Despite the horrendous weather, the Engine Room filled up with fans looking to get their fix. Five years without a chance to see a favorite band is quite a wait and the buzz in the air was of pure excitement.

For this tour, Hamilton brought Traynor back to play guitar and recruited Frank Bello (Anthrax) on bass and John Tempesta (Rob Zombie) on drums. There was quite a bit of excitement over seeing the new band as well as Hamilton himself.

After a short wait, the lights dimmed and the band took to the stage in a hail of camera flashes and screams. A group of guys not too far from me exchanged quick high-fives as the band kicked into their opening song, Pure, which was the opener to Aftertaste.

With a set heavily loaded with tracks from Aftertaste and Helmet’s latest effort Size Matters, Hamilton seemed to be trying to give his less performed creations the exposure he wanted them to receive. Despite being personally disappointed with the overdone sound of Size Matters, I was pleasantly surprised with the ferocity that translated in the live setting with them.

Of course, Hamilton and company didn’t ignore any release, adding selected songs from Betty, Meantime and Strap It On. While these songs were in the minority, fans new and old had something available to them to enjoy. No one could not enjoy watching four band members having a great time playing songs they love on stage together. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a band having such a good time together.

When this show comes to town or comes back through your town, don’t miss it. Helmet influenced most of the bands in your current record collection so go see where the trends began, see this band live.