INSOMNIA
(HED) PE
INSOMNIA
(suburban noize)
BY MARK BARTON
One bad ass’d bastard of a record. Californian based quintet (hed)pe have been pricking consciences now for the best part of thirteen years, provoking and giving it the middle finger to authority and the corporate masses across an enviable back catalogue comprising five acclaimed full lengths to date.
Anyone with the mistaken belief that last year’s ‘Back 2 base X’ was an unsurpassable high point - think again. ’Insomnia’ their sixth outing sees them consolidating their ground and upping the ante with a heavier darkly set mindset providing for a groove laden onslaught of their self described g-punk sound.
Set across 14 tracks - ’Insomnia’ is a gruelling testimony, the trademark hardcore punk / metal / rap hybrid honed to perfection this baby zips at pace between raucous shards of heads down no nonsense riot brandishing puss venting angst and street savvy hip hop - providing a cohesive collection that’s a class apart. References to Bad Brains are tenuously but apparent though its Killing Joke who are more often than not to be found rearing their influential grip especially on the paranoiacally claustrophobic reality biting ’Atlantis A.D.’ (the albums centrepiece) and ’walk on by’ which aside literally scalding you to the touch is a ravaged slice of bludgeoned boogie that’ll pin back the ears of all onlookers while being wrapped in scaring sheets of blood letting KJ-esque wall of sound pyrotechnics.
The raging punked up ‘Habeus’ gets up close and personal, wasted and f*cking hateful it has you wondering why this lot haven’t as yet crossed paths with DK’s Jello Biafra while the mental ‘c2gu’ is just pure menace crafted as it is in early 80’s East Coast accents while the punks versus gangsta rappers ‘rto’ craftily turns on its toes sharpishly one minute paying homage to Minor Threat the next emerging as a lights out middle america approving hip hop montage. Elsewhere ’Suffa’ (the forthcoming single) levels its sights and wages war on Bush’s foreign policy and smartly wraps it with a sarcastic jingoistic Marines march chant.
Then there’s the loose limbed gangsta groove of ’Game over’ which manages to shoehorn so many influences and references you feel you should be partaking in a little smoke yourself just to slow things down - everything’s in here including some neat old skool Ozz scores, a smidgeon of Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy and the Beasties all served up in a hot funky soup that at times veers off sounding - I kid you not - like the Gap Band getting buggered in a rain drenched back alley. Some smoking street sassy gritty insights into urban life are peeled raw on ‘comeova2nite’. ‘Mirrorballin’ ill have you sh*ttin your pants with laughter - a dirty little horny bastard with sly Studio 54 moves that wired and splintered by searing drills of apocalyptic torrents of charging riff core.
And those still sitting on the fence getting splinters trying to decide if its for them or not may find a stunning cover of Buffalo Springfield‘s ‘for what its worth’ redone here as ’children’ replete with gospel wraps and politicised samples just the tonic and quite frankly the thing that’ll edge it all said and done.
‘Insomnia’ is the bollocks.
www.suburbannoizerecords.com
Choice cuts -
Atlantis A.D.
Children
Walk on By
Habeus
MARK BARTON
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