Customer Reviews

Hatebreed [Vinyl]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't believe that I have been listening to Hatebreed for over 10 years now. Back then their songs were the soundtrack to my life and the barriers I was overcoming. This album is more of the same and although I'm not as angry as when I was younger and my life is actually pretty good, these Hatebreed songs can help inspire anybody that is going through some adversities in life. To me Hatebreed has always been more about the message than anything else.

It's too bad that Supremacy wasn't as well promoted as Hatebreed had hoped it'd be. It was a good record. So after leaving Roadrunner Records, they signed an interim deal with Koch Records to put out a few releases before they figured out where they wanted to go with the next record. Soon came Live Dominance, a badass live dvd with a killer show filmed in Detroit featuring a long setlist of some of their heaviest, and best songs ever written. Then there was For The Lions, the covers album featuring songs written by Slayer, Metallica, Cro-Mags, Suicidal Tendencies, Black Flag, and many others. A live album that was recorded in Texas with Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Hellyeah) co-producing was promised, but has not been released to this day (where's my live cd, Hatebreed?). Anyway, here we are with the band's self-titled effort which sees them back on an independent label after spending time putting out records on Universal and Roadrunner, this time on E1 Music (formerly Koch Records). Longtime guitarist Sean Martin is gone, but longtime friend and ex-guitarist Wayne Lozinak is back and is showing that he hasn't slowed down one bit. I know it seems cliché to say that the band has matured as they really haven't matured much over the years, but this record is probably about as mature as it gets. The band has found a way to keep things fresh this time rather than putting out another album with the same sound as they have with the last couple of records. There's actually some thrash metal moments, and Jamey Jasta even tries out some use of clean vocals to make it more interesting. Overall, a devastating record. I almost passed on this thinking that Supremacy would be the last great record the band would put out. From Perseverance and onward, each album got heavier and heavier, and I wasn't sure where they'd go with the new one. This shows me they've got more tricks than I thought.

So it is absolutely no secret that the popular buzz surrounding this album is that it finds Hatebreed taking a few clearly huge (or at least substantial) strides towards experimentalism. Although when considering just how much the sound has changed for this 2009 self-titled effort, a more accurate description would have to be "musical maturity/growth" and "evolution." And it is high darn time that the group started to do something new with their sound! After all, "Hatebreed" marks the sixth release from the studio, and seventh record, overall. Hatebreed formed many years ago -- a decade and a half, to be exact -- way back in 1994. The following year (1995) was when their official debut (the really brief - and almost E.P.-esque -- "Under The Knife"); although they never really got going as band until their popularity boomed in 2002. And soon after signing to a major label and releasing "Rise Of Brutality" in 2003, Jamey Jasta and his men enjoyed much more success and fame when the metalcore genre started up , and began to spread widely across the nation. (Plus, being one of the first to hail out of Connecticut/Massachusetts gave them an inside edge.) But even despite being apart of record labels like Roadrunner, selling a fairly whopping amount of discs, and garnering much attention in the world of heavy music (including that of Slayer's Kerry King, who had a cameo on "Perseverance"), Hatebreed never went soft for the duration of their decade-plus of existence. They did, however, undergo quite a bit of negative feedback and unfair scrutiny from many-a-hardcore diehard. Purists hated how the sound changed over the years, shifting away from the traditional hardcore taken on said debut, and discovering a distinctly more metallic fervor in recent years. As a result, this band now has more in common with the current thrashy metalcore, groove metal, and moshcore scene than old-school hardcore.

"Hatebreed" definitely continues in this "more metal" tradition. But the reason it is such a noteworthy release is because of it possesses a few elements that are unquestionably no where to be found on any of the five previous full-lengths. No? Well, get a load of this: A track called "Undiminished" is a beautiful interlude complete with nice, lightly-plucked strings, bloated, docile harmonies that soar overhead, and astonishingly accomplished melodic soloing. The end result is a textured, prog-lite interlude that would be a perfect fit coming from the likes of In Flames, Burst, Misery Signals, and Killswitch Engage. (Take a minute to pick your jaw up from the ground!) Elsewhere, it is not uncommon to find the album flirting with restraint and slow(er) tempos, as in the few textured, ringing chords heard in the intro of "Not My Master." Then there's the beginning of the next tune, "Between Hell And A Heartbeat." Despite its metalcore-lite title, sludgy, droning guitars, plodding tempos, and foreboding stoner metal-derived repetition are what dominate its arrangements. As one last prime example, consider the eleventh song, "Worlds Became Untruth," which takes-on a positively doomy note, thus becoming extremely dark, moody, and ominous. It features gnawing, depressive power chords, walls of feedback, and a really cool, grumbling, downtuned bass intro. As you can see, the experimentalism on tap, here, is by no stretch of the imagination great or expansive. There are just enough refreshing new-ish elements to make this a certain step-forward from 2006's "Supremacy," and a standout in Hatebreed's discography. Plus, if nothing else, it is enough to prevent the band from becoming stale for a few more years.

