This Day In Music History: June 23rd, 1992 – Helmet releases influential alternative metal album, ‘Meantime’

If you think it’s hard to label Helmet now, imagine how difficult it was in 1992. Despite the fact that the band was touted as “the next Nirvana” in a major label bidding war that landed the band a $1 million deal with Interscope records, Helmet’s brand of noisy alternative metal had very little to do with grunge or what was popular at the time.

A 37-minute long masterclass of streamlined alternative metal tracks, Meantime basically cemented Helmet as one of the bands who made the staccato chug guitar riff into a commercial artform. Led by iconic single “Unsung”, Helmet – along with forward-thinking bands like Faith No More, Tool, and Life Of Agony – became the band’s biggest hit.

The whole album is more than just one notable song, though. Drummer John Stanier proved a vital presence behind the kit, with interesting fills and rhythms on every song on the album. Meantime also proved to be an album that would emphasize the riff and atmosphere over the flashy guitar solo, which would prove to be an important part of the rise of nu-metal a couple years later.

Let’s be real here, this one’s pretty much essential.