, and played most of the instruments on the album, but it doesn't matter. What does matter is that this is the sound of Helmet, back and born again. That is why it is not a Page Hamilton solo effort (plus this name probably draws more money/respect). The mixing of the vocals is a little rougher, not as manipulated on past albums, a little rougher, showing his years. However, the melodies and bass lines are what make the music Helmet. The same crunch and stops as before, like machinery grinding. Awsome album, pick this up. Very reminiscent of the MEANTIME days with a bit of STRAP IT ON/BORN ANNOYING.

Highlights: Bury Me, On your Way Down, brand new, Gone, Howl

Bonus tracks available-Requeium-Exclusive Download from large retail electronics store Descent track, but not fitting into this album, not worth paying more for if you have a good price elsewhere, unless you are OCPD like me and a collector.

Been a helmet fan for a very long time. If your reading this, you prolly have been also. If you are new to helmet, don't start with this. Do what everyone says and go with Meantime or Betty. That said, i can't say how excited i was when the opening guitar riff started. I was thinking "OH THANK GOD! SOME OLD SCHOOL HELMET!" then Page opened his mouth and i wanted to puke. I started to wonder if something horrible had happened to his voice in his old age. BUT, and i can't emphasize the but enough, although his vocal style has changed significantly, the first three tracks are the worst of it. Those first three tracks, although the music is great, are almost impossible to listen to vocally (what i think is best described as some sort of messy train wreck or love-child of hetfield, corgan, and rollins {[..]}). Thankfully, after that, page falls into his groove, and the next six songs are VERY enjoyable. So i say, if your a fan, GO FOR IT! just have one finger on the skip button in case you can't hack his hacky vocals on the first three. the last two are a little rocky too, but the middle is gold. so just think of it as an exceptional six-song ep sandwiched inbetween some vocal excrement.

Many people tend to dismiss a group after a certain number of lineup changes, feeling that the true essence of the band will never again be fulfilled. Such is the case with skeptical Helmet fans. However, although there is only one original player left in the band, he is able to single handedly keep the Helmet machine afloat. Since the reformation of Helmet and the creation of their 2004 album, Size Matters, frontman Page Hamilton has showcased song after song of his trademark grinding, drop D, post hardcore sound with great success. The new album, Monochrome, is no exception. The songs are heavy, distorted and abrupt, starting full throttle at the beginning and relentlessly pulsating with nuclear energy until the final note. The production of the disc is reminiscent of early Helmet with an emphasis on giving the listener a raw, almost live feel to the songs. No doubt this is due to the fact that original producer Wharton Tiers was enlisted to co-produce, and that for the first time since the band's initial inception, Helmet is signed to a independent record label, Warcon. Assisting Hamilton this time around are guitarist/bassist Chris Traynor, who has been a Helmet staple since the late 90's, as well as bassist Jeremy Chatelain and drummer Mike Jost. Each player does well to hold his own and keep up with Hamilton as he sings snarls, and spits his lyrics over his delightfully furious and non-stop riffage. It's good to see a band persevere through turbulance, to stand the test of time, and Monochrome is a testament to that!