Mt. Helium

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"The Apex Theory" redirects here. For the band's 2001 extended play, see The Apex Theory (EP).
Mt. Helium
File:Mt. Helium (The Apex Theory).jpg
Background information
Also known asThe Apex Theory (1999–2004)
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active1999–2008
Labels
Past membersDavid Hakopyan
Art Karamian
Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian
Sammy J. Watson

Mt. Helium, formerly known as the Apex Theory, was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, that was known for playing Mediterranean music[1][2][3] mixed with progressive rock.[3][4] The band released three studio albums and three extended plays.

History

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The Apex Theory was formed in 1999 by Armenian-American musicians Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian, Art Karamian and David Hakopyan (first drummer and bass player of Soil / System of a Down respectively), following Khachaturian's injury and subsequent departure from System of a Down. Sammy J. Watson joined the band after they were unable to find a committed drummer.[1] The band released its first extended play, Extendemo, in 2000. The following year, they signed with DreamWorks Records,[5] releasing their second EP The Apex Theory on October 9, 2001.[1] The band performed at the main stage during the 2001 Warped Tour,[6][7] and as co-headliners at the 2002 MTV2 tour.[1]

On April 2, 2002, the band released its first album, Topsy-Turvy. It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and No. 157 on the Billboard 200.[8] Months after the album's release, Khachaturian left the band,[5] and they began to audition new vocalists before deciding that Karamian would take over as the band's vocalist, shifting the band from a quartet to a power trio.[9][10] The band released an EP in 2004 entitled inthatskyissomethingwatching. After changing the name to Mt. Helium, the band released its second album, Faces, as a digital download on June 3, 2008.[11]

Musical style

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Former vocalist Ontronik Khachaturian described the band's sound as a "heavy Mediterranean groove".[1][2] The Michigan Daily writer Sonya Sutherland wrote, "The Apex Theory combines a heavy drum support, melodic guitars and honey sweet vocals to provide an entertaining and emotional message."[2] The band's musical style was influenced by Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Near Eastern music.[2] PopMatters described Topsy-Turvy as "an energy-filled fusion of progressive and modern rock."[4]

The 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".[3] Deseret News said that "Apex Theory's progressive punk mixed exotic music signatures with psychedelic rock".[12] As The Apex Theory, they were also labelled nu metal.[5][13][14]

Band members

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Timeline

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<timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:100 top:10 right:80 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1999 till:12/01/2008 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1999 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1999

Colors = 

id:vocals  value:red         legend:Vocals
id:backing value:pink        legend:Backing_vocals
id:guitar  value:green       legend:Guitar
id:bass    value:blue        legend:Bass
id:drums   value:orange      legend:Drums
id:lines   value:black       legend:Studio_album
id:EP      value:gray(0.5)   legend:EP


BarData = 

bar:Ontronik      text:"Ontronik Khachaturian"
bar:Art           text:"Art Karamian"
bar:David         text:"David Hakopyan"
bar:Sammy         text:"Sammy J. Watson"

LineData = 


color:black layer:back
at:04/02/2002
at:06/03/2008
 color:EP
at:10/09/2001
at:01/16/2007

PlotData = 

width:11

 bar:Ontronik    from:start till:12/01/2002 color:vocals

bar:Art       from:start till:end   color:guitar
width:3 bar:Art from:start till:12/01/2002 color:backing
width:3 bar:Art from:12/01/2002 till:end color:vocals
bar:David   from:start    till:end  color:bass

bar:Sammy   from:start till:end       color:drums

</timeline>

Discography

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Albums

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  • Topsy-Turvy (2002) (as The Apex Theory)
  • Faces (2008) (as Mt. Helium)

Extended plays

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  • Extendemo (2000) (as The Apex Theory)
  • The Apex Theory (2001) (as The Apex Theory)
  • Inthatskyissomethingwatching (2004) (as The Apex Theory)
  • Lightpost (2007) (as The Apex Theory)

Promotional releases

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  • Random Bursts (2001) (as The Apex Theory)

References

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