I've been listening to Helmet for quite some time now. Their crushing and extremely catchy sound has always appealed to me not just because of its catchiness but also because of its uniqueness. The song structures are original and interesting with plenty of technical stuff thrown in for good measure. Size Matters is simply a great album. This is the first recording since the band broke up in 1998. It is essentially a new band as Page Hamilton is the only original member, but since he is the vocalist and main songwriter the songs are still clearly Helmet through and through. This album moves away from the very gritty, rough sound of the first few albums and picks up where 1997's Aftertaste left off. The end product is very catchy yet still hard hitting and heavy.

The first track, Smart, starts out with the usual heavy as hell guitar riff, which is very catchy. When the vocals come in I am kind of shocked by how gritty they sound as this style was not present very much on the previous album. The verse is done with a rougher vocal style while the chorus uses a cleaner style, which is a nice contrast. The next few songs follow in much the same way, flowing together yet each one having a distinct sound, except for Drug Lord, which strangely sounds very much like the first track to me. The next song that really gets to me is Unwound, which is a slower song that makes use of a softer vocal style and a lot of palm muted guitar riffing. Throwing Punches is another favorite track of mine. The vocalist again uses a rougher vocal style during the verse, which compliments the guitar riffing style. The chorus again has the cleaner vocals with a softer guitar riff that again compliments the vocals perfectly.

This is one of those albums I have listened to many times and it still has not gotten old. The songs always sound fresh and exciting. I really like Hamilton's style because he is never afraid to experiment with the sound and try new things. Of course some 'fans' of the band hate when they hear the changes, but that's how it goes with people. Even with different members this band manages to keep producing albums that are distinctively Helmet and bring new things to the sound every time.