Legendary SoCal artists (HED) P.E. have revealed the first single from the upcoming Class of 2020 album, “First Blood.”
“I wanted it to sound like the best garage band ever,” explains frontman Jared Gomes. “Like you went to your friend’s band practice and were totally blown away. This track kicks off the record and I can’t wait to open the show with it at a club near you. It will fuckin’ shred. One guitar, one bass, one riddim, one mic. Definitely some ’70s punk rock influence. The Clash and Minor Threat were on my mind a lot. The pendulum swung and whereas the last album was futuristic, this one is bare bones. These tracks will translate in the club. Straight up non-apologetic ‘merican rock and roll.”
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.
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.
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.
