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Title: AOL Review of "Only In Amerika"


HED TILL I DIE - July 1, 2007 08:00 PM (GMT)
Taken from AOL


According to no less an authority than band point man Jahred, getting the boot from Jive was the best thing that ever happened to [hed] pe. "Finally we've been released," he wrote in January '04 to fans on [hed]'s official website. "Now it's time to get back to some real dirty-ass sh*t!" And he wasn't kidding. Only in Amerika is the Cali combo's 2005 debut for Koch. Raunchy and abrasive, its thrash-hop spew takes cues from Anthrax, Korn, Dirty South, pre-acting career Ice-T, and the uncompromising Psychopathic Records collective. The powerful melodies and layered production of 2003's Blackout are gone -- Amerika features the relentless half-time pace of ex-Otep drummer Moke, stabs of enormous guitar, and drop-ins from DJ Product. Jahred's choppy, half-yelled rhymes are ever defiant, but they're also chaotic to the point of ineffectiveness. In the space of just a few lines he promotes marijuana, insults women and homosexuals, condemns Al Qaeda, defends the first amendment, and calls out the record industry. The rap-metal hybrid "War" is nationalism at gut-level. "Don't you want your freedom?" Jahred asks in the rallying chorus, and then lists club-going, casual sex, and smoking weed as American points of pride. (And for the evil-doers, a message: "We got guns and sh*t/You're all lame.") "Box" is one of the album's more cohesive tracks, driving the swagger of its hip-hop verses through a giant guitar-driven chorus. And the slinky, pounding percussion and call-and-response lyrical structure of "Raise Hell" is a bludgeoning amplification of Lil Jon's crunk style, its tag line even cribbing from Jon's 2002 single "I Don't Give A...." Late-album entries "Amerikan Beauty" and "Chicken" are interesting musically, but they're overrun by social apathy and misogyny. And ultimately that's the issue with Only in Amerika. It wants to be a confrontational megaphone in the ear of conservatives, but Jahred's torrential rhetoric is too messy and blatantly offensive to incite anything but superficial anger, and the music -- though occasionally explosive -- takes a backseat to the ranting. [hed] pe diehards will love this Amerika, but it speaks only to their niche.

Papercut - July 25, 2007 09:23 AM (GMT)
I agree. pretty bad album. I didn't like it (Was my first (hed) album lol) I give it 1 star. don't hate ,me.

Crazy_hed - July 25, 2007 10:24 PM (GMT)
lol thats actually the album that got me into hed....

mr.sinester - July 26, 2007 02:41 AM (GMT)
The only thing that was bad was the lyrics other than that it was a smooth album. Represent is the best single they have released in the post-Jive era in my opinion.

Papercut - July 26, 2007 06:22 AM (GMT)
You're right, even tho I found the music very energetic the lyrics are TOO disturbing, worse than "Wind Me Up" or "Mirrorballin'"

And "Suffa" is Post-Jive too? Becuase it's better from my point.

mr.sinester - July 26, 2007 05:14 PM (GMT)
Post Jive referring to all of the CD singles released by hed after they were dismissed from Jive.

Hmm I just like it better. From the post Jive era it goes like this for me.

1. Represent
2. Suffa
3. Get Ready

(From best to least)

Crazy_hed - July 27, 2007 04:23 AM (GMT)
same...:D

Joshjs360 - August 12, 2007 07:07 PM (GMT)
what is happening to this band as im hearing ever new album is getting worse and so this one is too, not to mention that back to base x is another bad one :(

Crazy_hed - August 13, 2007 08:48 AM (GMT)
i started thinking about the same thing earlier today....im actually starting to LOSE interest...

Unisonband - August 13, 2007 08:52 AM (GMT)
QUOTE (Joshjs360 @ Aug 12 2007, 07:07 PM)
what is happening to this band as im hearing ever new album is getting worse and so this one is too, not to mention that back to base x is another bad one :(

They're not getting worse, but their sound is different than it used to be; of course there will be fans that enjoy the new direction and fans that prefer the old stuff; all the albums rock out hard

:hedpe self-titled: :broke: :blackout: :only in amerika: :b2bx: :insomnia: :HEDEMOTICON3:

That's why we're here

Waiting-To-Die - August 13, 2007 11:10 AM (GMT)
QUOTE (Crazy_hed @ Aug 13 2007, 08:48 AM)
i started thinking about the same thing earlier today....im actually starting to LOSE interest...

yep.

Joshjs360 - August 14, 2007 04:33 AM (GMT)
so this cd is not a buy




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