Tag: Jahred Gomes

(həd) p.e. – “Sandmine” review

This is the 6th EP from renown Huntington Beach g-punk outfit (həd) p.e., which has always been masterminded by Jahred Gomes despite it’s revolving door of members throughout the 27 years they’ve been together. Standouts in the crew’s discography include their self-titled debut, Broke, Back 2 Base X, Insomnia, New World Orphans, Truth Rising & even their previous album Class of 2020 that came out the day before Broke’s 20 year anniversary last summer. It was originally intended to be the group’s last effort for a while but due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the 2020 presidential election & the birth of Jahred’s daughter, (həd) p.e. is channeling all of their inspiration from all 3 of those events into Sandmine with the help of Suburban Noize Records backing it.

The title track is a thrashy opener quenching for blood whereas “False Prophets” serves as a punky jab at Donald Trump. The song “R.T.R. (Respect The Republic)” goes into rap rock territory talking about rebellion while the penultimate track “Deathtrip” is a skate punk joint with Jahred talking about risking his life. Finally there’s “Let Me Know”, which is a reggae rock cut trying to figure out what’s on his lovers’ mind.

Class of 2020 was a great throwback to (həd) p.e.’s roots & Sandmine is just as great to me personally. Once again, they’re taking it back to the basics except Jahred & company sound a lot more pissed off than they did when we last heard them 11 months prior.

Score: 4/5

(həd) p.e. – “Class of 2020” review

(həd) p.e. is a g-punk outfit from Huntington Beach, California masterminded by Jahred Gomes. From their first 2 albums under Jive to their first stint on Suburban Noize in the mid-2000s, these guys have truly been making a name for themselves for over 25 years whether that be their eclectic sound or the more political lyrics on their most recent output. They returned to Subnoize last year for their 11th album Stampede & to mark the 20th anniversary of their sophomore effort Broke this weekend, Jahred & company are celebrating with a sequel.

The album kicks off with “First Blood”, where Jahred angrily talks about how we’re all living in sin over some head-banging instrumentation. The next song “Watch It Burn” gets confrontational over some popping drums alongside a chugging guitar lead while the track “No Days Off” screams about putting his life on the line everyday & the soundscapes on here are electrifying. The song “Death Awaits” is sure to get the pits going whenever we can have live shows again from while the track “Last Call” is an enjoyable reggae/rock fusion.

The song “Ole Time Sake” is kind of a throwback to 80’s metal as the lyrics talk about being young at heart while the track “Greedy Girl” is a slow, melodic ballad expressing Jahred‘s affection for the titular character. The song “Nothing Lasts 4Ever (The Ballad of C19)” is an optimistic response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic while the penultimate track “We the People” gets on the political side of things & the hellish instrumentation are absolutely perfect. The closer “Overdue” has a depressive & confessional tone to it that I really enjoy, but the hook is a bit too robotic for me personally.

Even though the quartet seems to be self-aware that Stampede didn’t resonate with hardcore fans due to it’s heavy usage of auto-tune, this is a great return to form for them. Jahred Gomes’ vocals are still remarkably commanding & the sound on here is a refreshing callback to (həd) p.e.’s early work.

Score: 4/5