(hed)p.e.-"Insomnia"(2007) review
2006 proved to be a better year for (hed)p.e. as they not only released a good album, but continued to make a name for themselves in the world of underground music after their signing to Suburban Noize Records, but sometime after the recording of "Back 2 Base X", drummer Moke left the band to be the full-time drummer for Puddle Of Mudd and he was soon replaced by Devin Lebsack. (hed) would go on to headline tours with support from label mates such as Wicked Wisdom, OPM, & Mower, but would get more recognition in the underground when they supported the Kottonmouth Kings on the "Koast II Koast Tour". Later that year, they would also open for Papa Roach on the Zippo Hot Tour(which would be my first time seeing (hed) live). Following their heavy touring schedule throughout 2006, (hed) would then take a break from touring to record their sixth studio album "Insomnia." But sometime in 2007 after the recording of the album, drummer Devin Lebsack left the band and he was soon replaced by ex-TSOL & Cadillac Tramps drummer Anthony "Tiny Bubz" Biuso. So after being impressed with Devin as a drummer live and after hearing the first single "Suffa", this album sounded like it was going to be pretty promising...boy was I wrong and let's find out why as I review this album track-by-track(*not including hidden or bonus tracks*)
1. Madhouse
A short metal track loaded with samples that also sounds very horror movie influenced. There are some cool things about it like Jared's vocals but musically the song sounds simply written. Nothing special overall, pretty average.
Rating: 2.5/5
2. Walk On By
My personal favorite track on the album. An awesome hardcore punk track with good vocals from Jared who delivers some well written political lyrics that lead into a catchy chorus. Jaxon's guitar playing and Devin's drumming also make this track very enjoyable. Plus, Jaxon also delivers a sweet guitar solo in the bridge.
Rating: 4.5/5
3. Game Over
A song with hip-hop style verses where Jared raps about conspiracy theories, weed smoking, and sexual intercourse all in this one song which builds up into a punk chorus. A weirdly structured song honestly, but it is fun if not great, and also one of the album's better tracks.
Rating: 3.5/5
4. Habeus
A simple punk song about politics which sounds similar to "Lock And Load" from the previous album just heavier. But what brings the song down is Jared's screechy vocals along with the poorly written political lyrics, but at least it has a catchy chorus. Average.
Rating: 2.5/5
5. Suffa
The first single from the album and a damn good one to. An awesome rap metal track with groovy heavy guitar playing from Jaxon and a well done chorus where Jared delivers some nice reggae influenced vocals along with a well screamed "I wanna see you Suffa." Even if I'm not a fan of Jared's screechy vocals in the verses, it's still awesome and one of the best tracks on the album, and also one of the better political songs they've written.
Rating: 4.5/5
6. Comeova2nite(feat. Young Roscoe)
A hip-hop song with chill music. One of the album's weaker tracks, the song is brought down by Jared's crappy lyrics about getting a girl to come over to his place to get laid plus some gunshot samples which really make the song have a wannabe "gangsta" feel. The last verse is rapped by featured guest Young Roscoe, who seems to go off subject of what the song was originally talking about, quite confusing honestly. Average.
Rating: 2.5/5
7. C2GU
A short punk track with simple lyrics, which do bring the song down along with Jared's screechy vocals which at this point are becoming really annoying. Not bad, just average.
Rating: 2.5/5
8. RTO(feat. Big B)
A song that follows the "Game Over" formula, hip-hop verses that build-up into a punk chorus. Jared's verse is okay, nothing special, and I also hate the shout-out to their record label. The punk chorus is nothing special either. One of the things that also brings the song down is Subnoize rapper Big B, who delivers very unimpressive rapping in his verse. An average track, but better than the previous collaboration.
Rating: 2.5/5
9. Mirrorballin'
Here we go, the worst track on the album. A sex song where the dirty talking chick from "Only In Amerika" is back to annoy the crap out of us. A song with funk verses and a punk chorus with very repetitive and very immature lyrics that are actually worse than anything on "Only In Amerika." I just can't believe Jared, who was 43 years old at the time and is also capable of writing better songs than this, wrote something this worthless which really makes you see how rushed this album was, and at this point this album mish-mashes so many genres it's starting to become annoying. Not only the worst song on the album, but also the worst (hed) song ever written.
Rating: 1/5
10. Tienanman Squared
So after a few average tracks and a terrible track, we then get...another poor track. A punk song with metal influence that sounds very rushed. Lyrically the song is alright if a bit rushed, but the sound quality of the track is horrible making the song sound very dated, I mean the drums are barely hearable. Plus, Jared's vocals are just all over the place and he doesn't sound very inspired making the song sound mediocre. Sorry, I can't get into this track, just feels like a filler to me.
Rating: 2/5
11. Children
A song that is actually a cover of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" but (hed) actually do a decent job of making it sound like their own with a punk bridge and gospel singing at the end. The song is loaded with samples which for me bring the song down along with the punk bridge, which feels out of place. Still, a decent track and one of the better songs on the album.
Rating: 3.5/5
12. Atlantis A.D.
This is more like it, A rap metal song about conspiracy theories with good, if not great, lyrics from Jared and a good chorus, which I'll admit could've been done better. Even if the sound quality sounds kinda poor, it's still a great song and one of the album's best tracks.
Rating: 4/5
13. Wind Me Up(feat. Kottonmouth Kings & Tech N9ne)
A hip-hop song about sex with funky music. The first verse is rapped by Jared, which is okay and he mainly sings the okay chorus. The next verse is rapped by Daddy X from the Kottonmouth Kings whose voice is annoying and his verse also sucks. The third verse is rapped by popular underground rapper Tech N9ne who is the standout(obviously). The last verse is rapped by Johnny Richter from the Kottonmouth Kings whose verse, while better than Daddy X's verse, is still nothing special. A decent track overall, makes up for "Mirrorballin."
Rating: 3/5
14. Don't Let Me Down
This song has filler written all over it. A punk song with a very poppy feel to it with sound quality so terrible I can't tell if it's supposed to be a pop-punk song or a ska song, which if that's the case, I find it hypocritical how Jared attacks pop-punk on "Only In Amerika" and in interviews and then tries to attempt a song in the genre. Very poor album closer.
Rating: 1.5/5
Overall, this is (hed)p.e.'s weakest album. Yes, weaker than "Only In Amerika", most of the album just sounds very rushed both musically and lyrically, the horrible production also brings the album down as well. You may like the album better than "Back 2 Base X" at first because it has a heavier sound, but after a few more listens you will quickly grow bored of it and realize "Back 2 Base X" actually is a better and more focused album. For me, the main thing that is annoying about this album is the mish-mashing of genres, instead of having a unique way of blending different styles together as heard on their first 3 albums, (hed) this time decide to attempt a genre on each song which makes the album feel really disjointed and not very focused.
OVERALL RATING: 4.5/10
Subject: Countdown to Forever! Insomnia(2007) review 
