Helix

Helix

Helix. Rock band. It was formed in 1975 in Kitchener, Ont, by Brian Vollmer (vocals), Brent ('Doctor') Doerner (guitar), Paul Hackman (guitar), and others, and worked the bar circuit first in southern Ontario and then across Canada. Its initial, self-produced LPs, Breaking Loose (H&S Records HS-101) from 1979 and White Lace and Black Leather (HS-202) from 1981, brought Helix some attention in the USA. The band made its debut there in 1980. Five albums followed 1983-90 for Capitol: No Rest for the Wicked (ST-12281), Walkin' the Razor's Edge (ST-12362), Long Way to Heaven (ST-12411), Wild in the Streets (CLT-46920), and Back for Another Taste (C-26573, CD and cass).

Walkin' the Razor's Edge (1984), Helix's most successful LP to 1990, sold more than 100,000 copies domestically (400,000 internationally) and included the modest Canadian hits 'Rock You' and '(Make Me Do) Anything You Want'. The band's heavy-metal style has otherwise limited its popularity in the commercial mainstream. Other titles associated with Helix include 'Heavy Metal Love,' 'Deep Cuts the Knife,' 'The Kids Are Shakin',' 'The Storm,' and 'Good to the Last Drop'. Several were collected on Over 60 Minutes with Helix (Cap C-93571, CD and cass).

After early personnel changes, Helix by 1984 comprised Vollmer, Doerner, Hackman, Daryl Gray (bass) and Greg ('Fritz') Hinz (drums). Doerner was replaced in 1990 by Denny Balicki. Known for its fundamentally sound, if unspectacular metal style and its exuberant live performances, the band has maintained a rigorous concert schedule in Canada (as headliners beginning in 1985) and in the USA. It also toured on several occasions in Europe (eg, with Kiss) where it has had a particularly strong following in Sweden.