Most of the songs, though, are a different story - much different. Most of them actually have more in common with thrash and groove metal than anything else. Thus, they usually more-closely resemble the halcyon days of Slayer, Pantera, Obituary, Machine Head, Kreator, and Anthrax than those of, say, Black Flag, Cro-Mags, Madball, and Sick Of It All. "Chaos A.D."-era Sepultura, Terror's "Always The Hard Way," and latter-day Ringworm (i.e. think "Justice Replaced By Revenge" and later) frequently come to mind, too. "Every Lasting Scar," "As Deranged As Me," "Pollution Of The Soul" and the especially-breakneck "Hands Of A Dying Man are but a handful of songs that well-illustrate this relentless attack of modern thrash. Aside from maybe "Every Lasting Scar," a Prong-style industrial-strength chugger, all of these rip-roaring speedsters are blazing fast and stuffed full of great, scorching, Slayer-esque riffing, deft, thundering drums, visceral vocals, and occasional thrashy solos. Moreover, cuts like the big-chorus'd early standout "In Ashes They Shall Reap" (which could be a Corrosion Of Conformity or D.R.I.-b-side), "Merciless Tide" (which tucks in a couple surprisingly good and ripping guitar solos), and the terrifically Slayer-iffic continue in this vein, thus further upping the intensity level.

"Through The Thorns", and the powerful opener that is "Become The Pulse" will both satisfy any fan when they get a hankering for the heavy stuff. In addition, the latter two listed in this bunch are of particular note, and both among the whole set's biggest standouts. Pantera, Lamb Of God, The Haunted, Overkill, Motorhead, and early Metallica are clear inspirations behind "Become The Pulse"'s smoking thrash speeds and blistering interplay. But even if it is a satiating riff-fest with guitars that race by with blood-pumping buzzsaw insistence; the main highlight behind this inexorable sprint is Jamey's commanding and memorable vocals - including full-bodied screams, catchy vocal hooks, huge choruses, potent refrains, and (most importantly) brutal, Barney Greenway-lite amelodic hardcore barks and bellows. Plus, "Through The Thorns" features an adherently rhythmic, deep, and rambunctious groove that recalls many-a-great Pantera classic. The guitars grind away like "Dimebag" Darrel/Acid Bath while the drums concoct driving thrash beats and thunderous rhythms. It is also easy to dig Jamey's catchy, classic hardcore call-and-response vocals, too. (Hence, on than note, "Through The Thorns", in a lot of ways, recalls "Becoming The Pulse," because, at least from a vocal standpoint, they are both sure to tickle the fancy of every hardcore purist's fancy.) And I have to mention this -- there is a part in "Thorns" where all of the other instruments -- except the bass -- drop off, leaving the four-stringer alone to play a hidden, but still effective and noteworthy mini-bass solo.

Rounding out the set is one last batch of songs - only these are about as close to pure hardcore as you're gonna get. The vast majority of "Not My Master" -- and its catchy, Anthrax/Biohazard-ish gang shouts and memorable vocal patterns -- would make any N.Y.C.H. originators proud. Next, The aforementioned slow, restrained beginning not withstanding, "Between Hell...", with its meaty chug and churn riffs intertwined with forceful double-kick slamming, takes a page out of the Fear Factory playbook (although Hatebreed still adhere to the almighty hard/moshcore chug and breakdown most of the time). Finally, we get the power-violence-worthy "Everyone Bleeds Now," which despite having careening Eighties thrash guitar interplay and a fiery, Slayer-iffic solo, is not unlike the aforementioned "Become The Pulse" in that raging, visceral, foundation-shaking vocals (including a nasty little a capella part); "No Halos For The Heartless" an adherently Meshuggah/The Acacia Strain-reminiscent mosher with rubbery, lock-step unison guitars, booming rhythms, hooky gang shouts, and slamdanceable breakdowns; and the closing "Escape" (a competent Metallica cover that might as well be from the 2009 covers album, "For The Lions"). These three tracks are very heavy, straightforward, fairly simplistic, and stripped of all excess fat, trimmings, and speed metal tendencies. In brief, they all really to flesh-out the band's raw and abrasive roots in hardcore, and are sure to please all-but the genre's absolute most insatiable purists.

Just when you thought Hatebreed couldn't get any louder and heavier, they crank out their best album yet! Hatebreed's self titled release combines everything you love about hatebreed and puts it all together again. I own every Hatebreed album they have released and while I was disappointed with there last album which was a cover album called "For The Lions", which had them changing their style to fit the other bands who did the songs Hatebreed covered. On thier fifth release self titled album they continue the Hatebreed tradition and provide better lyrics and raise the intensity. These guys sound better than ever and show you that they are unstoppable when it comes to hardcore metal.

If you liked their other albums you will love this one. It sounds like Hatebreed on steriods and louder than ever. Thank you Hatebreed for your best album with fresh lyrics and that powerful hardcore style.

