Crystal Lake
Helix

Release Date: 2018 | Tracklist

Crystal Lake doesn’t know what kind of band they are. At least, that’s’ the impression that’s presented very openly in an incredibly scattered fifth album. Basically, picture that one self-centered prig from daycare when you were growing up that took all of the toys and wouldn’t share—that’s a decent description of what Helix appears to be. Before even beginning to mention the various factors that pollute this mix, something needs to be said: injecting rap in metal never works out. Whether this is due to some innate stylistic incompatibility or metal bands’ ineptitude at rapping successfully is open to debate; for those arguing the latter, take the decimated playroom before you as a sufficient example of when genre-blending goes quite wrong. Dropping their efforts into what many consider a black hole of inspiration—that being nu-metal, probably the most despised of the more divisive musical categories—equates to a product that seems dead on arrival. For each highlight that manages to break the surface, five or so faults sprout from the sonic landscape like hydra heads. Cut one down, five more act as replacements, and so on until the record morphs into a bunch of snakes swirling around in your eardrums. It’s not as pleasant as it may sound.

If Helix was (liberally) trimmed down to include only “Aeon,” “Agony,” and “Sanctuary,” there would be a disc worth discussing. As we are left with nine other tracks, such a salvation is out of reach, as is that action figure you wanted but is now being chewed to pieces by that one kid. The sound of teeth-on-plastic isn’t too removed from the aural experience offered by “+81,” or when the album begins its very sharp descent. Prior, the listener had a chance to rock out to the hardcore-esque introduction that is “Aeon,” hitting the ground running with a weighty riff that crushes down instantly; there is also the aforementioned “Agony,” which can be summarized as progressive metalcore’s answer to Parkway Drive—the end result being enjoyable, melodic leads and a memorable refrain. Then comes the inevitable rapping. Anyone concerned can rest assured that Crystal Lake indeed continue the trend of metal collectives forming ill-advised, occasionally laughable verses spat out with hip-hop braggadocio but lacking any of the skill to back it up. Lyrics are the standard bitches, booze, rise-up fare that would very quickly clear out any Bingo card of ‘Rap Tropes 101.’ Although “+81” leaves the foundation, it’s “Hail To The Fire” and accompanying instrumental “Ritual” that really build upon the shaky ground. Featuring abysmal rhymes at the forefront all delivered in that weird vocal spot between growls, shouts, singing, and just speaking, the song bounces on a stale nu-metal guitar part as the main instrumental driver. The barely 3-minute encounter is a chore to get through despite its brevity.

It’s hard to pick any worst offender when regarding the track list, since when Crystal Lake aren’t preoccupied spittin’ some serious fire (would the opposite be water?), they’re messing around with those other toys. “Lost In Forever” flexes a capable metalcore riff, but it sounds like a rehashed Gideon segment—go figure that two of their members are featured on the tune. “Outgrow” functions like some nu-metal, rap ballad hybrid, which works about as well as it reads. Then there is the techno-laden “Just Confusing,” which is exactly that. A key part of the creation involves a phone’s vibrating tone to break verses, if that’s any indication of value. Actually, the whole release is precisely a muddled pool of influences that just can’t fully commit to one, and the element receiving the most attention happens to be the absolute worst. Pick through the swarm and you can nab a rock callback here, a prog metalcore staple, a hip-hop cliché, plus more that erupt from the hydra infestation. The prime issue is not only a lack of consistency, but also an utter absence of tone, self-awareness, or a semblance of care to create a serviceable flow from one entry to the next. No performances are notable outside of those that can be traced to other bands that did it better. Hindsight being 20/20, perhaps all are better off letting that brat fiddle with those playthings after all—probably just discount-rack from K-Mart, anyways.

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3.4 great