Helix (band)
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Helix is a Canadian
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...
and heavy metal band. They formed in 1974, and are best known for their 1984 single " Rock You". The original lineup was formed by drummer Bruce Arnold, and consisted of lead vocalist
Brian Vollmer Brian Vollmer (born June 30, 1955) is the lead singer and only remaining original member of Canadian hard rock group Helix. Since the band's inception in 1974, Vollmer had gone from lead singer to ''de facto'' leader of the band, weathering numero ...
, guitarists Ron Watson and Rick "Minstrel" Trembley, keyboardist Don Simmons, and bassist Keith "Bert" Zurbrigg. However, their most well known lineup, and the one that recorded "Rock You", was the 1980s version of the band: Vollmer on vocals, accompanied by guitarists Brent "The Doctor" Doerner and Paul Hackman, bassist Daryl Gray, and drummer Greg "Fritz" Hinz. The history of the band has been marked by many lineup changes, with Vollmer being the sole constant member and only remaining member of the original lineup. Although Hackman was killed in a tour bus accident in 1992, the surviving members of the 1980s lineup reunited in 2009 for an album and have continued to tour since 2011. Watson died in 2019. Simmons died in 2021. Helix have toured with bands such as
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,
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...
, Rush,
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albu ...
,
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...
,
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own en ...
,
Night Ranger Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco formed in 1979 that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, ...
,
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,
Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew Forsyth, though th ...
, W.A.S.P.,
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and
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a prec ...
among others. Their most recent
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
is '' Old School'' (2019).


History


Early years: 1974–1982

Helix were formed in 1974 for a battle of the bands contest in
Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...
, Canada by drummer Bruce Arnold. They were originally a six-piece, consisting of Arnold, lead vocalist
Brian Vollmer Brian Vollmer (born June 30, 1955) is the lead singer and only remaining original member of Canadian hard rock group Helix. Since the band's inception in 1974, Vollmer had gone from lead singer to ''de facto'' leader of the band, weathering numero ...
, guitarists Ron Watson and Rick "Minstrel" Trembley, keyboardist Don Simmons, and bassist Keith "Bert" Zurbrigg, who always wore his trademark
tuxedo Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...
on stage. Their original name was The Helix Field Band, soon shortened to simply Helix. Trembley left after a few months, making the band a five-piece. Soon after, Helix scored some crucial shows as Del Shannon's backing band on some Canadian dates. However, the original lineup dissolved by 1976, and three new members entered the fold. Replacing Simmons, Watson and Arnold were guitarists Brent "The Doctor" Doerner and Paul Hackman, who would both remain with Helix through the 1980s, and drummer Brian Doerner, Brent's twin brother. Brian Doerner only stayed four years, but returned as a member and a guest several times before joining
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in 2005. With new management under Kitchener's William Seip, Helix released two
independent albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...
on their own H&S Records, entitled '' Breaking Loose'' and '' White Lace & Black Leather'', in 1979 and 1981 respectively. During the sessions for ''Breaking Loose'', Helix recorded a
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of the Del Shannon hit "Thinkin' It Over", unreleased until the 1999 Helix CD ''
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''. Their second album, ''White Lace & Black Leather,'' brought more lineup changes with drummer Leo Niebudek taking over for Brian Doerner. Michael J. Fox auditioned to replace bassist Keith Zurbrigg but the job ultimately went to Mike Uzelac. With Zurbrigg gone, Brian Vollmer was now the last remaining original member.


