Biography

Taking their name from a nautical term for tacking a sailboat, Seattle's Helms Alee meld jangly shoegaze with sludge metal to create a hybrid sound all their own. Emerging in the late 2000s, the band's loose, melodic report simultaneously evokes the effervescent discordance of the Pixies and the pounding heaviness of Big Business and the Melvins. The lighter side of their work was most audible on early releases such as 2011's Weatherhead, while they grew both heavier and more stylistically diverse on later LPs like 2019's Noctiluca, and they explored the creative possibilities of the studio on 2022's Keep This Be the Way. Formed in 2007 around the talents of former Harkonen bassist Ben Verellen on guitar as well as bassist Dana James and drummer Hozoji Margullis (aka Hozoji Annie Matheson-Margullis), the trio made their full-length debut in 2008 with Night Terror, released by Hydra Head. For their sophomore record, Helms Alee went into the studio with Minus the Bear's Matt Bayles, who would produce their 2011 album, Weatherhead. 2014's Sleepwalking Sailors, which arrived on Sargent House in early 2014, saw the group weaving together a dense tapestry of moody noise rock with a considerable amount of sonic heft, as did 2016's Stillicide, which delivered the goods via an 11-track blast of glacial post-rock/stoner metal grandeur. For their next album, the band headed into the studio with producer/engineer Sam Bell (Minus the Bear, R.E.M., the Cars). The resulting Noctiluca was issued in spring 2019, again via Sargent House. When not on the road, Ben Verellen had a successful business building and selling amplifiers, and for the recording of 2022's Keep This Be the Way, he and his bandmates set up a studio in his shop, allowing them to write and record at their own pace. The extra time and freedom allowed the group to produce a more creative and experimental effort while also more closely re-creating the sound of their live shows. The sessions included a guest appearance from cellist Lori Goldston, who previously worked with Nirvana, Cat Power, and Protomartyr. ~ Gregory Heaney & Mark Deming, Rovi