There are some bands that find you. You don’t really remember how you crossed paths, but you did. Once that event happened, they take over your being. One of these such bands is Helpless.
In 2017 they released their debut album Debt. It was 25-minutes of music that was set in a Venn-diagram of hardcore, noise, grindcore, and sludge metal. In short, and it was very short, it was brilliant. It grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you for all you were worth, then dropped you on the floor in a quivering heap. And that doesn’t fully explain the delight I got form listening to it. The artwork was just as visceral. Like the music, it didn’t follow the rules. Instead of the band looking moody, or some scene of abject despair, it consisted of a single image. The artwork was an oil painting of a hooded figure. You couldn’t see the face under the hood, but on the right-hand side of where the face should have been a swath of red paint. It reminded me of a Ring Wraith. I couldn’t not look at it. Actually, it was my desktop picture at my job until someone complained and I switched it back to the generic landscape. Then, as often happens, Helpless vanished. They re-emerged in late 2019 with a new line-up and songs. Then lockdown happened and derailed things for a bit. That is until now. Their follow up to Debt is here and it is well worth the wait.
On the surface Helpless sound the same. Dan Couch is still writing, and singing, in the manner we expect. Sam Trenchard on drums and Simon Walker on bass are shrewd signings. There is a new ferocity to the music. The band feels hungry. They have things to say and maybe a point to prove. Opening track ‘Wraiths of Memory’ is one of the most abrasive things that the band have released. It just comes at you. There is no escape or hiding place. The vocals are barked. The riffs are frenetic. Drums pummeling and the bass is just, well, nasty. It all creates a wonderful listening experience. This carries on. ‘Focus Group Extraction’ might be the standout moment on the album. The guitars have a progressive metal feel, but without all the negative connotattions that come with that genre. There is a hypnotic motif around the halfway point that is about as good as it gets. In any genre might I add. The album ends with ‘The Great Silence.’ This is the longest track on the album at a whopping 4:40. It ends Caged in Gold as it started. Pummeling you into submission and leaving you a wreck on the floor.
The artwork is again striking. Chris Nicholls again was brought in. This time we have another faceless person, who is either covering their face with their hand, or holding the side of their head. It appears there has been some kind of trauma, or they’ve been in the wars a bit. Looking at the cover it does foreshadow what is to come and how you might feel at the end. Sitting in a quiet room, reeling from what you have experienced. Again, it isn’t what you expect. And this elevates the band, and album, from their peers. The fact it doesn’t feature the usual metal tropes is as unsettling as the music housed inside it. It draws you into Helpless’ world and sows the seeds of discomfort before you’ve even pressed play. I can’t wait to be asked to remove it from my desktop at work in the future.
Caged in Gold is an incredible piece of music. It follows the blueprint Couch laid down on 2015’s self-titled EP and fleshed out on Debt. It is everything you want, and expect, from a Helpless album. Plus, more. There are some really pretty melodies on there too. ‘Unseen Servant’ has a delightful riff that is used to link the verses together. It really is a joy to hear. The only downside I keep coming back to is, is Caged in Gold a better album than Debt? I’d argue it isn’t. Debut albums are seldom surpassed. This isn’t a slight on Caged in Gold. It’s a very, very good album. One that I have returned to numerous times since its release and one that I will be returning to again and again in the future. After pressing play you are totally helpless. Don’t fight it. You’ll have a better time.
