After a five-year hiatus, guitarist/vocalist Page Hamilton has reformed seminal hard rock act Helmet. The group, which now features guitarist Chris Traynor, former White Zombie drummer John Tempesta and former Anthrax bassist Frank Bello, will release a new album, "Size Matters," Sept. 14 via Interscope. A world tour is expected to get underway the following week.
"I never felt it was musically done," Hamilton tells Billboard.com about why the time was right to reactivate the group. "I always felt I had more Helmet records to write."
As for grumbling that Hamilton should not be touring and recording under the Helmet name without fellow original members Henry Bogdan (bass) and John Stanier (drums), he says, "People can debate it, but to me, it's like, life is short. Who cares. I don't see why I should stop doing it because John and Henry don't want to, when both of them were presented with the option. Unfortunately, we have no relationship personally anymore. That's not my choice."
Since Helmet split in 1999, Hamilton has toured with David Bowie, worked on a variety of film scores and played in the short-lived band Gandhi with "some New York drinking buddies."
"But there's nothing like playing your own songs, particularly Helmet songs," he insists. "They're physical in a way that no other music I've ever played or heard is. I don't need to jump around like an idiot to inject excitement into the music. For me, there's something about spreading your legs apart and grabbing the guitar. I was really missing it."
Recorded with Traynor on guitar and bass before Bello joined in, the 11-track "Size Matters" is full of the trademark crushingly heavy riffs and grooves that have gone on to spawn a legion of imitators. A handful of tracks are co-writes with drummer/producer Charlie Clouser, including "Throwing Punches" and "Crashing Foreign Cars." Hamilton is also working on an unnamed Killing Joke cover for possible release as a B-side.
The upcoming tour will likely play 500-capacity clubs, with the intent of "filling the room with a roar," according to Hamilton. The band is working up 26 songs to rotate through the set lists, including two or three each from the albums "Strap It On," "Meantime" and "Betty." Hamilton admits, "To be honest with you, I could not play those. There's enough new material. But the other guys in the band are begging me to include them."
Here is the track list for "Size Matters":
"Smart"
"Crashing Foreign Cars"
"See You Dead"
"Drug Lord"
"Enemies"
"Unwound"
"Everybody Loves You"
"Surgery"
"Speak and Spell"
"Throwing Punches"
"Last Breath"
"I never felt it was musically done," Hamilton tells Billboard.com about why the time was right to reactivate the group. "I always felt I had more Helmet records to write."
As for grumbling that Hamilton should not be touring and recording under the Helmet name without fellow original members Henry Bogdan (bass) and John Stanier (drums), he says, "People can debate it, but to me, it's like, life is short. Who cares. I don't see why I should stop doing it because John and Henry don't want to, when both of them were presented with the option. Unfortunately, we have no relationship personally anymore. That's not my choice."
Since Helmet split in 1999, Hamilton has toured with David Bowie, worked on a variety of film scores and played in the short-lived band Gandhi with "some New York drinking buddies."
"But there's nothing like playing your own songs, particularly Helmet songs," he insists. "They're physical in a way that no other music I've ever played or heard is. I don't need to jump around like an idiot to inject excitement into the music. For me, there's something about spreading your legs apart and grabbing the guitar. I was really missing it."
Recorded with Traynor on guitar and bass before Bello joined in, the 11-track "Size Matters" is full of the trademark crushingly heavy riffs and grooves that have gone on to spawn a legion of imitators. A handful of tracks are co-writes with drummer/producer Charlie Clouser, including "Throwing Punches" and "Crashing Foreign Cars." Hamilton is also working on an unnamed Killing Joke cover for possible release as a B-side.
The upcoming tour will likely play 500-capacity clubs, with the intent of "filling the room with a roar," according to Hamilton. The band is working up 26 songs to rotate through the set lists, including two or three each from the albums "Strap It On," "Meantime" and "Betty." Hamilton admits, "To be honest with you, I could not play those. There's enough new material. But the other guys in the band are begging me to include them."
Here is the track list for "Size Matters":
"Smart"
"Crashing Foreign Cars"
"See You Dead"
"Drug Lord"
"Enemies"
"Unwound"
"Everybody Loves You"
"Surgery"
"Speak and Spell"
"Throwing Punches"
"Last Breath"
Up for Discussion