CD Review: (hed) p.e. -- Insomnia
I plead guilty. Years ago I wrote (hed) p.e. off as merely a third-tier Rap Metal band. I made this decision after hearing just one song, the hit single "Bartender". Having a general disdain for Rap Metal, I pretty much steered clear of the band after that. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that I'm not the only one who judged them so harshly with such little evidence. If you rushed to judgement as quickly as I did then one listen to the bands new album Insomnia should make you feel as stupid as I do right now. About as far away from being a one dimensional Rap Metal act as sonically possible, the band seemlessly ventures from Hardcore, to Reggae, to Metal, to Funk, to...yes...Rap with total ease. While some bands attempt this and look like total fools, (hed) p.e. are every bit as adept and genuine in each genre they cover, and trust me, they cover a lot.
Lyrically the band is equally varied. The most covered subjects tend to be pot smoking, sex with groupies, and a revolution against the secret societies that control our governments. What? I know, but somehow the band is able to tackle some pretty heavy subject matter in the same songs that talk about getting high with bitches and it all makes sense. Pay attention to what's being said and you'll realize that there's some pretty deep shit going on here. They present you with their views of the world, but they aren't here to answer all of the questions and wrap up the issues in a pretty package. Instead, they take you to the edge with metallic aggression and then give you a perverse break from the drama. "RTO" is gleefully politically incorrect and "Mirrorballin'" is hilariously sexual. What's not as funny is the feeling that the band may be dead -on correct on songs such as the anti-war anthem "Habeus". "Children" is a rewritten homage to Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" and could be a breakthrough hit for the band. Kottonmouth Kings and Tech N9ne even show up on "Wind Me Up" to make the album a philisophical family affair.
I'm not going to lie here, if you have a closed mind about music then this will be a hard cd to get into. That's your fault, not the bands. I can pretty much guarantee though that somewhere on this disc is music that will appeal to fans of all of the genres I mentioned and more. So, open your mind (the band has a few ideas on how you can do that) and rediscover (hed) p.e.! They are so good at what they do that you may even find yourself jamming to some musical styles that you never imagined you would...and thats a revolution worth signing up for.