In 1991, Interscope won a ferocious multi-label bidding war (which according to firsthand accounts, pitted an estimated 18 to 22 different labels against each other) and signed Helmet for a reported cool one-million-plus dollars.
Under the watchful eye of the record biz, and on the heels of Nirvana's huge commercial breakthrough, Helmet were curiously touted as the next big thing.
Unsurprisingly, expectations would never be fully realized.
Arguably one of the most influential and overlooked rock records of the '90s, Meantime threw the rule book out the window.
Led by the classically trained Page Hamilton, Helmet's bludgeoning riffs combined with their stop-go-stop-go minimalist attack changed the face of aggro-rock.
Its importance cannot be overstated.
From the Steve Albini-produced title track through "Role Model," the band is relentless.
On "Give It," Hamilton spews "killing hurts/has to be done/peace and love/who's number one," and later "the right to give/learn to bleed/it's free/pain is outside/lift it up to see." As the hypnotic riff and John Stanier's piccolo snare echo throughout, the band thrashes through the song like a ten-ton hammer.
Again, every song is colored by Teutonic riffs, with only "Unsung" hinting at a gasp of commercial accessibility.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In the MeantimeHenry Bogdan, Page Hamilton, Peter Mengede, John Stanier | Helmet | Play | 03:08 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 2 | Iron HeadHenry Bogdan, Page Hamilton, Peter Mengede, John Stanier | Helmet | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Give ItHenry Bogdan, Page Hamilton, Peter Mengede, John Stanier | Helmet | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 4 | UnsungPage Hamilton | Helmet | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 5 | Turned OutHenry Bogdan, Page Hamilton, Helmet, Peter Mengede, John Stanier | Helmet | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 6 | He Feels BadHenry Bogdan, Page Hamilton, Helmet, Peter Mengede, John Stanier | Helmet | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 7 | BetterHenry Bogdan, Page Hamilton, Peter Mengede, John Stanier | Helmet | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 8 | You BorrowedHenry Bogdan, Page Hamilton, Helmet, Peter Mengede, John Stanier | Helmet | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 9 | FBLA IIHenry Bogdan, Page Hamilton, Helmet, Peter Mengede, John Stanier | Helmet | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 10 | Role ModelHenry Bogdan, Page Hamilton, Helmet, David Hinds, Peter Mengede, John Stanier | Helmet | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 36 mins | 84 MB | |||||
| 33 mins | 227 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Albini | Engineer, Producer |
| 2 | Henry Bogdan | Bass, Composer, Producer |
| 3 | Page Hamilton | Composer, Guitar, Producer, Vocals |
| 4 | Helmet | Composer, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 5 | David Hinds | Composer |
| 6 | Peter Mengede | Composer, Guitar, Producer |
| 7 | Peter Mengele | Guitar |
| 8 | David Plowden | Photography |
| 9 | Steve Sisco | Assistant Engineer, Mixing |
| 10 | John Stanier | Composer, Drums, Producer |
| 11 | Wharton Tiers | Engineer |
| 12 | Andy Wallace | Mixing |
| 13 | Howie Weinberg | Mastering |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |