weathered helm - weathered helm

Weathered Helm

Weathered Helm
self-released; 2014

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The band Weathered Helm seems to be prepping for one heck of an album. They recently released a self-titled four track EP Weathered Helm that according to their Bandcamp page “is in preparation for their full-length album.” Two of the songs are over seven minutes and the songs in general feel “grandiose.” 

The band’s biggest comparison will be Pink Floyd but they also seem to have influence from other bands like Explosions In The Sky. This is music that isn't meant to be listened to passively. Don’t put this on in the background while you are updating your blog or doing homework. This is music that's intended to be experienced loud and deserves your full attention.

The band kicks things off with an epic track called “Why Lie.” Thick, white distortion drips off the guitars as the drummer lays into his kit. When the verse kicks in the band comes a bit too close to sounding like Pink Floyd. The guitar line as well as the vocal hook sounds like they were extracted from The Wall. The last quarter of the song features an impressive guitar solo as the band reaches for impressive heights.

“Tonight Is All Mine” brings down the intensity in favor of atmospheric organ and clean guitars for at least a while. The guitars are covered in reverb and meant to sound larger than life as they climb the neck of the guitar.

“Streetlights (in the Rain)” is one of the most original pieces on the album. The band creates light ethereal music as the vocalist performs a spoken word piece. As the song progresses more layers of music come into play and it unfortunately becomes very hard to understand the words. 

They close with the most inspired song entitled “Inch On.” The band starts to come into its own and lays down a number of well-executed parts.

This EP is solid but the band can make some tweaks here and there. They should be aware of a couple of things. If a band sounds too similar to any particular band they can be pigeonholed pretty fast. It should also be noted that the production is lo-fi and with this style of music it should have high production aesthetics. I know this is easier said than done but some of their music would be more impactful if the recording quality was improved.

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