| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Pitchfork | (5.4/10)[3] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
| Sputnikmusic |  [4] |
Size Matters is the fifth album by the American alternative metal band Helmet, released in 2004 through Interscope. It is the first new album since the band ended with a bitter break up in 1998.
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.
Despite any objections, the album carries on in the Helmet tradition with Hamilton's trademark staccato sound. The album was recorded as a three-piece with John Tempesta on drums and Chris Traynor (guitarist on the Aftertaste tour) on bass. After recording was done, bassist Frank Bello was brought in so Traynor could return to guitar for live performances.
Size Matters had one single in "See You Dead." 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.
Music and lyrics
Many of the album's songs and lyrics were inspired by Hamilton's one year relationship with actress Winona Ryder.[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Smart" | Hamilton | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Crashing Foreign Cars" | Hamilton, Nichelson, Tempesta, Traynor | 2:31 |
| 3. | "See You Dead" | Hamilton | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Drug Lord" | Hamilton | 3:24 |
| 5. | "Enemies" | Clouser, Hamilton | 5:00 |
| 6. | "Unwound" | Bjorkland, Conlin, Craig, Hamilton, Scheidel | 4:12 |
| 7. | "Everybody Loves You" | Hamilton | 3:27 |
| 8. | "Surgery" | Hamilton | 3:14 |
| 9. | "Speak and Spell" | Clouser, Hamilton | 3:31 |
| 10. | "Throwing Punches" | Clouser, Hamilton | 3:44 |
| 11. | "Last Breath" | Hamilton, Tempesta, Traynor | 3:03 |
Japanese bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Black Light" | |
| 13. | "Just Like Me" |
The Japanese release has two additional tracks: "Black Light" and "Just Like Me". These tracks, as well as "Smart" (a.k.a. "Opportunity"), "Enemies", and "Unwound", were originally recorded as Gandhi tracks, Page Hamilton's previous band.
Reception
Upon release in 2004, the album received mixed reviews from critics and alienated a portion of the band's fanbase. Pitchfork writer David Raposa gave the album a mixed review. He criticized the band's change in sound writing "Helmet attempt to diversify their portfolio, offering dynamics and approachable melodies and other types of listener-friendly capitulations one wouldn't associate with the folks that dropped Meantime and Unsung."[3]
Johnny Loftus of AllMusic gave the album 3 stars and wrote in his review "Size Matters emphasizes for the bloated alt-metal elite what it means to have craft and a little self-control. It isn't necessarily memorable, but as an exercise in measured, even artistic rage, it's classic Hamilton."[1]
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Billboard 200 | 121 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "See You Dead" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 29 |
Personnel
- Page Hamilton – vocals, guitar
- Chris Traynor – bass
- John Tempesta – drums
References
- ^ a b Size Matters at AllMusic
- ^ "Rolling Stone". Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ a b "Helmet: Size Matters | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2004-11-29. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- ^ "Helmet - Size Matters (album review 2) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Justify Your Shitty Taste: Helmet's "Size Matters"". Decibel Magazine. 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2013-02-26.