I think I am the only person I know that has bought all albums since their self-titled debut, and I am damn proud of it. As the last one received loads of criticism, I still stand behind the score I gave it and it still manages to put a smile on my face every time I hear it. But what if they went Back 2 Base X? What would happen then?

Well, as Jahred has always explained, Hed pe is a punkrock band, but they always were like 2 % punk or so. That has changed. I’d say there’s 40% punkrock, 30% reggae, 20% old-skool rude boy metal-hiphop, and 10% other influences, like little escapes towards jazz and country for instance. Only In Amerika is the best comparable album, but it’s still completely different.

 

Again Jahred is responsible for the production as well as the ‘studio’ in the form of his Huntington Beach apartment, but this time it doesn’t sound as phat as his previous effort. Especially the guitar lacks in rawness, it sounds very thin. And since that is a pretty prominent instrument, you notice it more than once. The rest of the instruments sound ok, so it isn’t all that bad.
 

Now with this different sound they still do the thing they’ve always done to me. And that’s getting you in the party mood. The lyrics are still nasty, but in smaller dosages. So some messages with actual content are also conveyed. But I also must say that Jahred is spitting better than he has ever done. I like his flows very much, and he combines it with his other capabilities, like singing, screaming, grunting and whining-punk-style.

But I also get the impression that the DJ department is retained a bit. I do hear that piano/flute thing they used live a lot in those reggae parts, but almost no scratches. And that’s too bad.

 

Well, it certainly doesn’t make an impact like Only In Amerika, but it opens a whole new Hed pe world and I still can get into that. Forget about the old stuff because that probably ain’t never coming back. Dig this, or forget about them.