Commercial success: 1983–1989

Changing their image from that of a standard bar band to a more image-conscious metal band, Helix finally signed to
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...
after being rejected by them three times. In 1983, they released '' No Rest for the Wicked'', with Greg "Fritz" Hinz (ex- Starchild) on drums. This album featured Canadian hit
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"Heavy Metal Love", which featured their new look. Under Seip's advice, Helix dropped their T-shirts and jeans in favour of leather clothing in order to stay current. The tour for this album cycle was not without drama. Mike Uzelac, whose drug use had become problematic, left the band to be replaced by a bass player named Peter Guy from
London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximat ...
. Guy was unable to travel to the United States due to a previous drug conviction, and Uzelac came back to finish the tour. When Uzelac had fulfilled his commitment, Mark Rector of Kitchener was hired on bass. He was let go at the conclusion of the tour. With the addition of bassist Daryl Gray completing the band's classic 1980s lineup, they released '' Walkin' the Razor's Edge'' in 1984. It sold over 100,000 copies in Canada, and over 400,000 internationally. The album also included their best known song " Rock You" and a cover of
A Foot in Coldwater A Foot in Coldwater, also known as AFIC, was a Canadian rock band of the 1970s and 1980s. Its original lineup of musicians included Alex Machin (vocals), Bob Horne (keyboard), Paul Naumann (guitar), Danny Taylor (drums), and Hughie Leggat (bass ...
's "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want". The band's also released a
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...
for the
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cover " Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" the same year, creating a parody of the
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titled the "Miss Rock Fantasy" Pageant. Two versions were created: an uncensored version featuring semi-nude and topless women, and a censored version made available for the more mainstream media markets like
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. The ending of both versions of the video feature comedian
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seated on a motorcycle surrounded by the band and the models all waving goodbye. It caused some controversy several years after its initial release when it was learned that among the cast of
porn stars A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts in video that is usually characterized as a pornographic movie. Such videos tend to be made in a number of dis ...
that appear topless in the uncensored version was a then-unknown 16-year-old
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as "Miss Georgia". (This version was also featured in a
pornographic Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,
video titled ''Electric Blue 26''.) In 1985, Helix released their fifth album '' Long Way to Heaven'', featuring the
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
"Deep Cuts the Knife" and "The Kids Are All Shakin'". The album allowed the band to tour Sweden, becoming the first Canadian rock band to do an extensive Swedish tour. The result was a No. 1 album in that country. The following year, their song "It's Too Late" was featured in the movie '' Iron Eagle'' and its
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...
album (this was a completely different song than the track "It's Too Late" that appeared on their second album). ''Long Way to Heaven'' was followed by the release of '' Wild in the Streets'' in 1987, featuring the title track and a cover of " Dream On" by
Nazareth Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...
. One song from that record, "She's Too Tough" was written by
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, lead singer for
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. Leppard also recorded their own version of "She's Too Tough" and released it as a
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and on their album '' Retro Active''. The recording of ''Wild in the Streets'', done in England with producer Mike Stone, was plagued by extensive takes and remixes. Still, the album went
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in Canada, but only managed a disappointing No. 179 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the
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. Capitol released the first Helix
compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...
'' Over 60 minutes with...'' at the end of 1989, which featured new and unreleased material as well as the hits. At the end of the decade, Brent Doerner quit the band, tired of the grind of touring. Helix was left as a four piece.


