Size Matters

Size Matters is the fifth album by the American alternative metal band Helmet, released in 2004 on Interscope Records. It is the first new album since the band ended with a bitter break-up in 1998, and it is also their final album to be released through Interscope.

Background

Page Hamilton, the band's founder and chief songwriter, is the only original member appearing on the album. Therefore, some fans object to it being called "Helmet" and consider it to be a Page Hamilton solo project. According to Hamilton, founding members John Stanier (drums) and Henry Bogdan (bass) both declined the invitation to reunite. Rhythm guitarist Peter Mengede, another founding member, had moved back to his native country of Australia in late 2001. Stanier publicly criticized Hamilton and the new Helmet in 2004, and has not kept in contact with him since their original split.

Despite any objections, the album carries on in the Helmet tradition with Hamilton's trademark staccato sound. Hamilton said to Deseret News in October 2004, "I can see why John is upset. There are some people who feel that only the original lineup can constitute a group. But then there are others who don't care. What I'm more concerned with is the fact that the music is good." Interscope had released the band's three previous albums in the 1990s.

The album was recorded as a three-piece with ex-White Zombie drummer John Tempesta and Chris Traynor (guitarist on the Aftertaste tour) on bass. After recording was done, Anthrax bassist Frank Bello was brought in so Traynor could return to guitar for live performances. Bello is included in promotional images from the Size Matters era, and several reviewers mistakenly claimed that he performed on the album.

Composition

Music and lyrics

Many of the album's lyrics were inspired by Hamilton's year long relationship with actress Winona Ryder in 2003. Hamilton has since commented that Ryder was a fan of Helmet and that she has heard the album, saying in 2007 that she didn't like their next album Monochrome because "it didn’t sound like her favorite song on Aftertaste, or her favorite song on even Size Matters." "Smart" (a.k.a. "Opportunity"), "Enemies" and "Unwound", were originally recorded as Gandhi tracks, Page Hamilton's previous band.

Artwork

The album cover features a black and white photo of a young girl holding a magnifying glass. The photo was taken by Frances Murray.

Release and promotion

The album was scheduled to be released on September 14, 2004, but was pushed back to October 5 after Hamilton broke his collarbone in a mountain biking accident, delaying the band's touring schedule that was supposed to begin three days after the planned release. The Size Matters tour would instead start in mid-October, with these shows being Helmet's first since December 10, 1997. Earlier in 2004, a greatest hits album titled Unsung: The Best of Helmet (1991–1997) was released by Interscope, although it had already been in the works prior to Helmet's official reunion, with the album originally being announced in August 2003.

Size Matters debuted at No. 121 on the Billboard 200, selling 9,723 copies in its first week. Size Matters had two singles; "See You Dead" and "Unwound". The track "Throwing Punches" was also included on the film soundtrack for Underworld, and "Crashing Foreign Cars" was featured in the video game Need for Speed: Underground 2.

Critical reception

Size Matters was met with "mixed or average" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, it received an average score of 52 based on eight reviews. In Music We Trust also noted the more polished sound, in addition to the lineup changes, stating in their review, "Page Hamilton has embarked on a comeback with Size Matters, but, like Dave Mustaine, he keeps the band name yet changes the entire lineup sans himself. Armed with Frank Bello (Anthrax), John Tempesta (White Zombie), and Chris Traynor (Orange 9mm), the '04 Helmet lineup reads like the New York Metal All-Star team."

In a review with Rolling Stone, Christian Hoarde gave the release 2 stars out of 5, explaining, "On their first disc in seven years, the manicured riffs remain, but the sludge is so overbearing that anyone born during the Eighties will wonder what once made them special."

Legacy

In 2011, Decibel Magazine gave the album a critical reappraisal, and claimed "Size Matters was not only a more cohesive and confident return from the break-up than some of their contemporaries (looking at you, Prong, [and] lame-o supergroups), but also offered some killer live shows with Frank Bello on bass. It was and is a natural sequel to Aftertaste and a valiant fuck-you to the emo foppishness and Maidenesque fret-wankery that was invading metal at the time, despite it sharing emo’s preoccupation about women ruining your life."

Frank Bello has since spoken positively of his brief stint with Helmet. In a 2014 interview with Louder Sound, Bello reflected, "I went to go jam with Helmet for a year and a half of fucking the best fun. Page Hamilton, John Tempesta and Chris Traynor, we had a ball. Great musicians in that group — absolutely great musicians. And you know what? I think it made me a better bass player. It made me dig in with a pick, and it was a different form of playing for me. And I really enjoyed it."

Norma Jean vocalist Cory Brandan picked "See You Dead" and "Throwing Punches" as among the ten best Helmet songs in an article written for Louder Sound in 2017. In August 2013, the band Primer 55 covered "See You Dead" at a live show. Former Helmet drummer John Stanier had previously played on their 2001 album (The) New Release.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal and liner notes.

Musicians

Page Hamilton – guitar, vocals
Chris Traynor – guitar, bass
John Tempesta – drums
Frank Bello – live bass

Production

Page Hamilton − producer
Mark Renk − producer
Jay Baumgardner − producer, mixer
Charlie Clouser − producer
Christopher Holmes – engineer
Dan Certa – engineer
Ryan Boesch – engineer

Chart positions

{| class="wikitable"

!Year

!Chart

!Position

|2004

|Billboard 200

| style="text-align:center;"|121