Customer Reviews

Blackout

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

1. Suck It Up - 8/10
The intro of the album starts out with a somewhat catchy phrase. "Bow down.. B-B-Bow Down... Suck It Up!". This track introduces us to hed pe's new "harder" less hip-hop style. Good start.

2. Blackout - 9.5/10
The first single is a hit. Jahred's voice sounds as cool as it always does and he matches the beat/rhythm perfectly. The memorable chorus is why they picked this as a single.

3. Bury Me - 7.5/10
Took me a bit to enjoy listening to this song but now I like it. It's slightly harder than the past 2 (which were hard themselves) - a lot is borderline metal. Great lyrics though.

4. Dangerous - 8.0/10
Classic Hed sounds start this song with intense lyrics that complement the harsh feeling. "I'm Dangerous... Dangerous!!".

5. Get Away - 9.0/10
Awesome song. Here we see a little bit of raggae appeal thrown into the mix. Jahred questions why he should stick around places he does not fit in in this song.

6. Crazy Life - 8.0/10
This song is much like their old work - more so than any other track. Vocals come out in rap-fashion and the chorus is memorable "Sha-la-lala... Here it goes again!".

7. Half The Man - 8.5/10
The CD softens a little with this one. The chorus is somewhat hard but overall this is one of their lighter songs. I love the lyrics on this one - really shines.

8. The Only One - 8.5/10
Annnnd back to the hard rock we go. Very good bassline, very good background sounds... and the chorus is awesome. Another song questioning about where to fit in.

9. Other Side - 10/10
Probably my favorite song on the CD, but it wouldn't have gotten a better rating *without* the other songs complimenting it, if that makes any sense. A very light guitar-filled song, sort of incubus-styled. GREAT stuff here.

10. Flesh And Bone - 7.5/10
The last track had to be followed up with a hard song, and thats exactly what Hed does. Jah's voice is great in this song, and the lyrics are cool. It's just slightly less quality than a few of the other songs though. Still great.

11. Octopussy - 7.0/10
A 44 second interlude which starts slow and ends in a fast clashing party of drums and noise. Crowd goes crazy in the mosh when they play this at concerts.

12. Carnivale - 9.0/10
This is one of those songs that grows on you over time. It's unique and therefore takes more time to digest. I was going to give it an 8.5 but I listened to the lyrics one more time and damn! Nine it is.

13. Fallen - 7.5/10
Starts off slow and low key. Then the vocals come in with ferocity. A standard Hed PE chrous too - which is obviously quality. Not a bad song.

14. Revelations - 6.5/10
I'm not liking this song as much as the rest of the tracks on the CD. The switching from soft vocals to intense clashing is weird on the ears. I was going to give it a 6, but the chorus is cool, so it deserves slightly higher.

Summary: I've been a Hed PE fan forever and am very critical when it comes to their music. The first time I listened to Blackout, I was impressed with a lot of the songs but I didn't like some too much. But after letting the album digest into my head, I feel this is their best work yet. It's overall more solid than their self-titled CD, and it doesn't fall short in some places as Broke did. Keep in mind though: This CD is less hip-hop sounding and more hard melodic rock than their other work. Some may like this, some may not, but at least let it soak in. Final words: If you are a fan of the rap/rock genre, Buy this CD!

Overall Score: 90% / A-

With all of the Nu Metal bands this one is at the top. They have made it sound so easy, fun, and just down right perfect.lately it seems that all the new bands out there instantly want to jump on the Nu metal sceen to sell a album. Like they can pass junk off at us, well thats what I think anyway.Personally I think the Nu Metal has gone its distance, and its time for a change. I have been finding myself looking for something different of late, and yes i have found it. If you want to take a chance check out Nightwish. great band good songs and a whole lot differenet of a sound.Do yourself a favor dont follow the crowd, for there is alot of good bands out there if you look. Be yourself !!!!!!

I'd been looking forward to this release for some time. Word on the street was that Chizzad left the Bizzand as soon as the recording was finished. Curious to see if the music had anything to do with it, I was really itching to listen to this album.

