Little noticed upon its initial release,
Helmet
's debut full-length,
Strap It On
, left a sledgehammer-like indention upon those few who did hear it at the time and served as the template for the band's successive major-label breakthrough,
Meantime
-- albeit a very raw and abrasive template that may jolt fans of the band's later work. The nine-song album is a brief one, clocking in around a half-hour, but even such brevity proves wonderfully exhausting by the time you near the last couple songs. In fact, by the time you make it past
"Sinatra,"
one of the album's highlights and also the halfway point, slow fatigue threatens as the riffs continue to hammer away unrelentingly and vocalist
Page Hamilton
's sometimes-tuneful, oftentimes-bellowing shouting grows seemingly further agonized. The overall relentlessness should be a sheer pleasure to those who enjoy the intensity of
metal
without the clownish clichés yet, at the same time, enjoy the originality of
alt-rock
without the passivity. Much like
Black Flag
and
the Jesus Lizard
,
plays rabid
-- teeth-grinding, sweat-inducing, ear-bleeding, head-smashing music that transcends trend and is downright physical for the hell of it. Of course, this shouldn't be news to anyone familiar with
's other albums, yet
is a less labored, more grating album than any of its successors. Its production is borderline
lo-fi
, sounding as if the album was recorded to eight-track in a Lower East Side basement, and the tone is consistent throughout, sounding as if the band recorded the songs one after another with little, if any, post-production. As such, the album plays best as a whole, with few tracks standing out except the aforementioned
"Sinatra"
and the stop-and-go
"Bad Mood,"
which in some ways foreshadows the neck-snapping rapture that would be
"Unsung."
On the other hand, these very qualities that make
such a compelling listen also limit its appeal. It's simply too harsh and confrontational for anyone but
/
fringe-dwellers, and the utter lack of hooks certainly don't make it any more accessible. Though definitely not the place to begin investigating
's legacy,
is an album that fans will want to seek out at some point down the line. [Originally release independently by
Amphetamine Reptile
in 1990,
was re-released by
Interscope
in 1991 shortly before the label unleashed
.] ~ Jason Birchmeier