HELIX – The Power of Rock and Roll (2007
When Helix seemingly dropped off the map in the mid 90’s, I didn’t think they’d ever really come back with more studio albums. Yet they did thanks to the power of the internet. The Power Of Rock And Roll is a return to roots of sorts, after the alternative stylings of 2004’s Rockin’ in My Outer Space. This is a throwback to the basic guitars/bass/drums/shredding vocals of the Helix of yore! “It’s a party that’s better than a beer, it’s a party in your ear!” That’s their modus operandi on “Fill Your Head With Rock”, a song they wrote for the Sweden Rock festival. They named it after the Kim Mitchell song of the same title, also recorded for Sweden Rock.
The Power Of Rock And Roll is essentially a reissue of the earlier seven song EP, Get Up! with five additional tracks added. If you already have Get Up! (which is now out of print), you still need The Power Of Rock And Roll because those five new songs are just awesome. Wait until you hear the power of “Nickels And Dimes”, an awesome track with a great chorus. “Eat My Dust” might be the fastest song Helix has ever done. “The Past Is Back (To Kick Your Ass)” is truly a statement of purpose. And kick your ass, this album will!
Personal favourite: “Get Up!” Can’t get enough of that chorus! “We don’t need a reason to party, so get up get up!” The first time I heard “Get Up!” was when Helix opened for Alice Cooper in Kitchener in early 2006. It was a brand new song, but instantly memorable. Brian Vollmer noticed I was in the second row singing along to the chorus. He came down and slapped my hand!
Guitars are by session musician Steve Georgakopoulos who used to play Ace Frehley in the London tribute band Alive. As such, you may notice some very Ace-like bends and licks. Steve co-wrote every song on this album with Vollmer and Gord Prior (ex-Blu Bones). The only thing that I disliked about this album is that then-current members of the live Helix band doesn’t play on it. Rick VanDyk (ex-legendary Kitchener band Zero Option), Jim Lawson, Brent “Ned” Niemi, and Paul Fonseca did not appear, although they’d play everything live. In their stead are the aforementioned Steve Georgakopoulos on guitar, ex-Sven Gali drummer Rob MacEachern, and ex-Helix bassist Jeff “Stan” Fountain. I guess this is fine — these guys have a longstanding relationship with Helix. MacEachern even later joined the band in 2009. They’re all studio pros, and the album does not suffer for it. It’s just a personal taste thing. I prefer the members of the band to play on the albums. I’m traditional that way.
There’s a bonus track, a remake of the hit “Heavy Metal Love” which is almost as great as the original. Casual listeners might not even notice the difference. This was done to coincide with the use of the song in the first Trailer Park Boys movie.
If you’ve ever been a Helix fan, you will be delighted and pleasantly surprised by The Power Of Rock And Roll. Every single song kicks, no ballads. It is pure, raw, well recorded, well played, and Vollmer signs his ass off.
4.5/5 stars
Notice the Japanese symbol for “power” on the back?
Helix was one of those bands I always meant to listen to more of but never got around to it. Your posts about them are giving me the motivation I need.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dude you cannot really go wrong on any Helix album. The ones from the 90s-2000s are excellent.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Get Up is a great track. Really wish Vollmer would do another live release. They got the catalogue. DO IT MAN!
LikeLiked by 1 person
LISTEN BRIAN! The 30th anniversary DVD was 14 years ago. Live album! Do it like he did with Half-Alive…a bunch of tracks from different gigs with different members. That way we could get some Brent tracks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Listen to Ladano ..he knows his RAWK!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It would be nice if record companies realized the potential of this band as a classic rock entity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
True but Record Companies like Fluff..HELIX has no FLUFF!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s just weird to see so much crap getting reissued…bands that didn’t do much at all…and here is Brian was a massive history to exploit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yup release a mid 80’s Live Gem…
LikeLiked by 1 person
They could easily do an official issue of the Live at the Marquee EP with bonus tracks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think this is one of the few I do not have.
Cool write up
LikeLiked by 1 person
MUST ADD!
LikeLike
After the ballad excess of Mr. Big last week, I imagine it’s nice to have a ballad-free record in the mix!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Fear not — lots of Mr. Big still to come including ballads!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have added a Helix album to next weeks commuting playlist! (Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge). Figured it was about time I checked them out…
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s decent but not my favourite that’s for sure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wowzers, this sounds awesome. Right on! \m/ \m/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Back when CB was “who knows doing what”. I heard this cool song on the radio. Trying to find it and who did it was like looking for pirate treasure. Eventually I found it and it still sounded cool. ‘Billy Oxygen’. CB’s only got “14 days to fly, where everybody’s always getting high”
LikeLiked by 1 person
YES! What a song. They brought it back into the set for a little while when Brent came back. And for a while in 2006, when Brent’s brother Brian was in Helix, he sang Billy Oxygen too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love that tune!
LikeLike
That symbol looks quite familiar. Now where have I seen it before…
LikeLike