Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 02/09/2016
Label: Sargent House
Helms Alee have
created a perfect fusion of big riffs, noise rock rumble and muscular indie
rock filtered through a cloud of woozy reverb.
Every track on this album is stuffed to the gills with choice riffs and
klller hooks that will be embedded deep in your mind for years to come. “Stillicide” is a stellar release that sets
the bar for heavy music in 2016.
“Stillicide” CD//DD//LP track
listing:
1). More
Weight
2). Untoxicated
3). Tit to Toe
4). Meats and Milks
5). Stillicide
6). Galloping Mind Fuk
7). Creeping You Company
8). Dream Long
9). Bullygoat
10). Andromenous
11) Worth Your Wild
2). Untoxicated
3). Tit to Toe
4). Meats and Milks
5). Stillicide
6). Galloping Mind Fuk
7). Creeping You Company
8). Dream Long
9). Bullygoat
10). Andromenous
11) Worth Your Wild
The Review:
I’m ashamed
that I haven’t listened to Helms Alee before. The Seattle
“More Weight” opens the album in subtly
bombastic style, its title a prophecy of the crushing beauty to come. A short,
piano-led instrumental, it establishes the mysterious nocturnal haze that hangs
over the whole record and creates an intoxicating atmosphere.
Helms Alee have created a perfect
fusion of big riffs, noise rock rumble and muscular indie rock filtered through
a cloud of woozy reverb. When the band showcase everything they are capable of
during the space of a single track, such as the slow-burning powerhouse of “Meats and Milks” and the pummelling
title track, there are few bands that can measure up to their fearsome power.
Imagine Kylesa
at their most psychedelic covering “The
Woods” by Sleater
Kinney and you won’t be disappointed.
The
considerable musical skills of the band alone would make “Stillicide” an essential listen but it’s their vocal prowess that
really catapults them into the stratosphere. Any band would be blessed to have
just one of the members of Helms Alee as a vocalist; the fact that all
three members contribute impassioned vocals here that run the spectrum from
stirring clean singing to an unhinged roar makes for an irresistible force.
There are
plenty of twists and turns during “Stillicide”
to keep the listener on their toes. “Galloping
Mind Fuk” lives up to its title with three minutes of non-stop gnarly
riffage shorn of the more melodic touches present elsewhere. It’s a relentless
assault on the senses that almost makes you glad for the respite offered by the
sleepy menace of “Creeping You Company”. The second half of the album eases up on the
distortion but this doesn’t affect the impact of these tracks. The hypnotic locked-groove
of “Andromenous” is a good example
of this. Intricate guitar lines weave in and out of some of the strongest
vocals on the album to create an eerie insomniac lullaby.
Helms Alee have created an
intoxicating sonic world that is strange and otherworldly yet filled with
expertly crafted catchy songs. Every track on this album is stuffed to the
gills with choice riffs and klller hooks that will be embedded deep in your
mind for years to come. “Stillicide” is a stellar release that
sets the bar for heavy music in 2016.
“Stillicide” is available here