Lineup changes and tragedy: 1990–2003

Helix began the 1990s with '' Back for Another Taste'', which Doerner contributed songwriting and guitar parts to. On tour, Helix brought in their first
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member, Denny Balicky. As a touring member, Balicky was not featured in any of their music videos, but he did make significant appearances in the
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hourlong special ''Walzing With Helix'', which documented Helix's European tour with
Sacred Reich Sacred Reich is an American thrash metal band based in Phoenix, Arizona, that was formed in 1985. The band split in 2000, but reunited in 2006. Sacred Reich has been credited, along with Testament, Destruction, Death Angel and Dark Angel, for ...
and
Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...
. Balicky later appeared in the retrospective documentary ''30 Years of Helix: No Rest for the Wicked'' after changing his name to Denny Blake. After this tour, Vollmer and Hackman began writing songs with the intention of Hackman's material being used for the next Helix release, and Vollmer's going towards a
solo album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
. In the meantime, '' The Early Years'' was released by
A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
, which compiled their first two independent albums on CD for the first time. Helix toured sporadically during this time, including a special reunion show in Kitchener featuring Keith Zurbrigg and the Doerner brothers. A 1992 Western Canadian tour was booked, with Brian Doerner filling in on drums for the unavailable Greg Hinz, and Brent Doerner filling in for Denny Balicki. It was during this tour when disaster struck. On July 5, 1992, Paul Hackman, not wearing a seatbelt, was killed when the group's van rolled down a 40-foot embankment after a concert in
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. Recovering from the shock of his death, Vollmer regrouped with Brent Doerner once again, and also recruited former Brighton Rock guitarist Greg Fraser. Vollmer took the songs he had recorded for his solo album, and released them as the next Helix record, '' It's a Business Doing Pleasure'' (released on
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in 1993, their Capitol contract now finished). He included the song "That Day Is Gonna Come" as a tribute to Hackman, and the video for the song featured unique Super 8 and
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footage In filmmaking and video production, footage is raw, unedited material as originally filmed by a movie camera or recorded by a ( often special) video camera, which typically must be edited to create a motion picture, video clip, television show or ...
shot by Vollmer on the road over the years. Brian Doerner played drums on the album. Greg Fraser stated that no then-members of Helix aside from Vollmer himself actually played on the album, since it was in fact a solo album, although they were all pictured and credited in the packaging. However, longtime bassist Daryl Gray did play fretless bass on "Love Is a Crazy Game" and sing background vocals on the rest of the album. Brian Vollmer would later call the album: Brent Doerner left the band for the second time after a few shows supporting ''It's a Business Doing Pleasure''. Helix were forced to carry on with a rapid succession of replacement guitar players: Gary Borden (ex- Ray Lyell), Mark Chichkan (ex-Mindstorm), and Rick Mead (ex-Sire), a rotating cast who played at shows when they were available. By 1996, both Greg Fraser and "Fritz" Hinz had departed as well. Brian Vollmer and Daryl Gray carried on with new drummer Glen "Archie" Gamble in 1997, who took on some of their workload such as road managing duties. In order to keep new Helix product in stores, five new studio tracks were recorded and released in 1998 on '' half-ALIVE'', produced by Daryl Gray, which compiled these with live tracks from previous tours. Vollmer also released compilations of hits and rare tracks, as well as his first official solo album (''
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'', 1999) through his website. The band continued to play live through this period, recruiting new guitar players as they were available. At various times, Mike Hall and Gerry Finn, who were both in
Killer Dwarfs Killer Dwarfs (stylized as KiLLeR DWaRfS) is a Canadian hard rock band that formed in late 1981 in Oshawa, Ontario, and enjoyed moderate success in their native Canada in the 1980s. The band is known for its offbeat sense of humour (all band m ...
, joined Helix on the road, as did Darren Smith, the former
Harem Scarem Harem Scarem is a Canadian hard rock/melodic hard rock band from Toronto, Ontario. Harem Scarem initially (the early 1990s) achieved popularity in their native Canada and Japan. The band was active from 1987 to 2008, and again from 2013 after ...
drummer, who had switched to guitar. Periodically, the surviving members of the classic 1980s lineup would reform, as they did on the ''
B-Sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
'' CD to record three new songs including "Danger Zone", which were again produced by Daryl Gray. This was a song that Paul Hackman had been working on shortly before his death. At the beginning of the new decade, Helix had to endure another major lineup change. Daryl Gray left the band in 2002 due to an increasingly strained relationship with Vollmer, leaving Brian as the sole member from their 1980s heyday. With Glen Gamble's help, Vollmer added three new members to bring some stability back to the lineup: Jeff "Stan" Fountain replacing Daryl Gray on bass, Dan Fawcett on guitar, and Shaun Sanders on guitar. All three had played together with Gamble in London's Buffalo Brothers.


