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Helmet, "Size Matters"
Interscope Records
by Arlie Carstens
A long time ago -- say, 1991-’94 -- Helmet offered an interesting vision for how brutal power chords and repetitive bombast could reinvent the tired heavy-rock genre. Propelled to great heights by guitarist Peter Mengede, drummer John Stanier, bassist Henry Bogdan, and jazz-schooled guitarist/vocalist Page Hamilton, the albums Strap It On and Meantime became favorites among metalheads and indie rockers alike. Without the aid of lame outfits and stage antics, Helmet articulated sheer brute force and intelligence in a way no heavy band had prior. With blunt riffs, guttural barks, and pile-driving bass lines, the songs shot like slow-moving bricks straight at your head. After four albums, they dissolved in 1997.
Strangely, in Helmet’s wake, rap-rock/nu-metal goons like Limp Bizkit and Chevelle began citing the band as the cornerstone of their ill-conceived creep-outs. Harsh. Post-Helmet, Stanier has gone on to drum in the incredible, art-damaged math-rock band Battles. Hamilton’s stayed busy producing albums and occasionally doing session work for lesser bands (including a brief, failed stint writing riffs for the aforementioned Limp Bizkit).
On Size Matters, Hamilton’s resurrected the Helmet name sans fellow original members. Yes, the trademark riffs and out-there jazz solos are present, but the lyrics (while never all that to begin with) are now at best an afterthought. Employing members of White Zombie and Anthrax, the drums and bass are sufficiently pummeling, but lack spirited nuance. While it’ll be good to see him playing again, the album doesn’t do the band’s legacy justice. Instead, may we recommend the recent retrospective Helmet Unsung: The Very Best of Helmet (1991-1997).
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