Strap It On

Strap It On is the debut album by American alternative metal band Helmet. Originally released in 1990 through Amphetamine Reptile Records, it was subsequently rereleased by Interscope in November 1991.

For the song by Anthrax, see We've Come for You All.

Strap It On
Studio album by Helmet
Released	March 1990 (re-released November 1991)
Recorded	1990
Studio	Fun City, New York, NY
Genre	Alternative metal, post-hardcore, noise rock
Length	30:49
Label	Amphetamine Reptile, Interscope
Producer	Wharton Tiers, Helmet
Helmet chronology
Strap It On (1990) Meantime (1992)
Singles from Strap It On
"Repetition" Released: October 1990[1]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Q	[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[4]
Sputnikmusic	[5]

Critics considered the album innovative for its explosive, propulsive, and often staccato riff style which greatly exploited Drop D tuning. It has since become a cult classic in the post-hardcore genre and even influential on the metal scene. The moody, atmospheric "Sinatra" differed from most of the fast-paced, metal-influenced songs on the album; its lyrics featured a paraphrasing of Dean Martin's famous line about the crooner, "It's Sinatra's world/We just live in it."

Reception and legacy

The album received positive reviews, with critics praising the band's fresh, raw and innovative sound. Allmusic's Jason Birchmeier wrote in his review "The nine-song album is a brief one, clocking in around a half-hour, but even such brevity proves wonderfully exhausting by the time you near the last couple songs. In fact, by the time you make it past "Sinatra," one of the album's highlights and also the halfway point, slow fatigue threatens as the riffs continue to hammer away unrelentingly and vocalist Page Hamilton's sometimes-tuneful, oftentimes-bellowing shouting grows seemingly further agonized. The overall relentlessness should be a sheer pleasure to those who enjoy the intensity of metal without the clownish clichés yet, at the same time, enjoy the originality of alt-rock without the pansy passivity."[2] Future guitarist Chris Traynor was a fan of the album, and considered it to be "one of the most important rock records ever."[6]

The Sacramento-based alternative metal group Deftones covered the song "Sinatra", with it appearing on their 2005 compilation album B-Sides & Rarities.[7]

Track listing

All music and lyrics by Page Hamilton.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Repetition"	3:00
2.	"Rude"	4:13
3.	"Bad Mood"	2:15
4.	"Sinatra"	4:31
5.	"FBLA"	2:40
6.	"Blacktop"	3:20
7.	"Distracted"	3:12
8.	"Make Room"	3:28
9.	"Murder"	4:03
Total length:		30:49

Japanese bonus track

No.	Title	Length
10.	"Impressionable"	2:04
Total length:		32:53

Accolades

Year	Publication	Country	Accolade	Rank
1995	Alternative Press	United States	"Top 99 Of '85 to '95"	25	[8]
1998	Alternative Press	United States	"The 90 Greatest Albums of the '90s"	12	[9]
"*" denotes an unordered list.

Personnel

Band

• Page Hamilton – vocals, guitar
• Henry Bogdan – bass
• Peter Mengede – guitar
• John Stanier – drums

Technical

• Wharton Tiers – mixing, engineering, production

References

1. "Helmet Repetition (7")". Spirit of Metal. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
2. Birchmeier, Jason. "allmusic ((( Strap It On > Review )))". Allmusic. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
3. Columnist. "Strap It On". Q. May 1995. pg. 125, cited March 18, 2010
4. Brackett, Nathan. "Helmet". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. November 2004. pg. 373, cited March 18, 2010
5. "Helmet - Strap It On (album review 4) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
6. "Post-Gazette.com". Nl.newsbank.com. 1997-08-29. Retrieved 2013-02-21. (subscription required)
7. "Discography". Deftones. Archived from the original on 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2013-02-21.
8. "Alternative Press - Top 99 Of '85 to '95". Alternative Press. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
9. "Alternative Press - The 90 Greatest Albums of the '90s". Alternative Press. Retrieved 2009-12-03.