Helmet

Biography

Moving to New York City in the late 80s to pursue a degree in jazz guitar, Page Hamilton (18 May 1960, Portland, Oregon, USA; guitar/vocals) ‘discovered distortion’ and new influences such as Big Black, Killing Joke and Sonic Youth during his time with Band Of Susans. The experience led him to form Helmet with fellow Oregon native Henry Bogdan (b. 4 February 1961, Riverside, California, USA; bass), guitarist Peter Mengede (b. 1962, Brisbane, Australia) and classically schooled drummer John Stanier (b. 2 August 1968, Baltimore, Maryland, USA), a veteran of the Florida hardcore scene. The band’s close-cropped, clean-cut anti-image was in deliberate contrast to their brutally heavy music. Hamilton’s lyrics drew from his life in New York and roots in Oregon, and were delivered with an angry roar in economical song structures, overlaid with an intense barrage of staccato riffing. Helmet played with rigid discipline, avoiding the high-speed delivery...

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