You know that rusted-up Z28 on the front lawn in the trailer park that used to be one hell of a car back in its day but is now bagged, smashed up and practically held together with electric tape? The one that despite its sad state is still driven out on the main strip every Friday night like a prized muscle car? Well unfortunately, these days that car and (hed)p.e. have a lot in common. Perhaps the band noticed that after their poorly recieved last album "Only In Amerika", as they now attempt to, well, go back to basics.

So what does this mean? Well, essentially the band are back to revisiting their misogynistic war cries and delving deep into political turmoil and conspiracy theories overtop of loose punk rapmetal. But while earlier incarnations of (hed)p.e. had a knack for catchy grooves, snarling riffs and in your face choruses; much of "Back To Base X" sadly just sounds desperate and threadbare.

The vocals lack punch and sound as though they were tracked in a bathroom studio with an "indoor voice". The guitars are relatively uneventful and often come off as repetitive and boring. The drumming is crisp to the point of being brittle, and while the detuned bass shows off some skillful flavor, it's low position in the muddled mix nullifies its presence. Add in a few samples, some concentrated forays into jazz, dub and more, and this album is laid out in plain menu-like fashion.

The sad part is, there are actually some catchy hooks in place, but everything sounds so half-hearted and lo-fi that you can't help but feel the band are now cardboard cutouts of what they once were. They may have gone "Back To Base X" this time out, but if it keeps up at this pace, many of their once substantial fan base would probably prefer that they didn't come back at all.