It takes a lot to make me say something is weird but "Helle" is weird. My first cursory listen to Sister Iodine's latest had me prepared to give it a poor review and to rant about why I dislike much of modern "noise" acts. Then I decided to be fair and listen again. Boy, the weird doesn't end with this CD. I'm not sure what the Sister Iodine boys were digging on in their daily lives but this CD is full of twisted vocal and digital sounds. Also, if you're curious about how a guitar would sound if one were to drag it on a sidewalk, listen to "Zombie Flick".

Truthfully, I like "Helle", it makes me uncomfortable and unsettles me but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think Sister Iodine takes some very smart risks with this disc and in the noise genre by injecting not only a very lush array of sounds and textures but by also popping in on the occasional almost straight melody.

There are moments in this that I feel as if Sister Iodine is poking fun at other modern "rock" music. I won't attempt to guess whom they are joking about but I definitely get the feeling that they are taking a few shots on this release. Perhaps even a big shot at the state of the industry overall when images sell more than talent.

I find myself enjoying "Helle" in the way that one enjoys the feeling that they are being watched. It is intriguing, whilst remaining eternally frightening and hair raising. This music isn't right. It definitely isn't wrong either. "Silver Jubilee" is a lovely end to a most interesting experience. "Helle" is from beginning to end, an experience. 7/10 -- Erica Rucker (1 May, 2007)