Only in Amerika
| Only in Amerika | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||
| Studio album by Hed p.e. | ||||||||||
| Released | October 19, 2004 | |||||||||
| Genre |
Rapcore Nu metal Rap metal Thrash metal (only "The truth") | |||||||||
| Length | 50:22 | |||||||||
| Label | Koch | |||||||||
| Producer | Jahred Gomes, Sean E | |||||||||
| Hed PE chronology | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Only in Amerika is the fourth studio album by American rapcore band Hed PE. Released on Koch Records on October 19, 2004, it is the band's first release on an independent label and the first album featuring guitarist Jaxon Benge and ex-Otep drummer Mark "Moke" Bistany. It peaked at #20 on the Top Independent Albums chart and at #186 on the Billboard 200.[1]
Music
Similarly to Hed PE's previous albums, only in Amerika is a fusion of styles ranging from Hip-Hop to Hardcore Punk and Heavy Metal[2] with occasional elements of Crunk, Horrorcore, Funkcore, Dirty South, and Porn Groove. Johnny Loftus wrote that Only in Amerika is a "thrash-hop spew [which] takes cues from Anthrax, Korn, Dirty South, pre-acting career Ice-T, and the uncompromising Psychopathic Records collective."[3] Overall, Only in Amerika is much heavier and more chaotic than the band's previous albums, courtesy of Jaxon's heavy down-tuned 7-string guitar grooves, Bistany's drumming, and a new level of independent label explicitness in Jahred's lyrics. Apart from the obvious hip-hop influence present on all Hed PE releases, Amerika is much more metal-oriented than the band's debut album, which is primarily hip-hop driven but contains elements of punk rock and alternative, 2000's Broke, which continues the band's original style while incorporating world music, reggae, and ska influences, and 2003's Blackout, which showcases a more melodic hard rock sound while lessening the hip-hop presence.
Lyrical themes
- Partying, clubbing, casual sex, apathy, alcoholism, drug abuse, cannabis smoking, gun ownership, disregard for authority, and vulgar use of free speech presented as key themes of American culture
- Sexual encounters involving promiscuous women and taboos including sodomy and statutory rape
- Condemnation of corporations, the Federal Communications Commission, consumerism, and globalization as well as modern youth and popular music subculture while promoting underground music subculture
- Depression and self-medication
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| Melodic.net |  [4] |
In his review of the album, Johnny Loftus wrote that "[the album] wants to be a confrontational megaphone in the ear of conservatives, but Jahred's torrential rhetoric is too messy and blatantly offensive to incite anything but superficial anger, and the music -- though occasionally explosive -- takes a backseat to the ranting."[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Foreplay" | Jahred; Jaxon | 1:32 | |
| 2. | "Represent" | Jahred; Jaxon | 4:20 | |
| 3. | "The Truth" | Jahred; Jaxon | 3:03 | |
| 4. | "Wake Up" | Jahred | 4:35 | |
| 5. | "War" | Jahred | 3:49 | |
| 6. | "The Box" | Jahred; Jaxon | 3:28 | |
| 7. | "CBC" | Jahred | 3:33 | |
| 8. | "Voices" | Jahred | 3:13 | |
| 9. | "Raise Hell" | Jahred | 5:09 | |
| 10. | "Amerikan Beauty" | Jahred | 3:56 | |
| 11. | "Chicken" | Jahred | 4:22 | |
| 12. | "Daydreams" | Jahred | 2:43 | |
| 13. | "Not Ded Yet" | Jahred; Jaxon | 3:31 | |
| 14. | "HED" (Hidden) | Jahred | 3:07 | |
Total length: |
50:22 | |||
Personnel
|
|
References
- ↑ "Charts and awards for Only in Amerika". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
- ↑ Sculley, Alan (August 28, 2008). "(Hed) p.e. wants (no) interference". Naperville, Illinois: The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Loftus, Johnny. "Only in Amerika - (hed) p.e.". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
- ↑ Roth, Kaj (2005). "(Hed)PE – Only in Amerika". Melodic.net. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
| ||||||||||||||||||||