Who would have ever thought it possible? This album is an utter stunner. Once amongst the runts of rap metal, (hed) p.e. previously peaked with the hip hop metal party groove that was their second album
Broke. The follow ups unfortunately weren’t much cop,
Blackout was too slick and Only In Amerika too superficial to really make a much of an impact.
So four albums in (hed) p.e. are back with their brand new long player
Back To Base X which is the album of their career. Rather than touching on Rage Against The Machine or Korn,
Back To Base X is more of an eclectic throw back to the works of Fishbone and Living Colour, there’s even grooves
Mother’s Milk’s era Red Hot Chili Peppers would be jealous of. With a sneering machismo courtesy of vocalist Jahred, the band pounds through metallic tinged punk stormers like
Get Ready and
Lock And Load.
It’s not all just funk punk though, there’s a wonderful summer vibe to this record, a barbecue sound track kinda thing. Fishbone rear their head on
Sophia, a languid reggae number that gives way to Bad Brains thrash and back again. Opener
Listen is a gentle funk bop made for lazy summer afternoons. Nu-metal does rear its head on a few numbers, the SOAD like
Novus Ordos Clitorus rages against the machine but its clumsy lyrics are forgiven when it rocks as hard as it does.
Sometimes the bravado gets the better of itself as on
Sweet Chops which is sexist in a way that only funk metal can be but that is kind of the point.
(Hed) p.e. are men, hear them funk.
Out on June 5th,
http://www.suburbannoizerecords.com/hedpe.php
