Spectreview: Helms Alee – Noctiluna

-WITCH HAZE-

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It’s extremely heartening to see Seattle heavy rock champions Helms Alee refusing to rest on their laurels as they gets older. Now in their 12th year, the band have nearly perfected their unique musical perspective by binding the leaden heaviness of metal to steel-solid melodies. Noctiluna, their fifth album, continues their streak from 2016’s superb Stillicide, and while the band’s balance of melody and force is still in full force, it’s even more potent thanks to Sam Bell’s production. Smart decisions, like his treatment of Hozoji Margullis’ drums (listen to the breakneck toms on “Beat Up”), help bring the band away from a more traditionally metal sound into the realm of hard rock, lending an accessibility to even the most abrasive moments. Of course, there are the band’s arrangements, which are stronger than ever; “Illegal Guardian” is a melodrama of shifting tempos and rhythms, the song’s dynamic range dictated more by the energy of the playing and the sequencing of the phrases than the overall volume. The album heads into even more accessible territory by its last third, which also contains its best moments; “Spider Jar,” in its brevity and dual guitar lines, plays more like an 80’s dive bar standard than a metal track, while “Pleasure Torture” thrillingly picks up speed (and a guitar solo) in its closing moments and “Pandemic” almost hits Lotus Plaza territory, paying tribute to MBV’s sweet, swooning chords. With Noctiluna, Helms Alee grows ever slightly, adding another layer of sugar while remaining one of Seattle’s hardest-hitting metal bands.

Recommended for kickboxing at the gym.