Strap It On

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Strap It On
Helmet-StrapItOn.jpg
Studio album by
Helmet
ReleasedOctober 1990
Recorded1990
StudioFun City, New York City
Genre
Length30:49
Label Amphetamine Reptile
Producer Wharton Tiers, Helmet
Helmet chronology
Strap It On
(1990)		 Meantime
(1992)
Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"Bad Mood" (1990)
30 second sample of the Strap It On track "Bad Mood".
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Strap It On is the debut album by American alternative metal band Helmet. It was first released in October 1990 through Amphetamine Reptile Records, and later reissued through Interscope Records in January 1993.

Contents

Critics considered the album innovative for its explosive, propulsive, and often staccato riff style which greatly exploited drop D tuning. It has since become a cult classic in the post-hardcore genre and even influential on the metal scene.

Background and recording

Helmet was formed in 1989 by vocalist/guitarist Page Hamilton after he left the alternative rock group Band of Susans. Hamilton would recruit guitarist Peter Mengede (originally from Australia), bassist Henry Bogdan, and drummer John Stanier. [1] Having not settled on a name yet, Mengede's then-wife Reyne Cuccuro suggested the Germanic name of "helmuth". [2] Having misinterpreted her, Hamilton thought she was referring to the helmet protective gear. Thinking it was "a pretty cool name for a band", Hamilton went with the Anglicized spelling and the band was named Helmet. [3]

The band was quickly noticed by Halo of Flies guitarist Tom Hazelmyer, who signed Helmet to his label Amphetamine Reptile Records; the band would release its debut 7" single, "Born Annoying", later in 1989.

In total, the album cost $2,500 dollars to make. [4] The album was produced by Wharton Tiers and the band.

Release

Strap It On's original release came through independent noise rock label Amphetamine Reptile Records in October 1990. [5] In January 1993, it was re-released by their new label Interscope Records. [6]

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 7/10 [8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
MusicHound Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Select Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Sounds Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 6/10 [15]

The album received positive reviews, with critics praising the band's fresh, raw and innovative sound. In September 1992, the original Amphetamine Reptile release was estimated to have sold 10,000 copies. [5] By February 1995, this figure had increased to 40,000. [16] Amphetamine Reptile Records founder Tom Hazelmyer would later state that Strap It On kept the label going throughout the 1990s. [16]

AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier wrote in his review "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 pansy passivity." [7] In 1994, The New York Times labelled Strap It On as "relentlessly noisy." [17] In 2006, Pitchfork labelled it and Meantime as one of "the metal band's two triumphs." [18] Future guitarist Chris Traynor was a fan of the album, and considered it to be "one of the most important rock records ever." [19]

Kerrang! ranked the album at No. 19 in their list of "The 50 Best Albums From 1990", and stated that the album is "balanced on the centre-point between alt.metal, noise rock and post-hardcore." [20] Stereogum named the track "Sinatra" as one of the "30 Essential Noise Rock Tracks", and the album as "rough-hewn post-hardcore" and groove metal. [21]

In 2004, the songs "Repetition", "FBLA", "Bad Mood" and "Sinatra" appeared on the compilation album Unsung: The Best of Helmet 1991–1997. [22] The track listing for the compilation was chosen by Page Hamilton. [23] The Sacramento-based alternative metal group Deftones covered the song "Sinatra", with it appearing on their 2005 compilation album B-Sides & Rarities . [24] The song was also covered by the band Livver on the 2016 Helmet tribute album Meantime (Redux). The album further included covers of "Bad Mood" by Blackwolfgoat and "Blacktop" by Heads. [25]

Track listing

All music and lyrics by Page Hamilton.

No.TitleLength
1."Repetition"3:00
2."Rude"4:13
3."Bad Mood"2:15
4."Sinatra"4:31
5."FBLA"2:40
6."Blacktop"3:20
7."Distracted"3:12
8."Make Room"3:28
9."Murder"4:03
Total length:30:49
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleLength
10."Impressionable"2:04
Total length:32:53

Accolades

YearPublicationCountryAccoladeRank
1995 Alternative Press United States"Top 99 of '85 to '95"25 [26]
1998Alternative PressUnited States"The 90 Greatest Albums of the '90s"12 [27]
"*" denotes an unordered list.

