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Band Name: (hed)pe
Album Name: Insomnia
Rating: 3.5 / 5 User Rating: 4.1 / 5
Label: Suburban Noize Records
Buy Album: Amazon.com
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Tracklist
1. Madhouse
2. Walk On By
3. Game Over
4. Habeus
5. Suffa
6. Comeova2nite
7. C2GU
8. RTO
9. Mirrorballin
10. Tienanman Squared
11. Children
12. Atlantis A.D.
13. Wind Me Up
14. Me Down
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Hed p.e. has always been out in left field. Refusing to conform to any one particular style, Jahred and his cohorts mix up metal, punk, funk, rap, ska, reggae and damn near any other type of music you can think of, sometimes in a single song. But “Insomnia” finds the band letting in a darker energy that's in stark contrast to the group's last effort, the more upbeat and accessible “Only In Amerika.”
Why does Hed p.e. continue to remain relevant amongst an overcrowded music scene that contains more followers than leaders? Firstly, it's the unique personality and outlook Jahred brings to the table. He's not afraid to question authority and even more so, he's determined to do so at every chance. He speaks his mind freely, exploring taboo subjects like drug use, conspiracy theory and religion in the same song and sometimes, even in the same sentence. Secondly, he has a band backing him that's talented enough to pull off his boundary-smashing musical vision. During “Game Over,” the band moves between sprightly punk rock to pseudo-seventies funk to spastic skacore effortlessly. Hed p.e. has been around long enough that the band's influences aren't that apparent anymore. Having invented a sound that owes so much to so many different styles, yet is immediately recognizable in terms of individual character has been a long, natural evolution for the band. Being the culmination of said evolution, “Insomnia” offers a listener something that's quite unlike any other musical experience out there. Hed p.e. really mixes things up in a unique fashion, complete with a street-smart attitude and despite the presence of rap and punk influences, the band has an overall attitude that's more rebellious and “heavy metal” than ninety percent of the so-called metal bands around these days.
Hed p.e. always espouses sexual overtones, but these types of themes take a backseat to Jahred's political stance on this record. Sometimes, the singer delivers a bit of a mixed message in his words. It's hard to be taken seriously if you're accosting the government at one turn and promoting domestic violence the next. While his penchant for flipping around between subjects makes the frontman more difficult to take seriously as a true social commentator, you have to respect the man for being unafraid to say his peace, no matter the topic. Even more importantly, Jahred doesn't give a fuck whether you respect him or not. He knows what he likes, where he wants to go with his art and isn't about to let anyone stand in his way.
“Children” is one of the best cover versions of the year, perfectly applicable in a time where war and political dissent are even more important topics than they were in the sixties. The stand the band has taken against tyranny is a continued theme on “Insomnia,” from the reckless abandon of “Habeus” to the defiant “Tienanmen Squared,” there's a deeper message to be had. But those who enjoy the lighter side of the band's worldview will groove on tracks like “Comeova2nite” and “Mirrorballin” just the same. The best example of the continued growth of the band can be found in “Suffa,” a track that blurs the lines between varying styles so convincingly and effectively, it's safe to say that no other band sounds quite the same as Hed p.e. these days.
It's always easy to hail a band's latest effort as their best, but Hed p.e. really does continue to improve with each succeeding outing. Now that the band has found a new home in Suburban Noize Records, they sound more comfortable with their own schizophrenic identity than ever before. Listen up.
Review by: E.F.
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