What is a Helms Alee?
Well, we’ll find out later. But the question we should really be asking is who is Helms Alee! Formed in 2007 in Seattle, Washington, Helms Alee is a three-piece sludge, noise, amplifier worship band, currently signed to Sargent House records. Noctiluca is their fifth studio album, coming out three years after Stillicide and will be released on April 26th. They comprise of Dana James on bass, Hozoji Margullis on drums, and Ben Verellen on guitars, with vocal duties shared between all members of the band. I was lucky enough to be able to ask some questions with Ben Verellen for this interview, so let’s get into them before reviewing Noctiluca.
B.G.M.: First question for you, and it’s about the name Helms Alee. For people who don’t know, this is a nautical term, included in the commands for tacking a sailboat. What has been the best interpretation of the name and it’s meaning that you’ve heard?
Ben Verellen: In terms of misinterpretations? I don’t know if I’ve heard any of those. Somebody thought it was “helms deep” from Lord of the Rings. But yeah, Helms Alee is basically “duck!” for sailing. I don’t remember how we settled on that name.
On April 26th, Noctiluca is released. Standard question – how was the recording session for this record? How did it differ from previous sessions?
Recording was pretty similar to the previous sessions we’ve done. Spent about two weeks of recording and mixing. Sam Bell recorded us here in Seattle.
Lots of emphasis on vocals on this one, that was a little different, but otherwise a pretty familiar process for us.
Tracking live-ish and layering things up from there.
Whilst listening to Noctiluca, apart from the heavy vibe of the album, the first thing that caught my attention was the way the vocals were handled. It is really refreshing to hear different voices throughout the same song, let alone the same album. Is there ever a time when someone wants to sing lead more than the others?
Yeah, that’s something that is different for each song. One of us might be super connected to a vocal idea on a song and they run with it, or sometimes it’s vocals by committee, so we’ll divide and conquer, or sometimes one of us will have an idea for someone else to sing. It’s really all over the map how we approach vocals.
Noctiluca is your fifth album overall. It’s also your third to be released on Sargent House Records. I checked out the list of bands on Sargent House, it’s a very impressive list which you fit in with seamlessly. It feels like a great partnership between both Helms Alee and Sargent House exists, how important is their support?
It’s kind of two-fold, there’s all of the logistical stuff Sargent House does, making records, planning tours, etc.. and then I also think that just being presented alongside a strong roster like SH has going, that seems to affect the light that people see you in. We’re in real good company with those guys.
The thing that shines on Noctiluca for me is the melodic side to the music. There’s sludge, doom, post-hardcore, and really beautiful sounding elements in every song that gives them something different. I’m just wondering how you approached writing this album.
Yeah, that’s always been a point for us to not box ourselves in much as far as how a Helms Alee song is supposed to sound or not sound. So we really just noodle around at practice and little riffs and ideas just sort of pop up and then each of us puts a spin on it and we beat every detail to death for months (sometimes years) until it’s time to record. However that idea comes out, there’s no rules about the style. We just all have to like it.
The press release for Noctiluca mentions that the album is “Inspired by the bio-luminescent marine algae of the same name”. I know that most of your albums focus on oceanic type themes, but is there something more specific running through it at all? Can you expand on the inspiration?
I don’t think any of it is meant to be very specific. I think that the general aesthetic and concept of these tiny living organisms that give off creepy light is just interesting to us. But Hoz came up with that one, she might have more thoughts on that.
On February 20th, you released the wonderful video for “Interachnid”, which has a lot of natural imagery, as well as trippy colors. How intertwined are nature and the ocean to Helms Alee and the music of Noctiluca? Why does the band feel such a strong connection to the ocean?
I guess for one it’s just an obsession that we all have in common. I’m into sailing my sort of crappy, beat up sailboat around Seattle, and Hoz (who made that video) and Dana are really into diving. Hoz’ life is probably the most aquatically leaning. She’s worked as a geoduck fisherman for the Puyallup tribe for years and now is delving into academia studying ocean science, so she’s poised to become a sort of professional liaison between the local tribal interests and nature conservation. So I think a lot of the influence on the music and the aesthetic of the band is sort of a natural osmosis thing. All that watery stuff is just around our lives so when the time comes to come up with a record name or cover art etc… those are the themes that pop in there.
Over the summer, you’ll be heading out on the road with Earth in the U.S. For people who have not experienced Helms Alee live, what can people expect?
Just three sweaty goobers crooning and yelling and noodling and shredding. It’ll be somewhat more spastic than what Earth is doing, but hopefully there’s some vibe synergy there. We all really enjoy what those guys are doing.
After these shows, what are the plans for the rest of 2019 (if you can tell us)?
There will be some more touring to continue around the States and beyond, nothing we can announce as of yet, but we’re hoping to play these new songs in front of as many people as possible.
Noctiluca is a seamless, intense album.
It’s one of those rare records that demands to be heard in one sitting. To cherry pick it just feels so wrong. Obviously, there are highlights as you go along. The droning, pounding and intense “Lay Waste, Child” is stunning. The brooding nature of the song gives it a haunting experience. “Beat Up” crawls out of the speakers, sounding like a beast whose first instinct is to attack. Opening track “Interachnid” has a massive hook that flows through the song, one that I’ve been returning to in my mind.
Noctiluca demands to be listened to in one sitting. The journey of an album, the way the songs interlink, is as integral to an album. With each track, I find another layer to the music. The interplay between the band members is another essential element Noctiluca, you can feel the bond that they have throughout this record. The deeper you delve into this record, the further down the garden path you fall. Ignore this album at your peril, Noctiluca is a stunning album.