Article by: Leanne Ridgeway
With the release of the fifth album ‘Noctiluca‘ in April of 2019, Seattle, Washington‘s HELMS ALEE expanded upon its trademark sound, fusing girthy sludge riffs, deceptively clever progressive compositions, lush instrumentation, and transcendental melodies into a potent standalone style.
Their multi-faceted songwriting approach features eight-armed drum patterns by drummer and vocalist Hozoji Matheson-Margullis grounded by thunderous walls of fuzz distortion from bassist Dana James and guitarist Ben Verellen. The balance between knuckle-dragging heavy doom force and transcendent beauty fluctuates throughout and proves why the band has rightfully stuck around all these years.
Today, HELMS ALEE has unveiled a never-before-seen music video for the ‘Noctiluca‘ album standout single “Lay Waste Child.” The animated video, created by Aaron Guadamuz, is ominous and dynamic and captures the song’s words and spirit. See the full video below.
Guadamuz comments:
“The song ‘Lay Waste Child’ got me thinking of the industries and modern commerce that have changed cities like Seattle and San Francisco and how in some cases the people behind them have nothing more to gain yet relentlessly pursue profitability and maximization with unclear motivations. Trophy hunting happens on the grandest scale and those in the lowliest of positions are often treated the worst. I instantly felt a deep connection with the band and these themes seem even more timely now than when we began.”
HELMS ALEE continues: “A dark song and dark imagery with splashes of hope and color. Our call to arms to refuse to wallow in darkness but instead find and create beauty.“
Tracklist:
01. Interachnid
02. Beat Up
03. Play Dead
04. Be Rad Tomorrow
05. Lay Waste Child
06. Illegal Guardian
07. Spider Jar
08. Pleasure Torture
09. Pandemic
10. Word Problem
Inspired by the bioluminescent marine algae of the same name, ‘Noctiluca‘ as a whole pays tribute to the oceanic themes that have pervaded the band’s music. The marine reference is perhaps the closest approximation to their sound: mysterious, magical, and providing light in the darkness. Blazing through a thicket of fog, HELMS ALEE‘s music leaps from the sublime to the savage without warning or apology.
There’s still time on today’s Bandcamp Friday (September 4th) to pick up ‘Noctiluca‘ for only $4- (with 100% of all sales going directly to the artists) and revisit their entire Sargent House back catalog for the same price today only on the Helms Alee Bandcamp.
HELMS ALEE:
Hozoji Matheson-Margullis – Drums, Vocals
Dana James – Bass
Ben Verellen – Guitar
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