Helms Alee has always been unpredictable. Even besides the triple-vocal attack—which ranges from throaty screams to dreamy cleans to riot grrrl-esque shouts—they have always implemented a number of styles into their brand of heavy, weird music. I first discovered them on a Wikipedia article about sludge metal fusions, describing them as “Sludge/shoegaze,” even though they themselves simply call themselves “grunge” (probably just because they’re from Seattle).

But they have never been as fearlessly inventive and monstrously heavy as they are on Keep This Be the Way. Nonsense title aside, this is a staggering album that showcases the best that Helms Alee has to offer, and pushes them into bold new territory.

For most of their career, Helms Alee has kept themselves pretty restricted to the power trio format. They stretch wildly into different genres for influence, but they restrict themselves to what they could play live. Their catalog has very few overdubs or studio manipulations.

But like everyone else, the Covid pandemic stalled all of their touring plans. Stuck at home without the option to play shows, they started using the studio to its full capabilities. There are lush billowing synths, warped atmospheres, grand pianos, strings, and even saxophones. Opener “See Sights Smell Sounds” rides an urgently pounding drum through hazy atmospheres while warbling guitar lines and dreamy vocals are joined by all sorts of accouterment. “How Party Do You Hard” almost feels like a version of Warpaint in an alternate universe where everyone is metal, but with lush strings aiding the incessant tom beat. “Big Louise” almost feels Beatlesy, featuring rich layers of keyboards alongside a clean guitar arpeggio and rare clean vocal performance from Ben Verellen.

If you’re worried that this spells the end of the heavy, ferocious beast that is Helms Alee, fear not. Some of their fieriest performances ever are on this disc. The title track, is as furious as anything they’ve ever done. “Tripping Up the Stairs” is pure molten sludge with massive waves of thick distortion. “Do Not Expose to the Burning Sun” is epic and sprawling, achieving an almost Mogwai-esque build across its seven-minute run time. “Three Cheeks to the Wind” could almost be a Melvins song, were it not for Dana James and Hozoji Matheson-Margullis’ dream harmonies.

In a way, Keep This Be the Way reminds me of W from similarly genre-bending heavy guitar icons Boris. Both records are a definite change of pace, but they retain the unmistakable voice of each artist. In this case, it’s not a shift in their sound as much as an expansion of it. They somehow sound more like Helms Alee than they ever have, more assured of their voice and allowing even the more delicate moments to amplify that voice.