Helm’s Alee – Keep This Be the Way
Release Date: 29th April 2022
Label: Sargent House
Pre-Order/Pre-Save
Genre: Experimental, Post Metal, Post-Hardcore, “hard” Indie, Grunge.
FFO: Daughters, Lingua Ignota, Tool, Puscifer.
Review By: Andy Spoon
Recent LP release from Sargent House Records Keep This Be the Way by Seattle post-rock trio Helm’s Alee is set to release on April 29th, 2022. Influenced largely by the 2020 pandemic and the logistical problems which followed thereafter, Helm’s Alee was forced, much like every other full-time act, to rethink some of their production, recording, and writing processes in creating their 8th studio release.
Given the harrowing story of Sargent House’s darling artist Lingua Ignota, and her recent claim of vast abuses at the hands of fellow indie musician Alexis Marshall of Daughters, Sargent House artists and projects have leapt to the forefront of music scene chit-chat across the world, making every project glow a little brighter as the continued controversy thickens (Drama always tends to lend itself to free publicity, doesn’t it?). I can’t see any reason why Helm’s Alee isn’t going to rouse additional interest as some of these scenes are uniquely-crafted, most Helm’s Alee fans probably avid fans of Daughters as well.
Happy to be considered outside of genres, the term “experimental hardcore indie” feels like the proper way to describe Helm’s Alee in 2022 with Keep This Be the Way. Much of the sound is an assault of “Wall-of-sound” moments broken up by downtempo breakdowns and thick, swollen layered vamps. Mixtures of Synth, Drums, Guitar, and both male and female vocals progress in stacked layers that have moments reminiscent of Tool’s Opiate album, alternating musical expression between one instrument and another in a back-and-forth droning attack. While it doesn’t seem like it follows a central phrasing or lyrical theme, musically, it absolutely works.
Most of the tracks bounce between tense, high-drama dissonant or suspended notes that tend to cause the listener alarm and uneasiness, something that often works in order to heighten the intensity of the music. Both male and female vocals are present, which brings a good mix of vocal energy and variation that adds to the dynamic flow of the album. It’s fair to say that it’s hard to put a finger on what the album is trying to communicate other than intensity and controlled chaos through its elements, having so many dogs in the proverbial fight from emo, to hardcore, to proto-metal, math rock, to grunge.
Guitars feature fuzz and howling reverb on numerous tracks, with clean, string-bending layers on layers to emphasize the “quiet-loud” dynamic. Drums rely largely on builds and rolls up and down the toms, using cymbals strategically to create noise as well as rhythm. The stereo experience is best enjoyed by listening to the vocals and drums, which are panned left and right for a more “live” experience, something that can absolutely enhance an album’s dynamics for the listener. There is a fair bit of compression here and there, but it all manages to push the noise meter into the red when it wants to whale at the same time, allowing the quiet moments to be effective transitions between heavier measures.
Overall, there is quite a bit to consider in Keep This Be the Way, as there is no one thing that the album tends to do other than be ethereal and grungy at the same time. There is quite a bit of variation that forms between singers, movements, loud, and quiet parts. It would make a fabulous background studying record, set to play whole sides all at once. Helm’s Alee has a loyal eclectic fanbase which ought to be impressed with the band’s continued efforts to keep the music as fresh and dynamic as ever. There is little else that I wish the album offered, as it doesn’t seem to follow others’ leads, nor does it need to at this point. While not necessarily in the repertoire of every metal fan, any would certainly not waste any time delving into the abyss of musical climate that Helm’s Alee brings with Keep This Be the Way. 
(3.5 / 5)
