Hatebreed: Honor Never Dies – new video

They are such optimists, HATEBREED, aren’t they? In today's world where common sense is in seriously short supply, they claim that “sometimes standing for what you believe means standing alone”. ‘Honor (also running short these days) Never Dies’ comes off HATEBREED's highly successful sixth album ‘The Divinity Of Purpose’ (well yes, “purpose” – it’s been ages since I’ve ate one of those), issued on Razor & Tie and Nuclear Blast Records in January 2013. Nevertheless, ‘The Divinity Of Purpose’ turned out a career high for the band, debuting at number 20 on the Billboard Top 200 (conquering Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums chart among other achievements), with over 17,000 copies sold in its first week. HATEBREED's sixth longplayer was co-produced by Zeuss, Josh Wilbur and the band, and its artwork created by Eliran Kantor (click here (YouTube) to hear it explained by vocalist Jamey Jasta). Get your own copy of the album here (Nuclear Blast Europe) or via iTunes and/or Amazon:

“HATEBREED sixth long-player is as reliable as black electrical tape and as brutal as the current it shields,” [wrote James Christopher Monger, AllMusic] Jasta's intense delivery remains unchanged, relying on a conversational, Henry Rollins-esque cadence that flirts with melody without ever closing the deal. He’s more of a commanding officer than a ringmaster, providing instruction and inspiration with equal amounts of gruff flare, resulting in a sort of stoic pummeling that promises the listener a well-deserved endorphin release. Musically, HATEBREED sticks with the blueprints that they used to build previous outings, but there’s an impressive sense of workmanship to ‘Divinity Of Purpose’ that suggests a steady diet of more traditional metal.” [More here]

Assembled in 1993 in Bridgeport, Connecticut with a purpose of creating a “back to basics hardcore band with heavy, metallic guitars, screaming vocals, and 30-second songs”, HATEBREED released six studio albums to date. They have also managed a Grammy nomination in 2004, and have managed to get wrongfully accused of being “white power” band by the mighty CNN (who later apologized for the mistake). Described as “these scary-looking, tattooed dudes from Connecticut” by Adam Bregman, AllMusic (more here), HATEBREED successfully crossed over from hardcore to the metal scene with their debut LP decisively titled ‘Satisfaction Is the Death Of Desire’, released through Victory Records in 1997, preceded by a compilation EP, Under The Knife’, and a split 7” with INTEGRITY. Rated nearly perfect by AllMusic, their second album, ‘Perseverance’, followed in 2002 on Universal Distribution.

“Crowd reaction and participation have always been hallmarks of the hardcore and thrash genres. It’s probably the ultimate goal of any music to entertain, to illicit some kind of response from the listener. But within these enclaves - especially hardcore - the musicians can become mouthpieces for the mob, their songs vessels for carrying a collective meaning. While that conduit's energy has been sapped somewhat by shifting allegiances and new influences both in and outside of loud rock, it’s remained one of HATEBREED's guiding principles,”

introduced HATEBREED's 2003's album, ‘The Rise Of Brutality’, AllMusic's Johnny Loftus (more here). The album shoot to number 30 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and its anthem, ‘Live for This’, was nominated for a Grammy. Next, HATEBREED turned to Roadrunner Records through which they unleashed their fourth full-length, Zeuss-produced ‘Supremacy’ in 2006, which peaked at position 31 on the Billboard charts.In 2009, the band conjured a cover album for Koch Records/eOne entitled ‘For The Lions’ and a mere four months later issued their fifth album, ‘Hatebreed’, which introduced two new guitarists, Frank Novinec and Wayne Lozinak, and a new drummer Matt Byrne, making vocalist Jamey Jasta and bassist Chris Beattie the only two founding members. 

HATEBREED features: Jamey Jasta – vocals, Frank Novinec – guitar, Chris Beattie – bass, Wayne Lozinak - guitar and Matt Byrne – drums