I'll be honest, there's not one song I don't like on here. Right from the brutal opener "Become the Fuse" to the magnificent cover of Metallica's "Escape", this album is a no-holes barred, take-no-prisoners combat shotgun of a CD that is excellent played LOUD- VERY LOUD. It also features original axemen members of Hatebreed, Wayne Lozinak and Frank Novinec on guitars. Also note, Jamey Jasta's brutal roar is stronger than ever, and one excellent instrumental song on here, entitled "Undiminished", features a light and melancholic piano outro, and, on the first single, "In Ashes They Shall Reap", he even sings a little. A different direction for the right way of shaping this monster of a metal record indeed. I will include my ratings for each song on here:

1. Become the Fuse - 10/10
2. Not My Master - 10/10
3. Between Hell and A Heartbeat - 10/10
4. In Ashes They Shall Reap - 10/10
5. Hands of A Dying Man - 10/10
6. Everyone Bleeds Now - 10/10
7. No Halos for The Heartless - 10/10
8. Through the Thorns - 10/10
9. Every Lasting Scar - 10/10
10. As Damaged As Me - 9/10
11. Words Became Untruth - 10/10
12. Undiminished - 10/10
13. Merciless Tide - 10/10
14. Pollution of the Soul - 10/10
15. Escape (Metallica cover) - 11/10 KILLER!!!

very good album, great from the first song to the last. good and heavy \m/

I'm totally impressed right now. This is two in a row from Hatebreed I absolutely love. I thought Hatebreed was on their way out after "Supremacy" but "For The Lions" and "Hatebreed" have totally shocked me. This album has elements of Metallica, Slayer, Crowbar and of course Hatebreed. There's even an instrumental track on here that's excellent. It's heavy as hell in a thrash metal way. Fans of the hardcore genre won't be too impressed but metal fans should love it!!! Support your local Hatebreed!!!

Hatebreed's most metal album. Has a few punk influences, guitar solos, instrumental track. Definately their most diverse album so far.

So, I'll always have a deep respect for Jamey and Hatebreed, but unfortunately, I feel that they've grown stale over the years. Early Hatebreed like "Under the Knife" which is actually a combination of two separate recordings, had so much character and rawness compared to the last few albums. For me, this is a big part of what made them so heavy and bone crushing. The songs were also short and sweet, every riff counted...no filler. For the past several years, all their albums have just sounded the same, as well as being produced so well, that the rawness is lost...there's just no uniqueness there. Obviously, they are talented and the songs are always solid..I just find myself bored listening to it these days. I'd love to see them get really bold, and put out a record where the recording isn't so perfect and has true character. Bring back the loud-ass high pitched snare and simple song structure where every riff counts...no filler. Regardless of my dissapointment, much respect to the legendary Hatebreed.

Hatebreed's fourth studio release from 2006, "Supremacy" (which was their first and only album from Roadrunner Records) was a great album despite the fact it wasn't as well promoted as the bands had hoped it'd be which was a shame. So afterwards, Hatebreed parted ways with Roadrunner, and in April 2008, they signed with E1 Music (formerly Koch Records), and they released a live DVD titled "Live Dominace" later that year. Now, here in 2009, Hatebreed have once again returned with two new great releases, first releasing a cover album titled "For The Lions" in May, then later in September releasing their self titled fifth album. This album is simply the best and most strongest release that Hatebreed has put out. With Zeuss's top notch production, this album combines everything fans love about Hatebreed and puts it all together in one devastating package. The musicianship is more intense, the lyrics are better than ever, and there's even some thrash metal moments thrown in as well especially on "Hands of a Dying Man", and "Between Hell and a Heartbeat". Jamey Jasta's screams are more venomous than ever, and he also tries out some clean vocals to make things more interesting. This album starts off with the strong opening cut "Become The Fuse", and is followed by two scorching and blistering monsters "Not My Master" and "Between Hell and a Heartbeat" (the former track is highlighted by vicious machine gun riffage by guitarists Wayne Lozinak and Frank Novinec, and machine gun double bass feet kicking by drummer Matt Byrne). Track four "In Ashes They Shall Reap" is the album's first single and the best song here in my opinion as well. I just love how the song begins with some guitar distortion and then Jasta belts out the opening line, "Born to Bleed", "Fighting to Succeed", "Built to Endure What This World Throws at Me". Then Chris Beattie's bass kicks in, and then the heavy, scorching, buzzsaw guitars and a simple yet catchy and pulse pounding drum beat quickly join in. This song really gets my pulse pounding everytime I hear it, I just love it. Track five "Hands of a Dying Man" is another favorite of mine here which thrashes right from the get go with fast, hammering drumwork, thrashy steamrolling riffs, and there's also a brief, but blazing guitar solo thrown in which is cool. There's also a great breakdown near the end as well. Other highlights on this album include "Everyone Bleeds Now", "Through the Thorns", "Merciless Tide", "Every Lasting Scar", "Words Became Untruth", and the 4 minute doomy instrumental track "Undiminished" which features some excellent melodic soloing, as well as a nice piano outro in the end. Overall, this is an awesomely devastating album from start to finish, and these guys have shown us that they find ways to keep things fresh and interesting without ever getting stale or something like that. When it comes to real powerful and intense hardcore metal, Hatebreed are unstoppable. Highly Recommended...