Day After Day #171: Unsung

Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).

Unsung (1992)

In the early '90s as bands like Nirvana were ushering so-called hair metal bands into early retirement, other newer bands were embracing other forms of metal. Specifically, even if Black Sabbath (which had reunited with Ronnie James Dio around that time) wasn't getting the buzz it used to, bands like Soundgarden were clearly inspired by them. And then there was Helmet, which combined noise rock with metal and came up with a sound that influenced many bands after them.

Helmet was formed in 1989 in New York City by Page Hamilton, who had just left Band of Susans. The band signed to Amphetamine Reptile Records, releasing several singles and then its debut, 1990's Strap It On, which was well-received for its raw and relentless power riffage. Helmet was no nonsense, with Hamilton bellowing the lyrics like a drill sergeant.

The resultant buzz combined with the major labels' sudden hunger for guitar bands after Nirvana and Soundgarden broke led to a bidding war for Helmet. The band signed with Interscope and was touted by some as the next Nirvana, although Hamilton would later note that labels were circling around them even before Nirvana broke; he also said an A&R rep at one label called Helmet the next U2. This was hilarious because Helmet wasn't in the practice of writing anthemic radio-friendly music, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Helmet's major-label debut, Meantime, came out in June 1992 and its lead single showed that the band meant business. "Unsung" had actually come out a year earlier on Amphetamine Reptile as a single but was re-recorded for Meantime. The song is propelled by a chugging Sabbath-esque main riff, the pummeling bass of Henry Bogdan and the titanic drumming of powerhouse John Stanier. Hamilton's vocals on the song even bear a slight resemblance to a certain Mr. Osbourne.

"Your contribution left unnoticed some/Association with an image/Just credit time for showing up again/Attention wandered I'm left with it/Gone by sin too slowly/Can't pass it up/Then I thought nothing is right/I turned it off."

MTV started playing the video a lot on both 120 Minutes and Headbanger's Ball, illustrating the song's crossover appeal to both audiences. "Unsung" even got raves from influential rock critics Beavis and Butt-head. "If you, like, saw these guys on the street, you wouldn't even know that they're cool," says Butt-head.

"To die unsung would really bring you down/Although wet eyes would never suit you/Walk through no archetypal suicide to/Die young is far too boring these days/Your will to speak clearly/Exposed too much/Unsung once too often/Could not rub off."

The band's use of drop D tuning on both guitars and bass proved to be influential for the alt-metal scene that sprung up in the '90s, and the precision riffing of Hamilton and Peter Mengede was powerful and memorable. And the last 90 seconds of the song features the band just pounding away, with Stanier leading the charge. 

"Unsung" reached #298 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and #32 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart; Meantime would hit #68 on the Billboard 200 chart, eventually selling over 2 million copies worldwide.

Mengede would leave the band in early 1993 after a contract dispute and was replaced by Rob Echeverria. The band teamed up with House of Pain for a single off the rap-rock soundtrack to the movie Judgment Night (the soundtrack was much more successful than the movie itself) and then released the album Betty in 1994. The album was still heavy and rifftastic, but it also included jazz and blues songs, and it didn't sell as well as Meantime. Echeverria left after the tour to join Biohazard.

Helmet made 1997's Aftertaste as a trio, but it sold poorly and the band split up after the tour ended. Bogdan played in the Moonlighters and the Midnight Serenaders, while Battles played in Tomahawk, the Mark of Cain, Battles and Primer 55. Hamilton moved to Los Angeles and worked on movie soundtracks (In Dreams and Titus) as well as playing lead guitar on David Bowie's Hours tour in 1999. He also dated actress Winona Ryder for a year.

In 2003, Hamilton began working on a new project with drummer John Tempesta and guitarist Chris Traynor, who played in Helmet on the Aftertaste tour. Interscope label head Jimmy Iovine convinced Hamilton to make an album as Helmet; he still wasn't friendly with Bogdan or Stanier, so the new project became the new Helmet. Five albums have been released by Helmet in the last 20 years, with Hamilton as the only constant in the band.

I've never seen Helmet live but it seems like they're constantly touring. I still love listening to those early '90s Helmet albums, especially when I'm pushing through a workout. They locked into something timeless and powerful, and "Unsung" is the best example of it.