Canadian rockers HELIX are seeing a warm reception for "Scrap Metal," their latest album released January 23 via Perris Records, a record that serves as both a love letter to the band's 1980s heyday and a testament to their enduring creative spirit four decades into their career. The 14th release on the label features five previously unreleased tracks retaining the classic 1980s HELIX sound alongside five songs from earlier limited releases, creating a compilation that feels remarkably cohesive despite its disparate origins.
The first single "Stuck In The 80s," featuring guitarist Sean Kelly -- who has performed with CONEY HATCH, GILBY CLARKE, and LEE AARON among others -- has been a particular highlight, its cheeky self-awareness and infectious hook striking a chord with fans who came of age during heavy metal's commercial golden era. The track's title could well serve as the album's mission statement: an unabashed celebration of the era when Canadian metal bands like HELIX, ANVIL, and TRIUMPH ruled the airwaves.
Frontman Brian Vollmer, who has led HELIX since their formation in Kitchener, Ontario in 1974, explained that the album "started out as an afterthought and morphed into a full-fledged album," built around forgotten songs from the band's 1980s peak that were never officially released. The discovery of these unreleased tracks in the band's archives sparked a creative process that ultimately produced new material to complement the vintage recordings, resulting in an album that bridges the decades in a way that feels natural rather than forced.
HELIX are best known for their 1984 hit "Rock You" and the platinum-selling album "Walkin' the Razor's Edge," which established them as one of Canada's premier hard rock exports during the genre's commercial peak. While the band never achieved the international superstardom of some contemporaries, their dedicated Canadian fanbase has remained fiercely loyal through decades of lineup changes and industry shifts. "Scrap Metal" rewards that loyalty with a generous helping of the anthemic, fist-pumping hard rock that made HELIX a household name north of the border.