“You jump the rhythmic gash like it’s morse code“
Helms Alee are a three-piece band that sing and shout tightly composed, sludgy-heavy-rock songs. On Keep This Be the Way, Helms Alee build on the sound established on 2019’s Noctiluca with even more gnarly, noisy moments. The guitars are, with a few exceptions, much less distorted than on their early albums. They instead invoke glittery, nauseous psychedelia, saving pure distortion for the moments where it can make the most impact.
The band adheres closely to the power trio sound, mostly choosing not to layer songs with additional rhythm guitars, giving their music a tangible presence, and leaving room for Dana James‘ brilliant bass. The whole band sings on the record, at times harsh and desperate, others soulful and harmonic. Synthesisers are prominent as a backing instrument, completing the band’s sonic assault – it’s not at all easy on the ears and will challenge you, in a good way.
The album is a tight 35 minutes and includes many strong tracks that cover a lot of ground over their short run-times. “Tripping Up The Stairs” is absolutely frenetic and amongst the band’s most intense material. “Mouth Thinker” is a tense battle between angelic vocals and micro-bursts of aggression. The not-so-short “Do Not Expose to the Burning Sun” uses its length to gradually build up to, and come down from, the record’s summit. Closer “Guts for Brains” features the best clean vocal performances and ends in a tremendous and monumental groove. It’s a stretch to call much of this record ‘light’ due to its bristling sonic intensity, but some segments function as interludes such as “The Middle Half” and “How Party Do You Hard“. Side one is finalised with a synth-charged, heartfelt cover of Scott Walker‘s “Big Louise”.
At times, the triumphant attitude is not enough to carry the band’s unusual song writing choices. Dissonance is embraced across the record, particularly on title track “Keep This Be the Way” and “Mouth Thinker” – some guitar riffs sound like they make for a pretty pattern on the fretboard without a satisfying resolution. Vocals offer few hooks and even fewer moments with enough clarity to sing along with. But it’s precisely this brash harshness that makes the record and the band unique – few others in the heavy rock sphere have the confidence to challenge listeners in this way. Those that are looking for non-traditional song structures, or simply an aural rollercoaster, will find plenty of surprises on Keep This Be the Way.
7/10
Keep This Be the Way will release April 29th via Sargent House, and you can pre-order the record here.