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 2 through Sargent House.  The band has premiered the album’s first single “Tit To Toe” which can be heard below. 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 3 through September 21 supporting Melvins, and September 3 through October 9 with label mates Russian Circles.
Stillicide is available for pre-order now.
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