When California’s Helion Prime played the 2019 Mad With Power Fest in Madison, the sci-fi power-metal band blew the High Noon Saloon’s roof into outer space with speedy riffs and majestic melodies. Think Iron Maiden and Helloween with female singers. Helion Prime’s music is based on scientific concepts and themes, and the band’s third album, Question Everything, is a 10-song concept piece based on historical figures who questioned the status quo, including Socrates (“The Gadfly”), Albert Einstein (“The Final Theory”) and renowned mathematician Katherine Johnson (“Madame Mercury”), who died earlier this year at age 101.
It’s an idea that has been bouncing around in guitarist Jason Ashcraft’s head for years. Question Everything also marks the studio debut of fiery vocalist Mary Zimmer, who fronted Luna Mortis—a Wisconsin-based metal band formerly known as The Ottoman Empire and that released an album on Century Media Records in 2009. Zimmer replaces Helion Prime’s original vocalist, Heather Michele, who contributed lyrics for Question Everything and makes a cameo on the title track. This is Helion Prime’s most mature effort, and it’s thrilling to see Zimmer in the spotlight again.
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