Helix

Helix, formed in 1974 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, began as a six‑piece with lead vocalist Brian Vollmer, drummer Bruce Arnold, guitarists Ron Watson and Rick “Minstrel” Trembley, keyboardist Don Simmons, and bassist Keith “Bert” Zurbrigg; Vollmer remained the only constant member. The band’s breakthrough came with the 1984 single "Rock You", part of the album Walkin' the Razor's Edge, which sold over 100,000 copies in Canada and 400,000 internationally, and established Helix as a hard‑rock act. Subsequent releases included the album No Rest for the Wicked (1983), the album Long Way to Heaven (1985), the album Wild in the Streets (1987), and the album The Power of Rock and Roll (2007), while the 2009 album Vagabond Bones reunited the classic 1980s lineup of Vollmer, Brent “The Doctor” Doerner, Daryl Gray, and Greg “Fritz” Hinz. Helix toured extensively, sharing stages with Kiss, Aerosmith, Rush, and Mötley Crüe, and performed at festivals such as Sweden Rock. The Old School album was released in 2019. On 16 February 2024, drummer Greg “Fritz” Hinz died of cancer at age 68, marking the end of an era for the Canadian hard‑rock band.