That said, my first impresion of Blackout was that change is not always progress. I've always felt that this band was given the shaft in the nu-meddle community. They were never asked to play the Family Values tours or given a shot at the Ozzfest main stage. Still they forged on kicking beats that slam harder than Linkin Park and spitting rhymes so vulgar that Fred Durst's "F**k"-fest in "Hot Dog" could be written in crayon. It's what they do and they do it better than anybody.

Except they don't do it enough on this album.

Out of the gates with "Suck it Up", the band makes a statement that the rest of the album doesn't follow through with. Standout tracks are "Crazy Life", "The Only One", "Flesh and Bone", and "Fallen". By standout I mean that these are the cuts that take what (hed) pe does and lifts it to the next level. It's dangerous rock and roll, it's about smokin' dope and bangin' teenage girls. It's something your parents would hate. Unfortunately, it's only on five cuts out of 14 this time around.

The remainder of the disc is loaded with transitional material that pulls away from what this band does best and aligns them more with what radio would play. Let me make something clear here, though, this is not a sellout. It comes across as confused. The choruses have these big fat hooks and the rap element is very diluted in favor of Jahred delivering more singing, not his best asset...yet. While he doesn't have the best singing voice in rock, he shows that he can indeed sing better than he may have been given credit for. In fact, there are lots of places that are layered with vocal harmonies. Only thing is it just doesn't click quite right.

While it can be said that this band is growing, you know, "why be AC/DC blah, blah, blah?" I think that the next album will be much more coordinated and focused. Perhaps, like Metallica, (hed) pe will soon splinter into old-school and new-school sounds and with the absence of Chizzad, the work from here on out will certainly feel a bit different.

Finally, I feel like I've spent the majority of the review just slagging this album and that's not really accurate. I like this album a lot. But these guys set the bar really high with their last album, Broke. And while this one didn't live up to those standards, it's still better than anything else in the rap-rock genre.

This CD is a massive dissapointment. Hed P.E. has took a step back in the sound that made them popular...Metal/rap! In this Cd the group decided to just go with some boring rock beats and sub-par lyrics. The only song that is even worth listening to is Suck it Up and even that is not that great. I have been listening to Hed P.E. for years now and I am just so dissapointed with this last attempt. About a year ago I saw them live and they played some stuff from Blackout and everyone just kinda stood around . If your looking for a good Hed P.E. cd then go and buy Broke. That is the best cd from this group. The main reason that I don't like this Cd is because of the lack of rap. What originally got me likeing Hed was the funny rap lyrics that they had. Now Im not a huge fan of Hip hop or rap but these guys some how made it work for me. But this album is just the opposite of what got me likeing them in the first place. If you want to hear a good Rap/Metal band and you already have Broke check out Bionic Jive, But if you like rock and dont care about the rap lyrics then get Blackout. But if you don't have broke then get that cd instead.

Wow...thats all I can say. I bought this Cd after hearing "Blackout" and "Suck it Up". I thought they were good songs and the CD was only Ten bucks so i figured the worst that could happen was that I didn't like it. Not expecting much I popped it into my CD player and was amazed. This is one of the most Diverse Hard Hop albums I've ever heard if not the most. (Hard Hop= "Rap Metal" in laymens terms). Every Track is a complete 190 degree turn from the last. There are such greats as "Suck It Up" which kinda reminds me of the Lost Prophets to OTherside which sounds like Uncle Cracker to Dangerous which is a straight Korn-ish metal anthem to SLipping away which reminds me of earlier Taproot stuff (from Gift). Then there are the more rap songs like "crazy Life" which is one of my favorites. The musicianship is borderline average, like most CDs out now so if youre more into talent than sound pick up something by MEtallica, Neurotica, Fuel, Tool or something like that. The Most talent on this disc comes from two of the bands cornerstone members. DJ PRoduct was the first DJ ever in a metal band back when hed p.e. emerged circa 94 and he and his turn table laid the foundations for many rock today. The other stellar performance comes from Jahred Shaine, an African American surfer from southern California. His voice is one of the most diverse I've ever heard. He can go from deep roaring to bratty hip hop to a beautiful almost folksy/country voice in a second. If you threw Eminem, Rage Against The Machine, Korn, Taproot, Crazy Town, lostprophets, Ra, Garth Brooks, Incubus and Uncle Cracker into a blender you'd come out with a nice (hed) p.e. smoothie. Also check out their Self Titled Debut and Broke.

