This was taken from cdnow.com


Surprisingly Solid., July 17, 2007
By Mr. -------- (Maine) - See all my reviews


"With their third album in a two year period, one would expect (hed)p.e., a band who arguably got left behind when rap-rock died, to sound dire and weak by this point. But the truth is, with "Insomnia," their sixth album, they are actually starting to sound better and fresher than they have in years. Despite the fact that some of Jared's lyrics still bask in cheesiness and today's band just can't live up to the musicianship of previous line-ups of the band's past, at least it doesn't sound like it was recorded in a basement ("Back To Base X") or try to justify it's existence by spewing as many swear words as possible ("Only In Amerika"). That means that "Insomnia" is at least the best release (hed)p.e. have come up with since becoming a semi-indie band."

"Make no mistake, if you weren't a (hed)p.e. fan before, this isn't going to change your mind. And if you are expecting the band to expand their sound and grow, you might as well turn around and walk away. If anything, "Insomnia" does a nice job of combining all elements of (hed)'s music, both past and present. "Walk On By" is hands down the best (hed)p.e. song since the days of "Broke," while "Habeus" and "Suffa" improve upon the down and dirty, lo-fi style of the past two albums. There are plenty of political undertones carried through the album, with various soundbites popping up between songs to keep up the concept and beat the message over the listener's head. Although the band who penned "Crazy Legs" isn't the type you want, nor expect to get political, songs like "Tienanmen Squared" and "Atlantis A.D." are actually quite interesting and give the album a little more weight and substance than the rest of the band's career. Also of note is "Children," which spins Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" on it's head, and also becomes one of the most satisfying tracks on the album."

"All compliments aside, there are moments where this album reaches into the realm of the embarassing, which seems to be a modern (hed)p.e. curse. "Come Ova 2 Nite" is as cheesy as it gets, and "Game Over" brings back bad memories of "Only In Amerika." Even still, "Insomnia" is a great album that should please the majority of the fanbase. Granted, it's not the most tasteful or original piece of music out there, but if there ever was a band towards the end of the millennium who made rap-rock fun and credible, it was (hed)p.e., and it's a legacy that they don't appear to be letting go anytime soon."

*moved to reviews section*