“You want to start with a bang and end with a bang.””
When I kicked off this look at the New American Metal Movement, I wanted to start with a band that encapsulated what the scene was: Lamb of God. To end things, a band with an equally impressive pedigree; a band that takes all the subtle nuance the aggressive genre has to offer and presents it in an explosive package of grit, anger and abrasive metal goodness.
Who?
Connecticut’s Hatebreed, a band that made a name for itself on the Northeastern hardcore circuit with an impressive debut EP and slowly began to embrace a more metal approach to its art.
The group’s 1997 full-length debut on Victory Records, “Satisfaction is the Death of Desire,” only solidified the group’s standing in the eyes of metal and hardcore fans. But it was clear that Hatebreed was beginning to grow beyond its hardcore roots. Tracks on the “Satisfaction…” disc seemed cut short and clearly could have been pulled apart and expanded upon.
As the band’s star grew, inspiration and artistic growth followed. The group was soon touring on the annual Ozzfest jaunt and completed a stint on the inaugural Tattoo The Earth tour, sharing the stage with bands like Slipknot and Slayer. It seems the latter had the most profound effect on the band’s sound.
Returning to the studio and releasing “Perseverance” five years after that Victory Records full-length debut, Hatebreed had grown into a full-bore metal goliath, complete with a thick sound culled right from the loins of Slayer: crushing riffs, sick pit breakdowns and oppressive vocals. The group followed-up a year later but “The Rise of Brutality” had all the earmarks of a release not fully realized, sounding instead like a rehash of “Perseverance” but lacking the soul. Hatebreed took its time for the next release, due out later this year … but for now we look at a true new classic, an album that should rightly go down as one of the best metal releases of the decade ….
Hatebreed
Perseverance
Universal
Fans’ usual fears when a band makes the move from an independent label to the big leagues … especially a band with as loyal a following as Hatebreed. Such fears would prove to be completely unfounded. Sure, the band grew beyond the hardcore label, but hardcore can be a one-dimensional genre* for the most part and implementing a metal style to its sound only helped bring Hatebreed to a place the band was surely headed in the long run.
(*As a fan of the hardcore genre, I can only point to a handful of acts that really pull of a unique twist on the root of the sound. In turn, most hardcore bands tend to pull a metal or industrial flavor to their work anyway. It’s not a knock on the genre, simply my opinion on a genre I have great respect and love for.)
Hatebreed took the core of the hardcore sound its had grown comfortable in and turned everything up to 10. The songs grew from one- to two-minute tastes into complete metal anthems. With notorious (at least in New England circles) producer Zeuss at the controls, the band was able to craft these slick, riff-heavy soundtracks of brutality. Every song has a nice little hook, crazy double-bass drum kicks, bass lines that strangle anything in their paths and riffs that tear through the speakers. Live, it’s impossible to not jump into the pit when any of the album’s tracks explode: “Proven,” “You’re Never Alone,” “We Still Fight,” the title-track, along with my personal favorites, “A Call for Blood” and “I Will Be Heard.”
Almost every track has the requisite group sung chorus for added (anthem) effect. Kerry King even graces the band with an appearance.
Could I break down each and every track for the reader? Sure, each has a unique element to love. Is it necessary? Not at all. In short, this is a total package of no-nonsense, pedal-to-floor, heart-stopping metal.
Like I mentioned above, Hatebreed followed-up this sick release only a year later. Perhaps more time could have been put into “Rise…” It’s a solid release, but, like I said, it lacks a certain amount of soul that seethes off of “Perseverance.” I’m not sure what more time would have produced. But we’ll all know soon enough when “Supremacy” hits shelves in a couple of weeks.
But look at what the band has become in a little less than a decade. From cult hardcore masters to metals gods; front man Jamie Jasta has practically become the face of metal, joining forces with Crowbar main man Kirk Windstein in Kingdom of Sorrow, fronting Icepick, starting up the Aggressive Music Festival and hosting the reborn Headbanger’s Ball on MTV2. Not bad for a little band out of Connecticut.
There’s a reason that I wanted to end things with Hatebreed. This is THE album for all metal fans to go out and pick up when it comes to the new breed of metal. This album just does it for me … it has everything that I love about metal tied up in a thunderous little package. Go get it now …
And that’s that. Until next time, take it easy. Stay tuned and enjoy the ride …
Stay tuned next week as a take a less in depth glance at the new classics from across the pond … the European masters of extreme.
Lamb of God’s “As the Palaces Burn.”
Killswitch Engage’s “Alive or Just Breathing/The End of Heartache.”
Slipknot’s “Iowa.”
Fear Factory’s “Obsolete.”
Shadows Fall’s “The Art of Balance.”
Tool’s “Aenima.”
Machine Head’s “Through the Ashes of Empires.”
Mastodon’s “Leviathan.”
Byzantine’s “And They Shall Take Up Serpents.”
Anthrax’s “We’ve Come For You All.”
Trivium’s “Ascendancy.”
Rob Zombie’s “Hellbilly Deluxe.”
Unearth’s “The Oncoming Storm.”
Zakk Wylde’s “1919 Eternal.”
American Head Charge’s “The War of Art.”
All That RemainsThis Darkened Heart.”
Another Society’s “Blood Wrong.”
Slayer’s “Diabolus in Musica.”
Biohazard’s “Kill or Be Killed.”
