Part of going to SXSW not only includes discovering new acts, but it also includes seeing older acts that are still on the road.  One of my favorite bands from the mid to late 1990s will be in Austin in March and I can’t wait the see them.   Helmet started out for me with two songs: “Unsung” and “Milqtoast.”  The first one nailed me with radio waves and the second one came from the stellar Crow Soundtrack.  Both Meantime and Betty rocked for me but when Aftertaste came out it went downhill.  That’s alright because they are back with a new album to support, Seeing Eye Dog, and they will be doing it in good ole Texarkana.

The title cut off Seeing Eye Dog, reminds me more of some the harsher Helmet songs.  Page Hamilton goes from screaming to melodic singing depending on the song.  We have screaming Page on “Seeing Eye Dog”.  You know, it kind of reminds me of “In the Meantime” but with the guttural screams.  It’s more high-pitched and whiney.  Still, these guys have mastered being heavy by using quiet breaks between riffs.  Sometimes a calm quiet before a thundering heavy riff doubles the effect.  Check out “Seeing Eye Dog” yourself.

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/Helmet_-_Seeing_Eye_Dog.mp3]