If you own heds self titled cd, and broke, you know how freakin awesome hed really is. Ive been a fan ever since I heard them 6 years ago. I played the hell out of their 1st 2 cd's, and still cant believe how amazing they are today. Hed put and still puts to shame all of the other bands that tried the rap thing like linkin park, limp bizkit etc etc... When i heard hed had a new cd coming out a while ago, i couldnt wait to get it...but i thought that it would [stink]. After listening to their 1st 2 cd's, I didnt think it would be possible for them to write any more songs that would compare to their others, because they were so good. So when i got it, I let the whole cd play through. A few songs caught my attention like "Get Away, and Crazy life", but I thought the rest were ok. But soon after a few more listens, I fell in love with the cd, and came to the conclusion, if you keep an open mind about their new style, you will realize this is truely their best cd yet. Jahred takes you through an emotional journey, while Westyle plays some of the catchiest riffs and melodies ever written. I could go on and on about this cd, so just buy it and sit back and enjoy the ride.

Hed(pe) are one of the few bands that are in the "rap metal" vein that are worth listening to. Hailing from Huntington Beach, California (my hometown), they are louder, harder, softer, smoother, more melodic and all around better than [stuff] like Linkin Park or every other band that sounds just like Linkin Park. Although they are a great studio band, they really shine when seen live. Very amazing live show. If you haven't seen them, do it ASAP! This is their third major lable release. They had an independant release "Church Of Realities" that was great. You can get it at their web site ...The other 3 CDs are readily available and highly recommended. Now stop reading my words and BUY THIS CD NOW!!

It always pains me to give bands I have loved for a long time bad reviews. And although 'Blackout' isn't a bad album by any means, coming from a band like (hed)p.e, it's just weak. I'm not going to trash them for taking a new direction. 'Broke' was a far-cry from their self-titled disc, and still managed to be a wonderful album. The problem with 'Blackout' is that there is nothing special about it. The first disc was great because it was just so raw and gritty, and 'Broke' worked because of it was bitter but still had soul (not to mention a magnificent cap-off with "The Meadow"). There is just nothing on this album that really stuck out for me. Yeah, it was listenable, but nothing on here made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Aside from "Suck It Up," there really isn't a BAD song on here, but just nothing special. MCUD's (or Jahred's) vocals are about the only thing improved on here. He sings in perfect harmony on a lot of tracks and ditches a lot of the dirty-rap (Nope, no sequel to "Crazy Legs" here). But unfortunately the rest of the band is just going through the motions and nothing was put into the songwriting. I basically feel the same way about this CD as I feel about bands like Trustcompany and Hoobastank; yeah, it's good to listen to, but after awhile, there's nothing there. I'm sure I'll listen to this CD a lot, but I know by this time next year, I will have forgotten about it.

Here's the deal. I seen (hed)PE a few years back at Ozzfest. I loved them and bought the first two CDs. Love'em. When I found out they had a third one out I couldn't wait. Having bought the CD and after many many times being played. I can say without question this is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE CDs. Just great from start to finish. With an awesome stride being hit at tracks 3 thru 7. There best CD yet without question.Don't listen to what others say about it being to "mainstream". whatever? Sounds like more of the same when people's idea of what "their band" should be when it's not their personal secert only they think they know about. Someone even said in a review the lyrics are "to personal". WHA-HUH!?!? Shouldn't all song writing be that way? This album hit home with me in many ways. The music is great. The lyrics, while personal of course, spoke to things going on in my life.I also told a friend about this CD. He's a Korn & Limp fan so I told him to give this a try. HE loved it. Can't get enough.Like I said before a great string of songs goes from 3 thru 7 but that's not to say the others are bad. My favs are: Half the Man, Blackout, Crazy Life, & Suck it Up.If radio gave this CD a chance it would have 4 hit songs easy. Buy it, love it, tell a friend.

I really like the various styles of the album, e.g. Half the man, Other Side, Flesh and Bone, Dangerous, Suck it up, ...