Back in the ‘90s, someone told Helmet leader Page Hamilton that his music sounded macho and testosterone-fueled. His response was to make an album called “Betty,” with its highly un-macho cover photo of a woman with a basket of flowers.
“I thought that was pretty funny,” the singer/guitarist said this week. “My inclination is to go against the grain a little bit. I always loved artists like Ray Davies and Paul Westerberg, who had the tendency to shoot themselves in the foot. After the success of (previous Helmet album) ‘Meantime,’ we had all these metalheads who were into us, people like Gene Simmons and Billy Idol were liking us. That’s great, I dig those peoples’ music. And the label wanted the same thing again, but why should I go write an album I already wrote?”
This bit of irreverence didn’t keep “Betty” from becoming one of the flagship albums of alternative metal, even with its avant-jazz leanings and its occasional bursts of pop melody. They performed the album in full for its 20th anniversary in 2015, and they’re now doing it again for its 30th. The tour hits the Paradise on Thursday, expect the full “Betty” followed by another hour of old and new songs.
Unlike many bands on major labels, Helmet were given the freedom to make albums their own way. “People think we signed to Interscope because it was a million dollar deal — yeah, that played a role. But it was mostly that they gave me control over my own songwriting. I kind of hate ambitious people anyway — You think you’re going to make it by being on Instagram and Tik Tok? Nah, just write good music and then go learn to play it.”
Still, “Betty” wasn’t a hit right out of the box; the first reviews were mixed and some fans found it too difficult. “That happens with all of our records. I met a kid on the Warped Tour who told me how much he didn’t like ‘Aftertaste,’ he played it and put it away. Then he pulled it out three years later, and now he thinks it’s the greatest Helmet album ever.”
He says there’s been no problem playing loud, intense music that he recorded 30 years ago, even if Helmet now has a different lineup (Hamilton is the one consistent member). “There are a few songs that we never played the first time, the off the wall ones like (the album’s twisted blues finale) ’Sam Hell,’ so those are fun. I think I have a wider range now because I’ve done so much singing. The ones where I have to hit a repeated high note can be a little tough, but I can always do those low, guttural screams.”
Hamilton has a few diverse projects underway, including a jazz album and a few soundtracks. And he says he’s “now being badgered” to tour “Betty’s” follow-up album, “Aftertaste” for its own 30th anniversary in two years, but he’s not committing to that just yet. “I’m always going to feel best about the newer things we’ve done. Playing the same album every night really isn’t my nature, I love jazz and I love to improvise. You see so many bands doing all the rock poses, I want to keep it genuine. I feel good about my guitar playing, and we all love these songs; the first three songs on ‘Betty’ all have guitar solos, so I especially enjoy that. But to come onstage and say ‘Hey, here we are to play out old chestnuts!’ I don’t ever want to be that.”