30th Anniversary

In 2004, the 30th anniversary of Helix, the band released several titles to mark the occasion. Their first new studio album of all-original material in over a decade came out, titled '' Rockin' in My Outer Space''. Two compilation CDs were also put together, ''Never Trust Anyone Over 30'' in the US, and ''Rockin' You For 30 Years'' in Canada. These albums were marked by a new Helix lineup, and for the first time since 1974, a six-piece: Vollmer, Gamble, Fountain, and new members Jim Lawson (ex-Cherry Smash, guitar), and the husband and wife team of Rainer (guitar) and Cindy Wiechmann (acoustic guitar and vocals). Vollmer first encountered the Wiechmanns in
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
when their band, KAOS, opened for Helix on the ''Long Way to Heaven'' tour. The band played a special 30th anniversary concert at
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Ontario's Sanderson Centre. The show featured the current band and past members. Guests included members of the original 1974 Helix lineup (Ron Watson, Bruce Arnold, Keith "Bert" Zurbrigg, and Don Simmons), as well as Brent Doerner, Brian Doerner, Leo Niebudek, and Greg "Fritz" Hinz. The night was released on DVD as the '' 30th Anniversary Concert''. Released at the same time was the documentary DVD ''30 Years of Helix: No Rest for the Wicked''. Helix experienced a slight resurgence in popularity at this point thanks to a third-season episode of the television series
Trailer Park Boys ''Trailer Park Boys'' is a Canadian mockumentary sitcom television series created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer ...
("Closer to the Heart"), in which Bubbles and Ricky discuss the merits of Helix compared to Rush. Vollmer also filmed a cameo during that season which was included as a DVD deleted scene. Helix was mentioned in several other episodes; it's revealed that Ricky especially favors attending, and selling
marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various t ...
at, their concerts. In July 2005, Vollmer announced that Helix would be entering the studio to record another new album of original material as well as a
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album. The cover album was intended to be released in spring 2006 and consist entirely of Canadian rock songs. The tentative title was ''Many Are Cold But Few Are Frozen'', but it never materialized. Finally, Brian Vollmer published his
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
, ''Gimme An R'', in December 2005. The book covered the numerous lineup changes and ups and downs of Helix through their 30-year career, along with many rare photos.


