Forgotten Songs of the '90s: Helmet
Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Helmet
Helmet will be remembered as one of the loudest rock bands of the nineties but not all their songs have gone down in history. Probably their most overlooked record is 1994’s Betty, which saw the band take a detour from the noise route and turn things down a notch while still keeping the intensity level high. Probably the best song on the record, besides “Milquetoast,” which was featured on “The Crow” soundtrack is “Wilma’s Rainbow.”
Kicking off with a detuned intro, one probably doesn’t expect much from the track until the band comes together in one tight spot and then leads bassist Henry Bogdan and drummer extraordinaire John Stanier to carry the groove. Then frontman Page Hamilton comes in with one of the most distinctive voices in hardcore. The lyrics to the song almost come across as lines of a poem and with the heavy, but low rhythm of the song, it all fits together perfectly.
The song was released as the second single off of Betty and failed to make much of an impression on an audience that was already beginning to turn away from this type of music. But over the years, as Helmet have emerged as legends, everything they’ve done is being rediscovered and it’s about time, this song joins the rest of their esteemed output. The live version is from "The John Stewart Show," circa 1994.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3a8Ow-DoAw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Sj4uQWtPw (Wilma’s Live)
Helmet will be remembered as one of the loudest rock bands of the nineties but not all their songs have gone down in history. Probably their most overlooked record is 1994’s Betty, which saw the band take a detour from the noise route and turn things down a notch while still keeping the intensity level high. Probably the best song on the record, besides “Milquetoast,” which was featured on “The Crow” soundtrack is “Wilma’s Rainbow.”
Kicking off with a detuned intro, one probably doesn’t expect much from the track until the band comes together in one tight spot and then leads bassist Henry Bogdan and drummer extraordinaire John Stanier to carry the groove. Then frontman Page Hamilton comes in with one of the most distinctive voices in hardcore. The lyrics to the song almost come across as lines of a poem and with the heavy, but low rhythm of the song, it all fits together perfectly.
The song was released as the second single off of Betty and failed to make much of an impression on an audience that was already beginning to turn away from this type of music. But over the years, as Helmet have emerged as legends, everything they’ve done is being rediscovered and it’s about time, this song joins the rest of their esteemed output. The live version is from "The John Stewart Show," circa 1994.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3a8Ow-DoAw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Sj4uQWtPw (Wilma’s Live)
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