Mt. Helium

Mt. Helium
Also known as	The Apex Theory
Origin	Los Angeles, California, USA
Genres	Alternative rock
Years active	1999 — present
Labels	Dreamworks Records, TOYS.of.the.MASSES.
Associated acts	System of a Down, VoKee
Members
Art Karamian David Hakopyan Sammy J. Watson
Past members
Ontronik Khachaturian

Mt. Helium is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formerly known as The Apex Theory. The band has released two studio albums and three extended plays to date.

History

The Apex Theory was formed in 1999 by Armenian-American Los Angeles musicians Ontronik Khachaturian, Art Karamian and David Hakopyan. Drummer Sammy J. Watson joined the band after they were unable to find a committed drummer.^[1] The band released their first extended play, Extendemo, in 2000. The following year, they signed with DreamWorks Records,^[2] releasing their second EP, The Apex Theory on October 9, 2001.^[1] The band performed at the main stage during the 2001 Warped Tour,^[3][4] and as co-headliners at the 2002 MTV2 tour.^[1]

On April 2, 2002, the band released their debut album, Topsy-Turvy. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #157 on the Billboard 200.^[5] Months after the album's release, Khachaturian left the band,^[2] and they began to audition new vocalists before deciding that Karamian would take over as the band's vocalist.^[6][7] The band released an EP in 2004 entitled inthatskyissomethingwatching. After changing their name to Mt. Helium, the band released their second album, Faces as a digital download on June 3, 2008.^[8]

Musical style

Mt. Helium's style has been predominately described as alternative rock. Former vocalist Ontronik Khachaturian described the band's sound as a "heavy Mediterranean groove".^[1][9] Michigan Daily writer Sonya Sutherland wrote that "The Apex Theory combines a heavy drum support, melodic guitars and honey sweet vocals to provide an entertaining and emotional message."^[9] The band's musical style was influenced by Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Near Eastern music.^[9]

MTV News writer Jon Wiederhorn wrote that "the Apex Theory's multi-textured music [...] combines metal, prog-rock, Mediterranean music and even jazz. And the off-kilter rhythm, skittering drums, whirlpool guitars and aggressive vocals of 'Shhh ... (Hope Diggy)' are a perfect taster for the band's debut album".^[10]

Band members

Current members

• Art Karamian — guitar, vocals^[7]
• David Hakopyan — bass^[1]
• Sammy J. Watson — drums^[1]

Former members

• Ontronik Khachaturian — vocals^[6] (1999–2002)

Discography

Studio albums

• Topsy-Turvy (2002)
• Faces (2008)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Wilson, MacKenzie. "Biography of The Apex Theory". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&=11:d9foxql0ldje~T1. Retrieved 15 December 2008. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Iannini, Tommaso (2003) "The Apex Theory" (in Italian) Nu metal Giunti pp. 22–23 ISBN 8809030516 
3. ^ MacDonald, Patrick (June 29, 2001). "Punk rock and extreme sports collide at Vans Warped Tour". The Seattle Times. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20010629&slug=vans29. Retrieved 15 December 2008. 
4. ^ Burr, Ramiro (September 7, 2002). "Apex Theory set for Ozzfest Quartet mixes hard rock, funk". San Antonio Express-News. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SAEC&p_theme=saec&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F5FA1A9991C7683&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 15 December 2008. 
5. ^ "Charts and awards for Topsy Turvy". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r564950. Retrieved 13 December 2008. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "For The Record: Quick News On Limp Bizkit, Wes Borland, Apex Theory, Coal Chamber, Rival Schools, Kiss & More". MTV News. November 19, 2002. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458771/11192002/rival_schools.jhtml. Retrieved 15 December 2008. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "For The Record: Quick News On Mary J. Blige, Guided By Voices, Kid Rock, Elephant Man, Metallica, Billy Joel & More". MTV News. April 26, 2004. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1486602/20040426/blige_mary_j.jhtml. Retrieved 15 December 2008. 
8. ^ "ASIN: B001A660KW". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001A660KW/. Retrieved 15 December 2008. 
9. ^ ^{a b c} Sutherland, Sonya (November 12, 2001). "World music collides in Apex Theory". Michigan Daily. http://www.michigandaily.com/content/world-music-collides-apex-theory. Retrieved 15 December 2008. 
10. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (March 1, 2002). "Apex Theory Offer 'Hope' To Metal — Diggy-Da". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452687/20020228/apex_theory.jhtml. Retrieved 15 December 2008.