by Andrew Bohardt

Created on: September 21, 2010

Minimalist guitar riffs, noise rock solos, pummeling snare drums and barking/shouting vocals.

No, Helmet ain't pretty. Its ugliness, however, is what has made Helmet an iconic hard rock band.

Formed by frontman Page Hamilton in New York in the late 1980s, Helmet has released seven albums and influenced a slew of modern bands since its debut, "Strap It On," was released in 1990.

"Strap It On" was not a commercial success by any means, but with the explosion of grunge music on the West Coast, Helmet gained the attention of several music labels that were searching for the next Nirvana.

Interscope Records reportedly threw $1 million the band's way, and Helmet signed a major-label contract to release its second effort, "Meantime." While the format of brash, in-your-face, aggressive hard rock remained, "Meantime" included the track Unsung, which found its way into the mainstream. Riding the success of Unsung - still the band's biggest hit - "Meantime" went platinum and served as a seminal record for the current music generation.

Helmet released two more albums with its core lineup that included bassist Henry Bogdan and drummer John Stanier (Battles, Tomahawk) - "Betty" and "Aftertaste" - and although it continued to receive ample support from critics for its unparalleled style, the band never matched "Meantime's" success.

After "Aftertaste" failed to make a splash in 1997, and with tensions among band members at a breaking point, the band decided to call it a day.

Hamilton went on to work with David Bowie and his new band, Gandhi, for the next several years, but in the early 2000s, he had an inkling to reform Helmet. Bogdan and Stanier, however, wanted nothing to do with the reunion.

Undeterred, Hamilton got the rights to the band name and reformed the group in 2004 with artists such as Frank Bello (Anthrax) and John Tempesta (White Zombie, Testament).

Since reforming, Helmet has undergone countless lineup changes, with Hamilton remaining the only constant member throughout the band's history. Although Hamilton has always been the primary songwriter, Helmet's sound has changed considerably on the three albums it has released since the reunion.

Vocally, one would have trouble recognizing Hamilton on Helmet's newer work, as his voice has changed dramatically since the band's first incarnation. As a result, Helmet now plays in Drop C tuning instead of Drop D - the primary tuning used on the band's first four albums - to accompany Hamilton's altered vocals.

As a result, the band has had trouble rediscovering the magic that led to its early success, which included underground classics such as Milquetoast, Wilma's Rainbow, In The Meantime and Pure. Nevertheless, Hamilton's "baby," so to speak, had already cemented its place as hard rock heroes during its original run through 1997.

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