Review Summary: A good attempt to introduce poppy elements to a crunchy sound
Part VI - Only Human To Hit So Low
After a failed marriage that lasted supposedly only a year, Page Hamilton found himself writing heavy,
Helmet-esque riffs that were set to his frustrated thoughts. Sadly, unable to convince former bandmates Henry Bogdan and John Stainer to come back, Hamilton simply hired drummer John Tempesta and bassist Chris Traynor to fill in for the rhythm section, and the trio would then release
Size Matters, a highly controversial album within the spectrum of Helmet’s music.
The big thing about
Size Matters is that it’s perhaps the group’s most polished, radio-friendly recording they’ve ever made. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however, for many bands have shown us that catchy hooks and crunchy riffs can go hand in hand together. In all honesty, I even think this album actually acts as a
good example of fun, catchy-yet-heavy music. Not without it’s flaws, of course.
Something a long-time Helmet fan would notice first when listening to this album is the vocals. With previous records, Hamilton’s vocals were one of the many key factors to the intensity found in the band’s music. His shouts where deep and animalistic, while his clean singing was mesmerizing and down-to-earth. Here, however, his vocal work is downright laughable. His shouts are obnoxiously over-the-top, making him sound more like a cartoon character than a beast, and his clean, melodic vocals have this high-pitched whine to it that makes for a very grating listen.
Another major negative to point out with this record is it’s lyrics. Good god, have they gone downhill since
Aftertaste. They’re incredibly blunt, which shouldn’t be such a shock, but the thing is, they’re incredibly boneheaded. Perhaps this is due to the annoying vocal work, but there’s something about the writing on this album that causes me to cringe whenever I hear a single word. Lines such as
”I could miss you more right now / Or I could slit your throat”, (as provided from the ever so subtly titled “See You Dead”), sounds incredibly awkward and, too an extent, embarrassing to come from a band like Helmet, ruining the song flawlessly.
These two flaws with the record definitely keeps it from being
Meantime quality, but I’d be damned to say this isn’t an enjoyable disc nonetheless. As mentioned earlier, I feel that this is a good example of poppy, catchy alternative metal done right, in a musical sense, that is. For example, “Last Breath” starts out with the band’s trademark staccato riff that is all crunch, which then flows beautifully into the seemingly upbeat chorus, which doesn’t fall short of that earworm quality we all know and love. Slap in Hamilton’s epic soloing and
boom!, we have an example of how well this record can pull off the more poppy side of alternative metal.
While many considers it as the death of Helmet after they already died,
Size Matters is actually a fairly entertaining record that does contains its flaws. The lyricism is crap and the vocal work takes a while to get used to, to say the least, but overall I just can’t force myself to truly hate it. It’s a record that I consider as the gateway for Helmet’s later career, and an enjoyable way to pass the time for any fan of the band.
