Helltrack is named for the legendary, Canmore-shot BMX film RAD.

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Helltrack
Palomino
Vern's Tavern
Saturday, June 11 - Saturday, June 11 Saturday, June 18 - Saturday, June 18

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There are few things more synonymous with summer than bike riding and beer drinking. Though the two rarely go together with any modicum of success, Medicine Hat’s Helltrack is determined to tip a few, and put the pedal to the metal in the name of kicking up some seriously nostalgic dust. Revved up by howler Wetwolf — coincidentally a member of the standing rock ’n’ roll army of Albertans known as The (motherfucking) Browns as well as having cut his teeth with the likes of Showdown ’76 and Porter Hall — Helltrack is reinforced by drummer Chadwick Schiebelbein (a fellow member of The Browns in addition to his stint with One Shot Left), guitarist Rex Stiff (Kinky Morticians) and bassist Merv Zee (Common Enemy). The result? One heck of a down-to-the-dirt ’80s throwback.

“We started the band back in 1984, but we didn’t actually meet until 15 years later,” explains de facto pack leader Wetwolf. “Within a year we had firmed things up with our current line and we’ve been playing shows for about a year-and-a-half now. Chad and I are both in The Browns, but they’re scattered all over Alberta so we thought we’d throw in with a bunch of Medicine Hat locals who, just like us, have been going to hardcore, punk and metal shows since the ’80s. As small-towners with influences ranging from skate punk to garage rock, it seemed only natural to name ourselves after a film that was made in Cochrane during our wild and unruly youth.”

Well played, as Cochrane contacted the band to perform during the 25th anniversary of an Alberta classic, RAD. For those unfamiliar with the Hal Needham-directed 1986 BMX film, it’s the poignant story of one young man, Cru Jones, whose fondest wish is to triumph in an extreme BMX race ominously dubbed Helltrack. Actual BMX pros such as Eddie Fiola and Mike Miranda took on roles in the movie, as did Rick Moliterno (founder of Standard Bykes and a modern mini ramp aficionado). Self-dubbed nerdcore musicians Helltrack share fond memories of RAD and the era that gave birth to its “RAD-ical” chain-gang esprit de corps.

“I do consider myself something of a super-nerd,” Wetwolf confesses. “We all love comics and movies and video games, and it shows up in our music and lyrics. Our music is a continuation of those things in an aggressive form that just might make your ears bleed. As someone who comes from a punk rock background, I look up to singers like [SNFU’s] Chi Pig and bands like D.R.I. and the later day, costume-free version of Anthrax. Given my history with The Browns, I’m just happy to be drinking and singing for the first time without wearing a ski mask!”

Working in the studio since 2009, the friends launched Helltrack’s inaugural release, The Year We Make Contact, last New Year’s Eve. Recently made available on iTunes, this deafening debut has laid the groundwork for the band’s future and helped groom the bumpy trail to freestyle punk-metal infamy. Unironic in its reverence for the trappings of a childhood cast in carbonite-tough plasticity, its album unreservedly references the cereal-and-cartoon touchstones of a generation through speedy death-metal thrashings and Wetwolf’s banshee-like screeches.

“Our gigs bring out a real mix of kids. Some are super into metal and they get it. Some are skaters and they get it. The hipsters don’t get it. But who gives a fuck about hipsters, anyway?” Wetwolf laughs. “We like to create silly characters and wrap tales that grow in the telling around them. For example the quadrilogy on the existing album centers around a warrior known as Two-Fist and the trials and tribulations he goes through in discovering that he is a god.”

The result of long hours spent soul-searching, grinding and shifting, a brand new digital single for the energetic ensemble is set for release this week. The 7-inch will be followed by a broader five-song EP focused on the character Cobrana, which will likely be available sometime this autumn.

“This new one will be about a half-snake, half-woman creature named Cobrana,” he says. “We’re all her slaves, but she only eats men. Our task involves luring men for her to eat.”

Easygoing yet heavy-hitting, Helltrack has earned a reputation for splitting ears yet uniting a small town’s worth of hardcore sub-genres. Keen to begin a two-week pan-provincial romp around Western Canada at DV8 in Edmonton followed by a June 11 record release at the Palomino, Wetwolf and his pack of gear-jamming cohorts promise to tail-whip your ass into a full-back 180 of wicked awesomeness.

“Given our interests and the characters we create, people may be surprised to find out that we’re all positive and happy and not your typical brooding bunch of metal guys,” he says. “I think we’re at an amazing place in our lives where our imaginations are limitless and the stories are never-ending.”