Increased activity: 2005 – July 2009

In late 2005, Glen Gamble left Helix to form his own band, The Joys. Gamble was briefly replaced by a returning Brian Doerner, who stayed with the band for several months. With Gamble gone, Brian Vollmer was left to manage every aspect of the Helix organization, from booking tours, to distributing Helix merchandise. More lineup changes ensued in 2006: Brian Doerner again departed, this time to play in Saga. He was replaced by Brent "Ned" Niemi, who was a veteran of the Toronto progressive metal band THD that also featured former Slash Puppet vocalist Mif. Helix toured with this new lineup, most notably opening for
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...
in Canada, before Rainer and Cindy Wiechmann left amicably and formed their own band Nail. Rainer was replaced on guitar by Kitchener's Rick VanDyk, formerly of Zero Option who had released an album in the early 1990s. Finally, bassist Jeff Fountain left and was replaced by Paul Fonseca. VanDyk, Fonseca, and Niemi had all played together part-time in a
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called Sandman. With these musicians on board, Helix began augmenting their live setlist with Metallica's "
Creeping Death "Creeping Death" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on November 23, 1984, as the lead and only commercial single from their album ''Ride the Lightning'' (" Fade to Black" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls", from the sam ...
" riff to segue between songs. Recording for a new album began. In October 2006, the song "Heavy Metal Love" was to be featured on the soundtrack for the
Trailer Park Boys ''Trailer Park Boys'' is a Canadian mockumentary sitcom television series created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer ...
movie '' The Big Dirty'', however, at the last minute, the track was pulled by Dean Cameron, president of EMI Canada, as distribution of the soundtrack was being handled by
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, and not EMI who owns the track. To make up for this, Helix re-recorded "Heavy Metal Love" and included it on their next release, the 2006 EP '' Get Up!''. The original song was still included in the movie even though it did not appear on the soundtrack CD. The ''Get Up!'' EP itself was hyped by Vollmer as "...very reminiscent of the ''No Rest for the Wicked'' album." In 2007, Helix re-released all the tracks from ''Get Up!'' along with four new studio tracks on a full-length studio album called ''
The Power of Rock and Roll ''The Power of Rock and Roll'' is a CD released by heavy metal band Helix in 2007. It is Helix' 10th full-length studio album and 19th album released overall. It compiled all 7 tracks from their previous independent release, the EP '' Get Up!' ...
''. Unlike the EP, this album received both US and UK releases. In June of that year, Helix played the 2007 Sweden Rock Festival. A new song from ''The Power of Rock and Roll'' called "Fill Your Head With Rock" was chosen as the theme song of the festival. Following this, in October 2008 Helix produced their first Christmas CD. Although Brian Vollmer has recorded Christmas songs before on a charity CD for his church called ''Raising The Roof on Mary Immaculate'', '' A Heavy Mental Christmas'' was the first such release from the band. By late 2008, Helix began working on a new studio album, their 12th, following up ''A Heavy Mental Christmas''. These recording sessions coincided with another new Helix lineup: In February 2009, Brent "The Doctor" Doerner joined the band for the third time. Sean Kelly, singer and lead guitarist of Toronto's Crash Kelly, joined as the new bass player. Brent Niemi was replaced on drums by former Sven Gali member Rob MacEachern, who had actually played drums on ''Get Up!'' and ''The Power of Rock and Roll'' in Niemi's absence. Jim Lawson remained on guitar, VanDyk having departed to make room for the returning Brent Doerner. Work on the new studio CD progressed with Sean Kelly co-writing and co-producing. In February 2009, Vollmer reunited the surviving members of the ''No Rest for the Wicked'' lineup (Brent Doerner, Mike Uzelac and Greg Hinz) to record a new version of the
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classic " It's a Long Way to the Top", to be included on a compilation album. Concurrent to the new Helix lineup and CD, Brent Doerner formed his own band, My Wicked Twin, featuring Brian Doerner, Mike Uzelac, and Shane Schedler (formerly of Kitchener's Martyrs of Melody). They released their debut CD in January 2009.


