Artist: (hed)pe

CD Review

Label: Jive

By Caren Spitler

Southern Californian band (hed)pe test their metallic laden rock-rap while walking the fine line of a new frontier, Blackout is trial by fire as they navigate the dangers of the "radio ready" sound in 14 Tracks. Can they hold the attention of their loyal fan base and make an album that is built to be more "commercially" successful? Where this album might sound much closer to pop than (hed) fans are ready for, don't question if they still have authority. Hooky tracks like "Bury Me" are just begging for airplay, lets hope this one is allowed to see the light of day. It's everything that is great about this band, dark, heavy, sullen, and full on sexy as hell! Songs like the industrial tainted "Revelations" are charged with aggression. The edgy riff driven "Dangerous" is built on a premise of sex as a pin killer. You might not subscribe to the theme, but the words and music work. This song is electric. Although some cuts on the CD are smooth enough to hypnotize, others will still slam your ass with a flippant backhand. In "Flesh and Bone" hot scorching guitar work melts into winding verses brings that point home. As we find (hed)pe in 2003 they aren't as brutal as they were back on the first album. There are no songs like Schpamb (from the self-titled album) that reflect a real raw punk vibe like that one did. Lyrics on Blackout turn to a more personal view of the harshness of life than to themes of a society gone wrong. None of the new songs are written with the lyrical acid of older songs like "Firsty" from the fist record or "Feel Good" from Broke. On a refreshing note, vocalist Jahred seems to have shed some of the misogynistic bravado he had on Broke. Some tracks offer the lesser-known softer side of this band. Playing with more melody than in their previous work. Cuts like the "Half the Man" and acoustic "Fallen" allow frontman Jahred to sing more than he has in the past while showing you more of that melodic side.

This is a pretty obvious evolution of a band. The self-titled album was probably the most diverse, brutal, and raw. Broke was the most in your face unapologetic and unyielding. Blackout plays off a bit smoother than their previous efforts. Although couple of the tunes are a bit flat or sleepy, (hed)'s Blackout still fires off moments of brilliant wrathful, weighty and visceral music.