On tour August & September with Melvins, September & October with Russian Circles Helms Alee, the Washington state trio of Ben Verellen (guitar, vocals), Dana James (bass, vocals), and Hozoji Margullis (drums, vocals) have announced their fourth album, Stillcide, which will be released on September 2nd through Sargent House. Today, the band has premiered the album’s first single “Tit To Toe” which can be heard on Noisey (or directly on Soundcloud). On Stillicide, Helms Alee continue their sonic tradition of blending heavy riffs, dark guitar pop, and math rock into songs that are at turns brutal, anthemic, and cerebrally engaging.
Helms Alee delivers the kind of expertly crafted, dynamic, nuanced, and diverse songwriting that is both instantly intriguing and—as evidenced by their previous albums Night Terror (2008), Weatherhead (2011), and Sleepwalking Sailors (2014)—increasingly gratifying after repeated listens. After nearly a decade of existence, one can only assume that a band is either entering their sunset years or striding with such artistic strength and confidence that they are creating a whole new legacy for themselves. With Helms Alee, it is obviously the latter scenario. The band set a high bar for themselves, but every subsequent release has trumped their previous endeavors. Bolstered by the recording and production expertise of Kurt Ballou at God City Studios, Stillicide is not only the group’s strongest collection of songs, it is arguably their best sounding release to date. The heavier moments are that much more oppressive; their melodic angles are that much more beguiling, and the juxtaposition between Verellen’s patriarchal roar and the siren song vocals of James and Margullis is that much more exhilarating. If there was only one band you could listen to for the rest of your life, Helms Alee would satiate most every emotional yearning. And if you could only pick one of their albums, you’d gravitate towards the best document of their textural range and songwriting chops. You’d gravitate towards Stillicide. See Helms Alee on tour in support of Stillicide this summer and fall; August 3rd through September 21st supporting Melvins, and September 3rd through October 9th with label mates Russian Circles. Stillicide is available for pre-order now. Watch a teaser for the album on YouTube. HELMS ALEE, ON TOUR: Jun 25 Portland, OR - B Side Tavern -------------------------------------------------- with MELVINS unless noted * Aug 03 Las Vegas, NV - Backstage Bar & Billiards Aug 04 Flagstaff, AZ - The Green Room Aug 06 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre Aug 07 Fort Collins, CO - Aggie Theatre Aug 09 Sioux Falls, SD - The District Aug 10 Fargo, ND - The Aquarium (Dempsey's Upstairs) Aug 12 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen * Aug 13 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock * Aug 14 Rock Island - Rock Island Brewing Company Aug 15 Des Moines, IA - Wooly's Aug 16 Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck Aug 17 St. Louis, MO - The Firebird Aug 18 Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall Aug 19 Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue Theatre Aug 20 Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme Aug 22 Columbus, OH - A&R Music Bar Aug 23 Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theater Aug 24 Buffalo, NY - Iron Works - Aug 26 Syracuse, NY - The Westcott Theater Aug 27 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street Aug 28 Hamden, CT - The Ballroom at The Outer Space Aug 29 Providence, RI - Fete Ballroom Aug 31 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar Sep 01 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle Sep 02 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter * Sep 05 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club Sep 06 Charlotte, NC - Amos' Southend Sep 07 Charleston, SC - Music Farm Sep 08 Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits Sep 10 Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon Sep 11 Jackson, MS - Duling Hall Sep 12 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone Sep 13 Little Rock, AR - Metroplex Sep 14 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom Sep 15 Oklahoma City, OK - The ACM @ UCO Performance Lab Sep 16 Norman, OK - Opolis Sep 17 Austin, TX - The Sidewinder Sep 18 San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger Sep 20 El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace Sep 21 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress ---------------------------------------------- with RUSSIAN CIRCLES Sep 23-24 Cincinnati, OH @ Midpoint Music Fest Sep 25 Detroit, MI - El Club Sep 26 Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace Sep 28 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair Sep 29 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer Sep 30 Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw Oct 01 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel Oct 02 Durham, NC - Motorco Music Hall Oct 04 Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5 Oct 05 Birmingham, AL - Saturn Oct 06 Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon Oct 07 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Studio Oct 08 Austin, TX - Barracuda Oct 09 Dallas, TX - RBC Stillicide, track listing:
- 1. More Weight
- 2. Untoxicated
- 3. Tit To Toe
- 4. Meats and Milks
- 5. Stillicide
- 6. Galloping Mind Fuk
- 7. Creeping You Company
- 8. Dream Long
- 9. Bullygoat
- 10. Andromenous
- 11. Worth Your Wild
- * top photo by Ryan Russell
