Legendary SoCal artists (HED) P.E. have revealed the second single from the upcoming Class of 2020 album, “Death Awaits.”
“The Great Equalizer. Here is a situation where I thought I was being original, only to find out Shakespeare himself had used the words Death Awaits and so have other writers of note. Christian, Atheist and Buddhist alike share the same fate,” commented (HED) P.E. frontman Jared Gomes. “My YouTube yogi Sadhguru said we’d all be better off if we contemplated our death once a day. More and more, people are less concerned with the afterlife and trying to create heaven on earth, which as it should be.”
On Class of 2020, (HED) P.E. gets back to the raw essentials, utilizing old-school punk-rock guitar tones and aggressive, unfiltered vocal stylings at the core of their trademark sound. Longtime fans will find that Class of 2020 is a return to the classic sound of early (HED) P.E. albums. The album is set for an August 21 release date via legendary Californian independent label Suburban Noize Records. The date also marks the 20th anniversary of the group’s breakthrough album, Broke. Preorders for Class of 2020 are available now at https://shop.srh.com/collections/hed-p-e-class-of-2020.
(HED) P.E. will be discussing the new single “Death Awaits” on the band’s weekly interactive Livestream broadcast today (Friday, August 14) via the band’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/hedpe/ or YouTube page located at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-reWg3OvGo9eJnGAp9k-Mw.
In an effort to bring Class of 2020 around full circle and connect it with (HED) P.E.’s impressive back catalog, the album cover is an homage to the group’s breakthrough album Broke, which celebrates its 20th anniversary a day after the new studio album is released. While planning to the milestone anniversary for (HED) P.E., Jared was able to connect with former members DJ Product and original guitarist Chad “Chizad” Benekos and rekindle their creative flame. DJ Product created artwork for the Class of 2020 album and added his trademark scratching over some tracks, while original (HED) P.E. guitarist Chizad blessed the band with a blazing solo on “Greedy Girl.” The unholy union that many fans never thought possible came together to connect the past and present incarnations of (HED) P.E. and to enhance Class of 2020 in a meaningful way.
(HED) P.E. are the pioneers of the G-Punk sound, which fuses together punk-rock, metal, hip-hop and reggae. The band has toured the world for 20 years sharing the stage with the likes of Suicidal Tendencies, System of a Down, KORN, Tech N9ne, Tool as well as the original Black Sabbath on the iconic Ozzfest tour. (HED) P.E. experienced a creative resurgence after signing with Suburban Noize Records in the early 2000s and was instrumental in developing the booming underground scene.
