The laid back rap meets R&B that opens up “Back 2 Base X†gives individuals a much different opinion of Hed (PE) than will the meat of “Listenâ€. In a sense, Hed (PE) plays a style of music that resembles that of Rage Against The Machine if Rage was much more bipolar. There is that same mixture of rap and rock that RATM made famous during Hed (PE)’s “Novus Ordus Clitorusâ€. The song touches on 9/11 and conspiracy theories, but is not nearly as pointed as the music that Rage Against The Machine committed to disc. In a sense, Hed (PE) during this track sounds much more like System of a Down; political, but with little in the way of information to grab onto.
This tangential desire to cover politics is continued during “Lock and Loadâ€; the track recalls Avenged Sevenfold and 311 more than anything else. The track, excepting its heavy profanity, shows that Hed (PE) could make it back onto rock radio without changing anything. The band is still able to throw in completely random styles and curveballs during “Base 2 Base Xâ€. For example, “Get Ready†has a musical interlude present during the track that would make Credence Clearwater Revival proud. The band gets into a serious groove during “Sophiaâ€, which starts off with a ska-influence arrangement.
When the band kicks into the punky, thrashy sound of the chorus, individuals will be compelled to get into a circle pit. The band is crazy, there is no denying it. The band fits alongside acts like the aforementuioned System of a Down and Mindless Self Indulgence. Hed (PE) even goes into the realm of Minor Threat with their “Peer Pressureâ€, just before stopping into 1997 pop-punk with the follow-up track “Beware Do We Goâ€. For a party album, there is little better than “Back 2 Base Xâ€. Hed (PE) has crafted an album that bounces around like a schizophrenic, while making sure that listeners always know that what is issuing forth from the speakers is the band. Hints of around 100 different bands come forth on the disc, and this means that the replay value is off the chart. This is one of the rare albums that could be spun over and over without it suffering at the least; Hed (PE) has a hit album on their hands with this one. Pick it up or have it special ordered; you will not regret it.
Top Tracks: Beware Do We Go, Get Ready
Rating: 7.6/10
Hed (PE) – Back 2 Base X / 2006 Suburban Noize / 13 Tracks / http://www.hedrocks.com / http://www.suburbannoizerecords.com / Reviewed 01 June 2006
[JMcQ]