Current and 80s band reunion: July 2009 – present

In an unexpected turn of events, after their July 10, 2009
Rocklahoma Rocklahoma (also known as Rock Fever Presents Rocklahoma or Rock Fever) is an annual American three-day rock festival held in Pryor, Oklahoma. The festival features 4 official stages, as well as many unofficial campground parties and performing ...
performance, Sean Kelly amicably gave notice that he was quitting Helix to be the new guitar player in
Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired de ...
's band. His first date with Furtado was in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
in September 2009. After Kelly's departure, Brian Vollmer reunited the surviving members of the classic 1980s lineup: Daryl Gray, Greg "Fritz" Hinz, and Brent Doerner. At their first rehearsal together, Hinz reported, "…it was like we had never left. We all fell right into the groove." In regards to reuniting the old band, Vollmer cited fatigue of the rotating Helix lineups: Daryl Gray was the first member to play live with the band, appearing August 9, 2009 in Lewisporte,
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
. Jim Lawson's departure was announced on August 30, 2009. According to Vollmer, "Unfortunately, the long distance between where he lives (
Sudbury, Ontario Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the fifth largest in Canada. It is a ...
) and where the band operates became a factor in Jim staying with us." Orangeville's Kaleb "Duckman" Duck (of BraVurA), who played on Brent's My Wicked Twin CD, was hired on second guitar. Rob MacEachern amicably stepped down for Hinz to return. The new Helix CD was tentatively titled ''It's Rock Science, NOT Rocket Science!'', before being changed to '' Vagabond Bones'' after a song co-written by Kelly. Doerner, Gray and Hinz all appear on the album, along with Sean Kelly, Brent Niemi, Rob MacEachern and Russ "Dwarf" Graham of Moxy and
Killer Dwarfs Killer Dwarfs (stylized as KiLLeR DWaRfS) is a Canadian hard rock band that formed in late 1981 in Oshawa, Ontario, and enjoyed moderate success in their native Canada in the 1980s. The band is known for its offbeat sense of humour (all band m ...
. The songs were described by Vollmer as music "which harkens back to our roots, yet sounds contemporary." A western Canadian tour was played in October 2009. Brian Vollmer had a cameo appearance in the second
Trailer Park Boys ''Trailer Park Boys'' is a Canadian mockumentary sitcom television series created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer ...
movie '' Countdown to Liquor Day'', released September 25, 2009. Helix also performed at the opening gala of the premier of the movie at the Halifax Metro Centre. The reunion tour has lasted into 2010 including both Canadian and US dates. Brian Vollmer also implied that he would like to continue writing for future Helix albums with former member Sean Kelly. In regards to Kelly's departure in 2009, Vollmer stated, "I give Sean my blessings, no worries. As long as we continue to write together, I am happy." On August 15, 2010, Vollmer announced the forthcoming release of two new Helix albums. The first, titled '' Smash Hits...Unplugged!'' contains acoustic re-recorded versions of Helix hits and a cover of the late Canadian singer
James Leroy James Leroy (April 3, 1947 – May 10, 1979)Paul Weber. Retrieved 2013-02-16. was a Canadian singer, songwriter, recording artist and performer. Early life James Leroy was born in Ottawa, Ontario and spent his childhood and adolescence in Mar ...
's "Touch Of Magic". The second album is a compilation called ''Running Wild in the 21st Century'', containing Helix and Vollmer solo material from 1999–2010, including two unreleased tracks ("
The William Tell Overture The ''William Tell'' Overture is the overture to the opera ''William Tell'' (original French title ''Guillaume Tell''), whose music was composed by Gioachino Rossini. ''William Tell'' premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, af ...
" and a new unnamed original song.) It was originally scheduled to be released in October 2010 but was delayed until 2011, due to problems getting permission to include the
AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal, but the band calls it ...
cover " It's a Long Way to the Top". It will be replaced by a new original song instead, causing the delay. In November 2010, Vollmer announced that the band were filming a
pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in television in the United States, United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a te ...
for a Helix-based
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...
series. In 2012, Helix toured across eight cities in southwestern/southeastern Ontario for a mini Heavy Mental Christmas Tour. Performing classic Christmas songs but with a twist of heavy metal, and they played their hit songs such as "Rock You", "Heavy Metal Love" and their own song "All I Want for Christmas... Is the Leafs to Win the Cup". Currently, the band is playing in bars/casinos across Canada, and they are working on a new album, which is due for release in 2023.


Outside Helix

Brent and Brian Doerner maintain My Wicked Twin as an ongoing prospect alongside their main bands, Helix, and Crisis What Crisis, a
Supertramp Supertramp were an English rock band that formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), they are distinguished for blending p ...
tribute band. Brian Vollmer currently teaches the classical vocal technique,
Bel canto Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing. The phrase was not associat ...
, in
London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximat ...
, as well as singing classical music at weddings and funerals throughout southern Ontario. He has given vocal lessons to
Mercedes Lander Kittie is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in London, Ontario in 1996. All of their material has been released through independent record labels, which to date includes six studio albums, one video album, four extended plays, thirteen singl ...
of the heavy metal band
Kittie Kittie is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in London, Ontario in 1996. All of their material has been released through independent record labels, which to date includes six studio albums, one video album, four extended plays, thirteen singles ...
who also hail from London. His wife Lynda helps with the running of the Helix business from their home, which they have dubbed "Planet Helix". "Planet Helix" was featured in a 2007 episode of
MTV Cribs ''MTV Cribs'' (also known as ''Cribs'') is an American documentary television show that originated on MTV and features tours of the private homes of celebrities. It originally aired from 2000 to 2010. In 2017, MTV produced short-form episodes o ...
.


