So this year (2025) I was fortunate to see Helmet play the Betty album in its entirety and I gotta say, it was an awesome experience. They are one of those bands that just put on a great live show and that’s who is back on the chopping block for this rewind review. So with that, let’s take a look…….
Strap It On- so if you take noise rock and punk and mix them together, you’d get this album. There’s a certain kind of aggression to this album, which also contributes to the punkiness. Is it a great start? Yes. Would I revisit it anytime soon? Probably not
Previous Score: 7/10
New Score: 7.5/10
Standouts: Sinatra, Repetition, Distracted
Meantime- ok so I’m sure this was everyone’s first album that they heard by these guys and I mean come on this probably has the most popular song that being Unsung. But aside from that song, the rest of the album is just absolutely great in every possible way. It’s got attitude. It’s got punk and metal all wrapped together. If it it’s been a while since you’ve listened to this album, definitely go back to it.
Previous Score: 9/10
New Score: 10/10
Standouts: Ironhead, In The Meantime, Turned Out
Born Annoying- so this is a compilation album that contains B-Sides and rarities. It’s not bad and if you are a huge fan, then you’ll probably like it but otherwise I’d say skip it.
Previous Score: 7/10
New Score: 7/10
Standouts: Born Annoying, Taken, No Nicky No
Betty- ah yes Betty. I forgot how great this album is. I know Meantime is the one that people always bring up but this one definitely rivals it. It’s just such a great record to drive to as well. This one also has kind of an experimental and jazzy sound going on. It’s definitely different and cool. I would call this album a warm blanket album because there’s just a certain kind of comfort that you get when you listen to it.
Previous Score: 8/10
New Score: 10/10
Standouts: I Know, Biscuits For Smut, Street Crab
Aftertaste- this one I feel like goes back to the Meantime sound. It certainly doesn’t sound like Betty and has more of a skater punk feel to it. In terms of their earlier albums, I feel that this one does get overlooked a little but it’s definitely a fantastic album.
Previous Score: 9/10
New Score: 9.5/10
Standouts: Pure, Crisis King, Renovation
Size Matters- I’m pretty sure that this was supposed to be a solo album but it was released under the Helmet name because of some sort of contract. Anyway, this one I’d say is a good album but it’s not great. It’s not as up tempo as their other albums have been but the riffs are really good and this has by far my favorite touring lineup. Like I said, it’s good but they’ve done better
Previous Score: 4/10
New Score: 8/10
Standouts: See You Dead, Crashing Foreign Cars, Drug Lord
Monochrome- there are some who would say that this is really the comeback record and that it is Meantime part 2. Now while I can see that and back in the day I would agree, I’d say it’s got more elements of Aftertaste. It does go back to that more aggressive sound a bit and overall I’d say it’s a very underrated Helmet album.
Previous Score: 7/10
New Score: 8/10
Standouts: Swallowing Everything, Gone, 410
Seeing Eye Dog- I actually like this one more than I remember. I don’t necessarily think it’s better than the last three albums as someone would say but overall it’s not bad. It definitely has that Helmet feel to it and I do remember it was released maybe about four years after the last album which isn’t that long so it almost picks up where Monochrome left off. Overall, it’s more-so on the average side but still worth at least a listen
Previous Score: 6/10
New Score: 7/10
Standouts: So Long, Seeing Eye Dog, And Your Bird Can Sing
Dead To The World- I’d say that out of all their albums thus far, this one is probably their slowest. If you’re looking for another Betty or Meantime, this record ain’t it. It’s good, I like the guitar work, but I do wish they’d kinda speed things up a bit here. Still though, it’s a very Helmet sounding album and that’s always a great thing
Previous Score: 5/10
New Score: 7/10
Standouts: Dead To The World, Drunk In The Afternoon, Red Scare
Left- so here we are at album number 10 which I gotta say for a band that’s been around as long as these guys have and all the ups and downs for them to be on their 10th album is pretty damn impressive. Now this album I would say has faster songs and it’s definitely a step up. When they play songs off of this album live, they sound great and I enjoyed this one more than the previous album. I feel like now the band has more of a stable lineup and it definitely shows on this record. I’ll give this one 8/10
Standouts: Gun Fluf, Bombastic, NYC Tough Guy
What I would like to say about a band like this is for as influential as these guys are especially Page Hamilton, I love the fact that they play in small places. I mean there are just so many bands that have been influenced by Helmet. Two great examples that I can think of off the top of my head are Pantera and Nine Inch Nails. I mean, just listen to the Vulgar Display Of Power album and you’ll hear Helmet riffs. I would say that they are also one of the more important bands that are still around and if you haven’t had a chance to see them live yet definitely do so because they are absolutely bad ass live.
Final Grade: A
Previous Album Rankings:
- Aftertaste
- Meantime (can be flipped with 1)
- Betty
- Monochrome
- Born Annoying
- Strap It On
- Size Matters
- Seeing Eye Dog
- Dead To The World
New Album Rankings:
- Betty
- Meantime
- Aftertaste
- Monochrome
- Size Matters
- Born Annoying
- Left
- Strap It On
- Seeing Eye Dog
- Dead To The World
Sinister Reviews 