"Unsung" is a single by the American

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With r ...

band

Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

from their 1992 album, '' Meantime''. A music video was produced for the song and found significant airplay on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

in the early 1990s. "Unsung" is recorded in

drop D tuning Drop D tuning is an alternative form of guitar tuning in which the lowest (sixth) string is tuned down from the usual E of standard tuning by one whole step to D. So where standard tuning is E2A2D3G3B3E4 (EADGBe), drop D is D2A2D3G3B3E4 (DADGBe ...

on both guitars and bass, and begins with a bass intro. Its stop-and-go dynamics and catchy rhythm made it somewhat of a flagship of the growing 1990s alternative metal scene. In 1991, a full year before the release of ''Meantime'',

Amphetamine Reptile Records Amphetamine Reptile Records (or AmRep Industries) is a record label founded in 1986 by Tom Hazelmyer in Washington state. The label specializes in noise rock and also released '' Strap It On'', the debut album by alternative metal band Helmet w ...

issued the "Unsung" 7-inch record (scale 41), featuring an earlier recording of the song.

Release and reception

"Unsung" was Helmet's first single to be released, and was also the lead single to their second album ''Meantime''. The song helped Helmet attain breakthrough success and is their most commercially successful song to date. It reached number 29 on the US

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart and number 32 on the US

Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart. "Unsung" was also well received by music critics. Steve Huey from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewed the song positively by stating in his review: "Boasting a stuttering, grinding main riff and the wall-of-noise guitar work of

Page Hamilton Page Hamilton (born May 18, 1960) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer, mostly noted for his work with alternative metal band Helmet. Most of his work has been in the hard rock and alternative metal styles, though he ...

and

Peter Mengede Peter Mengede (born 1962) is an Australian musician best known as a former guitarist for alternative metal band Helmet. He formed his own group, Handsome, in 1995 with former members of Quicksand, Cro-Mags and Murphy's Law. They released one ...

, 'Unsung' was the second video pulled from Helmet's second full-length album, ''Meantime'', and quickly became the band's signature song and an MTV favorite during late 1992. All told, it was probably the single best moment for a band that often emphasized sound over songwriting. 'Unsung' was Helmet at their most focused, alternating between memorable verse and chorus melodies and concluding with a monolithic guitar workout featuring noisy, oddly harmonized chords repeatedly drilled into the listener's skull."

Track listing

1991 Amphetamine Reptile Records 7" vinyl

1992 Interscope Records 7" vinyl

Promo single

CD single

12" vinyl

In popular culture

*The song's music video was critiqued in a 1993 episode of the

animated series ''

Beavis and Butt-head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, ...

'', titled "Beware the Butt". It also appears in a 2002 episode of WB animated series '' Mission Hill'', titled "Happy Birthday, Douchebag". In the episode, the song plays in the character Andy's room in a flashback scene to when he was a teenager. However, it and all other licensed songs were removed when the series was released to DVD in 2005. *It is featured in the video games '' True Crime: New York City'', '' Saints Row 2'', ''

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'', the 2004 video game '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' on the fictional radio station Radio X, and in the ''

Guitar Hero ''Guitar Hero'' is a series of music rhythm game video games first released in November 2005, in which players use a guitar-shaped game controller to simulate playing primarily lead, bass guitar, and rhythm guitar across numerous songs. Player ...

'' series where a cover version is featured in the 2005 game while the live version recorded from a 1992 gig in Chicago appears in ''

Guitar Hero Smash Hits ''Guitar Hero Smash Hits'' (titled ''Guitar Hero Greatest Hits'' in Europe and Australia) is a Music video game, music rhythm game and the fourth expansion pack, expansion game to the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game features 48 so ...

'' and the master recording appears as the final song of the "Guitar Hero Classics Volume 1" Premium Show on GHTV from ''

Guitar Hero Live ''Guitar Hero Live'' is a 2015 music rhythm video game developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision. It is the seventh main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xb ...

''. *It is featured in the U.S. television crime drama ''

The Following ''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. The first season follows former FBI agent Ryan Hardy ( Kevin Bacon) ...

''.

Accolades

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unsung (Song) Helmet (band) songs 1991 singles 1991 songs Interscope Records singles Songs written by Page Hamilton Song recordings produced by Steve Albini