I would say Helms Deep is a band that needs no introduction, but the fact that they ought not need one doesn’t quite get us there. So brief introduction you will get.
Helms Deep is, in some sense, John Gallagher of Raven fame playing Riot meets Raven meets USPM meets just generally awesome metal. The knuckledraggiest among us caught on early. I was not among that fortunate bunch. Truth be told, the band’s debut, Treacherous Ways, caught me at a particularly busy time, and though I was aware of it, I was entrenched in, well, work. If I hadn’t been, the magic combo that is Alex Sciortino – the lead guitar work, alone … – and Gallagher would have pulled me in sooner. And frankly, I could have used the diversion: (spoiler) it’s a fun time!
Though I won’t pretend to be qualified to measure this, the consensus seemed to be that, as much as listeners appreciated the traditionalist approach and Sciortino’s leads, Treacherous Ways ran just a bit long. Ten minutes shy of an hour, to be exact. The counter to that is the songwriting was mostly very strong. Given that it never felt as if Helms Deep were trying to reinvent the wheel, poking holes here felt like overkill to me. But the criticism was fair.
To its credit, this sophomore effort, Chasing the Dragon, is longer than the debut despite feeling notably shorter. Where that comes from, I couldn’t quite tell you. There’s a dynamic here, though, that makes for a slightly more varied sound. Could it be new drummer, Hal Aponte, of prog metallers Ice Age? Or maybe it’s the dual guitar action that was largely absent from Treacherous Ways? Ray DeTone and Sciortino do make for a great pair. And DeTone had an awesome lead on the debut. The end result, whatever the cause, is a logical improvement on Treacherous Ways.
The unavoidable truth here – above all the things that make this a very good album – is that the leads are still very much a selling point. That soulful one near the end of “Craze of the Vampire?” Is this real life? Goosebumps. Literally. Tastefully executed. Never excessive. Always appreciated.
The second unavoidable truth here is that the songwriting is still quite good. In fact, I’d wager these songs are more memorable than what we heard on Treacherous Ways. There’s still a bit of identifying the song by the lead. But that’s hardly a bad thing. And these songs do stand on their own. “Flight of the Harpy,” “Chasing the Dragon,” “Frozen Solid,” “Red Planet,” and album closer “Shiva’s Wrath” are standouts. Helms Deep seem most comfortable wading in the very deep or very shallow end of the pool. The former, more than the latter, is where they sound most inspired, though I think they find their confidence best in both scenarios.
I appreciate Helms Deep and what they do. I don’t know that it has to be deeper than that. Where Chasing the Dragon finds itself at year’s end is anyone’s guess. But I am certain it will be one of my more listened to albums, regardless. The full-time addition of DeTone and the recruitment of Aponte were big wins for this band. The benefit of that slight line-up tweak seems most obvious on the longer, more epic songs, where their commitment to making the bells and whistles appreciable has its most lasting impact. Those that sit with this through a few listens will be rewarded. It may take some time. But its charm will work into your pores, no doubt.
