Before we had all this rock-rap stuff and before everyone was doing the dropped-d tuning thing on their guitars, there was Helmet. The East Coast’s answer to Seattle in the early Nineties, Helmet’s brutal, yet soothing catalog of music was created by the extremely gifted guitarist/vocalist Page Hamilton.

Strangely enough, Hamilton began Helmet while studying classic jazz guitar in New York City.

While Helmet went through several supporting guitarists, the sonic core of the band remained intact. It is obvious that Hamilton’s vision was to create a band with dense riffs and a smooth sound, complemented by simple rhythms and vocals that shifted between harsh and soft.

While the early Helmet releases Strap It On and Meantime featured rough guitars and vocals, 1994’s Betty was born to exemplify everything that Helmet was–heavier than most but still accessible

Harmonic squeals open lead track “Wilma’s Rainbow” before Hamilton and his band of guitarist Rob Echeverria, bassist Henry Bogdan and drummer John Stanier unleash a tight rhythm over perfectly mixed drums. High-pitched, metallic solos that trademark most Helmet tracks are all over “Wilma’s Rainbow” as Hamilton sings the catchy chorus “Wilma’s rainbow of peaceful colors/ The richest junk dealer.”

“Biscuits For Smut” kicks off with the fast and slightly muted, jazz-timed guitars of Hamilton while Bogdan’s bass line bounces up and down in the background. Hamilton’s vocals sound like they are coming out of a megaphone but without the distortion, before the song breaks down into a straight-ahead rock segment.

“Milquetoast,” which received major publicity and airplay when it was included on “The Crow” soundtrack, is four minutes of everything that made Helmet great. Opening with incredibly heavy riffs that don’t skimp on the melody, the guitars cut out and let Bogdan kick out a heavy stop and start bass line that acts as the groundwork for the verses of the track. The punishing chorus and fast tempo of the song are offset by the seemingly soft vocals of Hamilton that end nearly a minute before the end of the song and allow him to craft a classic Helmet breakdown of an elongated solo over simple yet heavy guitars.

“The Tic Begins” features Hamilton’s infectious scream, while drummer John Stanier pounds out a strong drum beat that pushes the song in its disjointed progression toward a sliding guitar rhythm that recalls the intense melodies of old tracks like “In The Meantime” and “Unsung.” Hamilton’s best and most bitter lines on the track come in the second verse when he sings “Weasel to me is charming to some/ Loathsome and glib/ Habits like self-love/ Wearing slim fast you carve your niche/ Lean smug back and work your pitch.”

If “Tic” is the angry, rough side of Helmet, then “Clean” represents the melodic sense of Helmet and their ability to combine crashing drums, simple guitars and the soothing vocals of Hamilton into one neat, harmonic package. While “Clean” represents a softer side, “Beautiful Love” is the softest part of the album–for about 53 seconds at least. Hamilton opens the track with very soft, clean jazz guitar rhythms that quickly fall apart into feedback and the banging of drums.

Sadly, Helmet broke up following 1997’s album Aftertaste, but their legacy can be found in Betty. The album represents a purity that outshines the electronic bells and whistles that today’s heavy rock relies on so much. Hamilton’s jackhammer approach to guitar and lullaby approach to lyrics is what makes Betty a true treasure that should not be missed.