(Hed) P.E. New and Improved CD Review
Do not adjust your screen, this is not a drill. You are about to enter the no-holds-barred, brutally honest, gloriously foul-mouthed dimension of music appreciation. Buckle up, bitches, because the kid is about to wax poetic about a band that will no doubt leave your grandma clutching her pearls...
I first crossed paths with the Nu Metal/G-Punk chaos agents known as (Hed) P.E. back in 1998, thanks to their banger “Serpent Boy” making its debut on Dee Snider’s Strangeland soundtrack. Since then, I’ve ridden the wave of this band’s journey like a drunken pirate trying to avoid a hangover, sometimes losing track, but always finding my way back into the fold. Following HED isn’t always easy they’re unpredictable, raw, and somewhere between a basement Punk Rock show and a conspiracy theory rabbit hole. But damn it, I’ve kept it real and snagged every release like it was a stash of vintage Garbage Pail Kids cards.
Now, I know some of you are side eyeing me, thinking “But what about the Rap and Reggae music?” And to that I say, that’s the point. HED is a sonic Frankenstein stitched together with barbed wire and duct tape, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Whether they’re spitting about shadow governments or screaming about making someone “cum” like a bitch in heat, it all hits. It's messy, it's honest, and it's beautiful in that sweat-drenched, alcohol-soaked, middle finger sort of way.
If you’re the sensitive, WOKE sort who needs your music to be sterilized and pre-approved by focus groups, hit the bricks now. This band is for the open-minded misfits who want their tunes with bit of real talk, bruised ego, and no apologies. That said, everyone’s welcome, just don’t be surprised when you get your safe space wrecked.
Flash forward to 2023, these madmen blessed us with “70’s Hits from the Pit”, a cover album that took Punk classics and AM favorites and shoved them into a mosh pit with a spliff in one hand and a Molotov cocktail in the other. They made “Margaritaville” sound like it was recorded inside a haunted tiki bar during a riot.
Now we’re in 2025, and the chaos continues with “New and Improved”, their first release for Cleopatra Records. The theme? All killer, no filler 80’s tracks. I’m talkin’ about the real 80’s hits, the ones you screamed in your bedroom using your hairbrush as a mic. Let’s break this beast down.
The album opens with “Every Breath You Take,” a stalker anthem that’s now been weaponized with Punk Rock intensity and Reggae swagger. Somehow HED takes a song that was already kind of creepy and makes it sound like a love letter written during a prison brawl. The Police’s version was already perfect, but my boyz in HED now own this shit. Then we get their take on Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough.” I never got down with the original tune, but here? I’m grooving like I just discovered ecstasy at a Basement Punk show in 1989.
The crown jewel of the album? “Always On My Mind.” Yeah, that tender little Willie Nelson heart breaker. HED takes it and turns it into something so soulful and spine-tinglingly good, it’s like getting punched in the feels by a Reggae-surfing, Punk-singing angel. Gomes doesn’t just sing, he feels it, like the song owes him money and he’s ready to collect.
Now, let’s talk “Red Red Wine.” Pop radio turned this track into mushy background noise, but HED rescues it with a Punk Rock overhaul. No fancy wine glasses here, this version is brown bagged, maybe spiked with Mad Dog 20/20, and meant to be chugged while flipping the local radio DJ the bird.
“I Melt with You”? Still kick ass. HED’s take gives it a fresh Rocksteady vibe that makes you wanna slow dance with all your bad decisions. Unadulterated nostalgic magic.
Things get weird, but like, the good weird with two AC/DC covers: “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Back in Black.” I appreciate the attempt, but honestly, I’d rather hear HED tear into deeper cuts from the band. “Nick Of Time” anyone?
Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran”? Now we’re talking! Stripped-down, no synth nonsense, just raw drive and dirty guitars. I'd pay money to hear their take on “Space Age Love Song” next just putting that out there.
And then, Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend.” This is not just a cover; this is a tribute with swag. The Punk/Rap/Reggae combo hits like a shot of nostalgia chased with 190 proof. If Biz were still around, he’d be two-stepping to this version, I guarantee it.
The album also drops a Cyndi Lauper grenade with “Time After Time.” It’s emotionally charged, musically tight, and so damned good it made my inner 80’s kid tear up a little bit.
Rounding things out are fresh takes on the band’s own classics “Raise Hell” and “Bartender.” The latter has that “red light, incense burning, let's get weird, do some blow and get naked” vibe. It probably should come with a warning label and a condom.
(Hed) P.E. still has the power to surprise me and that’s saying something after nearly three decades. This album is loud, heartfelt, strange, and a straight-up party. If you grew up in the 80’s like me and you love music that kicks normality in the teeth, this one’s for you.
You don’t just listen to this band, you experience them. Preferably with your fists in the air and your bullshit detector on full blast. So go ahead. Step right up. Get yourself a copy. Pour something strong and light up a fat one. And remember (Hed) P.E. didn’t come to play nice. They came here to wreck you, drink your booze, smoke your weed and fuck your girl...