Personnel

Band

Technical

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Page Hamilton</span> American singer and guitarist

Page Nye Hamilton is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer, mostly noted for his work with alternative metal band Helmet, which he founded. Most of his work has been in the hard rock and alternative metal styles, though he trained in jazz guitar and has substantial connections with avant-garde music and film soundtrack composition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmet (band)</span> American alternative metal band

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<i>Meantime</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Helmet

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amphetamine Reptile Records</span> American record label

Amphetamine Reptile Records is a record label founded in 1986 by Tom Hazelmyer in Washington state. The label specializes in noise rock and also released Strap It On, the debut album by alternative metal band Helmet which sold more than 40,000 records. According to Hazelmyer, the success of the album was vital to keeping AmRep going throughout the 1990s, as it "helped support the other things that sold less." The label was the subject of the 2015 documentary The Color of Noise.

Alternative metal is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by heavily downtuned, mid-paced guitar riffs, a mixture of accessible melodic vocals and harsh vocals and sometimes unconventional sounds within other heavy metal styles. The term has been in use since the 1980s, although it came into prominence in the 1990s.

<i>Size Matters</i> 2004 studio album by Helmet

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">In the Meantime (Helmet song)</span> 1992 single by Helmet

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References

  1. ↑ "Helmet Biography". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ "Interview - Rolling Stone". bluecricket.
  3. ↑ "Interview - Rolling Stone - Helmet". bluecricket.
  4. ↑ 1992 Bring The Noise magazine Interview
  5. 1 2 Greer, Jim (September 1992). "Major League". Spin . Vol. 8, no. 6. SPIN Media, LLC. pp. 78, 116.
  6. ↑ Clark, Randy (January 16, 1993). "Music Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box . 57 (19) – via worldradiohistory.com.
  7. 1 2 Birchmeier, Jason. "Strap It On - Helmet". AllMusic . Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  8. ↑ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 195. ISBN   978-1-894959-62-9.
  9. ↑ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "Helmet". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4 (4th ed.). MUZE. pp. 233–234. ISBN   978-0-19-531373-4.
  10. ↑ Scanlon, Christopher (1999). "Helmet". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. pp. 540–541.
  11. ↑ Columnist. "Strap It On". Q . May 1995. pg. 125, cited March 18, 2010
  12. ↑ Kot, Greg (2004). "Helmet". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p.  374. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  13. ↑ Perry, Andrew (August 1993). "Helmet: Strap It On". Select . EMAP. p. 108.
  14. ↑ Lawton, Ian (February 9, 1991). "Playback" (PDF). Sounds . United Newspapers. p. 40 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  15. ↑ Walsh, Jim (1995). "Helmet". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 181–182. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  16. 1 2 Clark, Rick (February 25, 1995), "Give Them One Good Region: Local Labels Congregate In Cities Where Talent Gathers", Billboard, p. 114, retrieved April 19, 2015
  17. ↑ Strauss, Neil (July 24, 1994). "RECORDINGS VIEW; an Earful of Noisy Sludge from Three New York Bands". The New York Times.
  18. ↑ "Helmet: Monochrome". Pitchfork .
  19. ↑ "Post-Gazette.com". Nl.newsbank.com. August 29, 1997. Retrieved February 21, 2013.(subscription required)
  20. ↑ Law, Sam (July 8, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums From 1990". Kerrang! . Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  21. ↑ Terich, Jeff (November 28, 2018). "30 Essential Noise Rock Tracks". Stereogum . Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  22. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Unsung: The Best of Helmet > Review". Allmusic . Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Helmet best-of to be released in January". www.punknews.org. December 27, 2003.
  24. ↑ "Discography". Deftones. Archived from the original on May 7, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Various Artists – Meantime Redux". October 4, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Alternative Press - Top 99 Of '85 to '95". Alternative Press . Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  27. ↑ "Alternative Press - The 90 Greatest Albums of the '90s". Alternative Press . Retrieved December 3, 2009.
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