Helm

When I get round to calling singer and guitarist Lucas Stone from HELM on a Saturday evening, I find him settled at home, devoted to a quiet night looking after his daughter. The equanimity of this setting lends our chat a smooth and leisurely flow and Lucas is measured and at times even contemplative in his observations about the band he put together in the Gold Coast in 2007.

Being quite new to Helm, the first thing that struck me was the diversity of sounds that the band draws upon. The Helm experience ranges from Neurosis-esque sludge metal to detailed forays into the melodic soft-loud dynamics of classic post-rock. Interestingly, Lucas is quick to play down any direct external imprints on Helm’s music and is reluctant to categorise the band. His approach is more philosophical and he informs me that 18 years of songwriting and close involvement in music, combined with the levelling effects of life changing events, has channelled the Helm project into an expression of the exact stage of development he and the band are at now.

“I grew up on a lot of different things,” he tells me, pointing specifically to ‘70s hard rock, seminal ‘90s acts like Soundgarden and metal staples such as Meshuggah and Converge. “It’s hard to pinpoint a modern influence… for me Helm is rock for 2009.”

I’m intrigued to learn that Helm’s arrival on the scene follows an entirely natural and inspired course. “I hadn’t written a song for a couple of years,” Lucas tells me. And then all of a sudden a string of personal evolvements saw him “reinspired to get stuck back into it” with the creative impetus to write “an album’s worth of material in three or four months.” As far as this positive energy is concerned, it seems that the other guys in Helm are going through similar changes. “We’re all happy boys,” Lucas assures me.

The sense of equilibrium found in the band’s attitude towards its music, while sonically at odds with some of the more cathartic moments that the band touches on, is reflected in the focused and accomplished feel of the first release, Keelhaul. It’s an ambitious and frequently dark record that runs a surprising depth of emotions. And there’s more to come. Helm will be heading back to the studio as soon as August to record a follow up and remain in the public radar.

My experience with bands that channel the same heavy, dense territory as Helm is associated with enormous live shows, rife with both volume and presence. I was thus curious to hear from Lucas his thoughts on Helm’s extensive upcoming national tour. He insists that the band’s priority is to “play hard” and “try and smash it out so everyone gets their dollar’s worth.” I can only imagine it’s a sight well worth seeing.

Helm play The Basement on Friday May 29 with special guests Five Star Prison Cell and Spoil. Contact the venue on (02) 6251 4541 for ticket info.