(Hed)P.E. Forever!

(Hed)P.E. formed in 1994, but I first became aware of them when a friend shared their album Broke with me in 2000.  I fell in love with the lyrics, the in-your-face attitude, and the style which was mostly rap-rock done better than I had ever heard it.  Subsequent albums ran the gamut from punk to reggae and founding lead singer, Jahred Gomes, has quite a range of singing styles from clean to rap to harsh screams.  Hed refuses to be pigeonholed, but one thing that remains constant is social commentary and a punk ethos with the desire to rally humans together for the greater good of all.  After having recently met the latest lineup (Jahred - vocals, Trauma - drums, KB - bass, Gregzilla - guitar) after a small club show at Stanhope House (NJ) I'm even more a fan of these guys than ever before - and I already own all of their records.

Forever! is, in my opinion, their most complete album in years.  It has the hard rockers that I like with smatterings of punk, reggae, and world music blended in.  Hurt, It's You, and Jah Know are stand out tracks for sure.  Hurt harkens back to their nu-metal beginnings, but instead of scratching from DJ Product, there is some staccato guitar work.  It's You is about a lost love.  The lyrics about someone who made life beautiful is juxtaposed with screaming that conveys the pain of having messed up a good thing.   Jah Know is like an anthem for the band and is about meeting Zion.  Pay Me is also an interesting song about how corporate greed is taking over the U.S. and its working citizens are being taken advantage of.  Many of (Hed)P.E.'s albums have tracks with sexual themes.  Some would consider past songs as crass, but often they are really creatively done and passionate.  Jahred got away from writing these types of songs and he cited having a daughter and wanting to be more respectful to females as the reason.  This album brings back a sexually charged song in Shadowridge, however, he sings about being faithful to and creating a family with the object of his affection.
Bonus track "Ganja" is an ode to the cannabis plant as the "healer of the nation."  While I don't smoke myself, listening to this track is like being transported to Jamaica or some other tropical island.

Do yourself a favor and check out their music.  If you like it, support them and buy merchandise.  These guys really are a Do-It-Yourself band and they are good to their fans.  I'll do my part to help make sure they stick around Forever.

Jah and me!

Pics from May 2016