Helmet

Over two decades on from the release of their debut album, alt. metal classic Strap It On, Helmet are plagued by the question that besets so many bands in middle age: why bother? 51-year-old frontman Page Hamilton remains the group's sole constant (former drummer John Stanier, of course, went off to form Battles), and while recent records such as last year's Seeing Eye Dog haven't exactly been bad, they've fell a long way short of the grandeur captured on the first three Helmet LPs. Fortunately, Hamilton and co. remain an ear-shredding live act, and one with the good sense to draw heavily on their back catalogue rather than dwell too long on the new material.