Band members

Current members *
Brian Vollmer Brian Vollmer (born June 30, 1955) is the lead singer and only remaining original member of Canadian hard rock group Helix. Since the band's inception in 1974, Vollmer had gone from lead singer to ''de facto'' leader of the band, weathering numero ...
– lead vocals, cowbell *Greg "Fritz" Hinz – drums, percussion, backing vocals *Daryl Gray – bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals *Mark Chichkan – guitar, backing vocals *Chris Julke – guitar


Discography


Albums


Studio albums

*'' Breaking Loose'' (1979) *'' White Lace & Black Leather'' (1981) *'' No Rest for the Wicked'' (1983) *'' Walkin' the Razor's Edge'' (1984) *'' Long Way to Heaven'' (1985) *'' Wild in the Streets'' (1987) *'' Back for Another Taste'' (1990) *'' It's a Business Doing Pleasure'' (1993) *'' Rockin' in My Outer Space'' (2004) *''
The Power of Rock and Roll ''The Power of Rock and Roll'' is a CD released by heavy metal band Helix in 2007. It is Helix' 10th full-length studio album and 19th album released overall. It compiled all 7 tracks from their previous independent release, the EP '' Get Up!' ...
'' (2007) *'' A Heavy Mental Christmas'' (2008) *'' Vagabond Bones'' (2009) *'' Bastard of the Blues'' (2014) *'' Old School'' (2019)


Live albums

*''Live at the Marquee'' (1984) (Promotional live EP) *'' half-ALIVE'' (1998) *'' Live! in Buffalo'' (2001)


Compilation albums

*'' Over 60 minutes with...'' (1989) *'' The Early Years'' (1991) (Reissue of first two albums) *'' Deep Cuts: The Best Of'' (1999) *''
B-Sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
'' (1999) *''Never Trust Anyone Over 30'' (2004) (US Compilation) *''Rockin' You for 30 Years'' (2004) (Canadian Compilation) *'' Smash Hits...Unplugged!'' (2010) *''Best of 1983-2012'' (2013) *''Rock It Science'' (2016) *''Icon'' (2018) *''EAT SLEEP ROCK'' (2020)


EPs

*'' Get Up! (2006) *'' Skin in the Game'' (2011)


Unofficial compilation albums

*
Vixen Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
and Helix: ''Back 2 Back Hits'' (2000) (Split compilation CD from EMI Special Products)


Singles

* (1979) Don't Hide Your Love / You're a Woman Now * (1979) Billy Oxygen / Crazy Woman * (1981) It's Too Late / Women Whiskey & Sin * (1983) Does a Fool Ever Learn / Never Want to Lose You * (1983) Don't Get Mad Get Even / Check Out the Love * (1983) Heavy Metal Love / No Rest for the Wicked * (198?) Everybody Pays The Price / Breaking Loose erman maxi single* (1984) Rock You / You Keep Me Rockin' * (1984) Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' / When the Hammer Falls * (1984) (Make Me Do) Anything You Want / Feel the Fire * (1985) The Kids Are All Shakin' / House On Fire * (1985) Deep Cuts The Knife / Bangin' Off-A-The Bricks * (1986) It's Too Late / Jaws of the Tiger * (1987) Wild In the Streets / Kiss It Goodbye * (1987) Dream On / What Ya Bringin' to the Party? * (1990) Good to the Last Drop / S-E-X Rated * (1990) Running Wild In the 21st Century * (1990) The Storm * (1993) That Day Is Gonna Come * (1998) The Same Room * (1999) I'm A Live Frankenstein rian Vollmer solo* (2007) Fill Your Head With Rock * (2009) Vagabond Bones * (2009) When the Bitter's Got The Better Of You * (2009) Monday Morning Meltdown * (2009) Make 'Em Dance * (2012) All I Want for Christmas... Is the Leafs to Win the Cup * (2017) The Devil is Having A Party Tonight / The Tequila Song * (2022) Not My Circus


