Artist: (hed)p.e 
   Title: Insomnia
   Label: Surburban Noise

Hailing from California (hed)p.e deliver their no holds barred Rap Metal with a vengeful mix of hip-hop, metal and a little old school punk in a melting pot under the title of Rap Metal.  If you think of a sound mixing the rawness of Rage Against the Machine with the brutality of Body Count, with the Transplants thrown in the mix to bring that punky vibe, then you won't be far from what (hed)p.e are all about.

'Insomnia' is the band's sixth release and follows the acclaimed 2006 ‘Back 2 Base X’.

Things get underway with ‘Madhouse’ and instantly you’ll find similarities to R.A.T.M  and Korn as Jahred Shane shows an intensity that hasn’t been around since the likes of Ice T and R.A.T.M. first broke the silence with their hardcore intensities.  This short opener sets the mood for the rest of the album, then things really get underway with the thumping ‘Walk On By’.  This is hardcore rap at it's most brutal, think Beastie Boys with more attitude than you can shake a stick at.  This hard and nasty rap metal at its most pivotal.

The intense nature of the band is carried on with the punk infused ‘Game Over’, lyrically this is one of the most hardcore tracks on the album so far, as the band take on the modern day taboo’s and carry on challenging these subjects with the up tempo vibe of  ‘Habeus’, which brings in that early 70’s punk attitude.

We return to the more traditional Rap Metal vibe with ‘Suffa’, a track that brings in that reggae vibe that was found of ‘Back 2 Base X’.  This track merges seamlessly into ‘Comeova2nite’, a more slower and less intense track than what has gone before and is very reminiscent of some of Body Count’s more mellower moments, although the lyrical content is still hardcore LA thru and thru.

Things are brought back up to speed with ‘C2GU’ and the multi layered ‘RTO’ which swings from traditional rap to the fast paced Rap/Punk/Metal in the blink of an eye.  The album also has its fair share of humorous moments like the totally un PC ‘Mirrorballin’, it's certain this track will never get any airplay on the more conservative radio stations, but humour aside there are some strong political views also laced into the album like ‘Tienanman Squared’, another strong punk infused track with some scorching guitars and is probably the most radio friendly track on the album and would be a great choice for a single.

The album also boasts a great cover in the form of ‘Children’, a reworking of the Buffalo Springfield classic ‘For What Is Worth’, before it's back to more familiar territory with the hard edged tones of ‘Atlantis A.D.’ and ‘Wind Me Up’ with the album closing on a high with the excellent ‘Don’t Let Me Down’.  All of which rounds off a whole mess attitude and vigour that I haven’t heard since the early days of R.A.T.M. and the Sex Pistols.  If you're into the whole Rap Metal genre you won't be disappointed.

All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated.