This album provided the harshest pummeling during an era filled with many awesome aggressive and abrasive bands. They were just as intense live.
What was also cool was that the heaviest band at the time looked like clean cut boys next door instead of alterna dudes. They do belong in the same category as Jesus Lizard as a previous reviewer mentioned. Both Paige Hamilton and Duane Dennison were both formally and classically trained guitarists.
March 12, 2008I have alot of things I could say about this cd, all of it good, but i'll keep it short. EVERY song on here is great! I'm addicted and i cant stop listening. If you like metal, you need to get this!
January 21, 2007To me there are two careers to Helmet, the "Meantime" and the "Aftertaste". Most Helmet fans are Meantime, I'm an Aftertaste. Strap It On is the predecessor to Meantime and shows a lot of metal influences while still having its own unique style. I guess I would call it a heavier Henry Rollins and Black Flag if anything. While I am a fan of the early Helmet stuff, Aftertaste is really uncomparable. No matter which side you are on Helmet should be part of your collection including Strap It On.
September 21, 2006 |  | A nice hint of what would come! |  |
Strap It On is a raw, unrelenting, definitive look at what Page Hamilton and the boys of Helmet had in mind when they first got together, jammed, and realized their signiature sound. All of the following releases would be refinements and expansions of that sound. While the CD is a sure pleasure for the Helmet mega-fan, it may not be the best place to start for a newcomer to the band. The strongest albums from the original lineup would have to be Meantime, Betty and Aftertaste. However, after you've fully digested these three treasures, Strap It On, as well as the equally insightful Born Annoying will be a splendid look at where the genius of Helmet originated.
May 11, 2006| | | helmet is great, however... | |
i am giving this album 4 stars only because of the song "Rude". It is horrible, it is the worst song Helmet has ever created, and all because of the vocals. Page Hamilton just sounds completely terrible on this song, no seriously, he does. Helmet is a kickarse band, and the rest of this album is awesome, but "Rude" ruins it a bit. So do yourself a favor and skip this track, but you probably won't because curiousity has got the best of you...but once you listen to "Rude" you will see what I mean. Take care.
August 24, 2005More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(16 reviews)