Music videos

* (1983) Don't Get Mad Get Even * (1983) Heavy Metal Love * (1984) Rock You * (1984) Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' * (1984) (Make Me Do) Anything You Want * (1985) The Kids Are All Shakin' * (1985) Deep Cuts the Knife * (1987) Wild In the Streets * (1987) Dream On * (1990) Good To The Last Drop * (1990) Running Wild In the 21st Century * (1990) The Storm * (1993) That Day Is Gonna Come * (1998) The Same Room ilmed but unreleased* (1999) I'm a Live Frankenstein rian Vollmer solo* (2007) Fill Your Head With Rock * (2009) Vagabond Bones * (2009) When the Bitter's Got the Better of You * (2009) Monday Morning Breakdown * (2009) Make 'Em Dance * (2012) All I Want for Christmas... Is the Leafs to Win the Cup * (2013) Champagne Communist * (2016) (Gene Simmons Says) Rock is Dead * (2020) EAT SLEEP ROCK * (2020) The Tequila Song


DVD and VHS

*''S.E.X. Rated'' (DVD 2001, VHS 1991) *'' 30th Anniversary Concert'' (DVD 2004) *''30 Years of Helix: No Rest for the Wicked'' (DVD 2004)


Non-album tracks and solo albums


Non-album tracks

* Original soundtrack: '' Iron Eagle'' (1986) - featuring "It's Too Late", later released on the Helix compilation CD '' Deep Cuts: The Best Of''. *"S.E.X. Rated" (1990) - B-side on the "Good to the Last Drop" cassette single only. This recording, thus far only released on the cassette B-side, is a completely different recording than the one on the ''B-Sides'' CD. According to lead vocalist Brian Vollmer, there are currently no plans to re-release this rare version which, unlike the ''B-Sides'' version, includes a performance by late guitarist Paul Hackman. *Various artists - ''Got Ya Covered!!'' (1996) - featuring Helix's cover of "Set Me Free" by
Sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketone ...
. This was a compilation of independent artists from
London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximat ...
. The Helix lineup on this song includes only one actual Helix member, Brian Vollmer himself, backed by members of the band S.F.H. *Various artists - '' Sweden Rock Festival 2005'' (2005) - featuring live version of " Rock You", and the only official recording by the Vollmer/Weichmann/Weichmann/Lawson/Fountain/Brian Doerner lineup.


Solo albums

*Vollmer - ''
When Pigs Fly The phrase "when pigs fly" (alternatively, "pigs might fly") is an adynaton—a figure of speech so hyperbolic that it describes an impossibility. The implication of such a phrase is that the circumstances in question (the adynaton, and the circu ...
'' (1999) - solo album by
Brian Vollmer Brian Vollmer (born June 30, 1955) is the lead singer and only remaining original member of Canadian hard rock group Helix. Since the band's inception in 1974, Vollmer had gone from lead singer to ''de facto'' leader of the band, weathering numero ...
. *''Raising the Roof on Mary Immaculate'' (2005) - charity CD featuring Brian Vollmer and Cindy Wiechmann. * Brent Doerner's Decibel - ''Brent Doerner's Decibel'' (2006) - solo album by Brent Doerner. * My Wicked Twin - ''Decibel Music'' (2009) - includes three past/present Helix members in Brent & Brian Doerner, and Mike Uzelac going under the name "Uzi".


References


External links


Official Helix websiteOfficial Brent & Brian Doerner websiteBio at CanadianBands.com
CanConRox entry * * {{Authority control 1974 establishments in Ontario Canadian glam metal musical groups Canadian hard rock musical groups Canadian heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1974 Musical groups from Kitchener, Ontario