Strap It On is the first album by Helmet

Helmet (band)

Helmet is an alternative metal band from New York City formed in 1989. Founded by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton, Helmet has had numerous lineup changes, and Hamilton has been the only constant member....

. Originally released in 1990 through Amphetamine Reptile Records

Amphetamine Reptile Records

Amphetamine Reptile Records is a nationally renowned record label which was founded in 1986 by then-US Marine Tom Hazelmyer in Washington State, US The label is best-known for its roster of noise rock artists, and its Dope, Guns 'n' Fucking In The Streets series of compilations.-History:Hazelmyer...

, it was subsequently rereleased by Interscope in November 1991.

Critics considered the album innovative for its explosive, propulsive, and often staccato

Staccato

Staccato is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation it signifies a note of shortened duration and separated from the note that may follow by silence...

 riff style which greatly exploited drop D tuning

Drop D tuning

Drop D tuning, also known as DADGBE, is an alternate, or scordatura, form of guitar tuning — specifically, a dropped tuning — in which the lowest string is tuned down from the usual E of standard tuning by one whole step to D.- Uses of drop D tuning :In drop D the three bass strings...

. It has since become a cult classic in the post-hardcore genre and even influential on the metal scene. The moody, atmospheric "Sinatra" differed from most of the fast-paced, metal-influenced songs on the album; its lyrics featured a paraphrasing of Dean Martin

Dean Martin

Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...

's famous line about the crooner, "It's Sinatra's world/ We just live in it."

Track listing

1. "Repetition" – 3:00
2. "Rude" – 4:13
3. "Bad Mood" – 2:15
4. "Sinatra" – 4:31
5. "FBLA" – 2:40
6. "Blacktop" – 3:20
7. "Distracted" – 3:12
8. "Make Room" – 3:28
9. "Murder" – 4:03

(All tracks by Hamilton)

Early pressings of the album incorrectly listed the title of the third song as "Bad Moon". The Japanese release has one extra track, "Impressionable", which also appears on the Amphetamine Reptile compilation 7" EP Dope, Guns 'n' Fucking in the Streets Vol. 5. The song title FBLA stands for Future Business Leaders of America

FBLA-PBL

The Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, or FBLA-PBL, is an American career and technical student organization that has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia...

.

Accolades

Year	Publication	Country	Accolade	Rank
1995	Alternative Press	United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	"Top 99 Of '85 to '95"	25
1998	Alternative Press	United States	"The 90 Greatest Albums of the '90s"	12
"*" denotes an unordered list.

Personnel

Band

• Henry Bogdan
  Henry Bogdan
  Henry Bogdan , is an American musician. He is perhaps best known as the original bass guitarist and a founding member of the alternative metal band, Helmet...
  
   – Bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• Page Hamilton
  Page Hamilton
  Page Hamilton is a guitarist, singer and record producer, mostly noted for his work with alternative metal band Helmet...
  
   – Guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  , Vocals
• Peter Mengede
  Peter Mengede
  Peter Mengede is a musician best known as the former guitarist for Helmet. He formed his own group, Handsome, in 1996 with former members of Quicksand, Cro-Mags and Murphy's Law...
  
   – Guitar
• John Stanier
  John Stanier (drummer)
  John Stanier first came into the spotlight in 1989 as the drummer for the band Helmet. He is known for his speed, endurance, and precision as a performer....
  
   – Drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  

Engineering

• Wharton Tiers
  Wharton Tiers
  Wharton Tiers is an American audio engineer, record producer, drummer and percussionist.- Biography :Diplomed from Villanova University , he moved to New York City in 1976 and was part of the No Wave scene.As an audio engineer and record producer, he has worked on projects such as Sonic Youth,...
  
   – engineer
  Audio engineering
  An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...