So recently I went to the Anthrax/Black Label Society/Hatebreed show and I thought you know who hasn’t been up on the chopping block is Hatebreed. Now I feel like I’ve seen them live a lot more times but after seeing them put me on a Hatebreed kick so let’s take a look…………….
Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire- so I know these guys get the label metalcore thrown at them but this record is a straight hardcore record. Like it’s one of those no nonsense records. Jamey Jastas’ voice sounds a lot like those hardcore vocalists. Some of it can be a bit repetitive but overall, not a bad way to start. I’ll give it 8/10
Standouts: Empty Promises, Before Dishonor, Mark My Words
Perseverance- ok now here we go. It’s been a long time since I heard anything from this record and I forgot how great this one is. Like most bands have their opening track with some sort of intro but here they go right into it. Still got that pure hardcore sound to it but now there is some “metalness” added to it. Definitely one of their definitive records and I’m giving this one 10/10.
Standouts: Proven, Final Prayer, Remain Nameless
The Rise Of Brutality- I feel like on this one, Jamey’s voice has that mix of Phil Anselmo meets Max Cavalera. Anyway, this one is another good record but maybe not as memorable as Perseverance. I’ll give this one 7/10
Standouts: Live For This, Tear It Down, This Is Now
Supremacy- I remember getting the MTV 2 Headbanger’s Ball cd and hearing the song To The Threshold. Then of course they would play that song live. It’s a good song as is the rest of the album and I think it’s safe to say that they’ve found a formula that works. This is also the album that gave us the song Destroy Everything. So I guess you could say that this album gave us some of their live staples. Anyway, I’ll give this one 9/10
Standouts: Give Wings To My Triumph, Defeatist, Never Let It Die
Kingdom Of Sorrow- yes I know that there isn’t a Hatebreed album called Kingdom Of Sorrow but Jamey Jasta teamed up with Kirk Windstein from Crowbar and Down. So if you ever wanted to hear how Hatebreed would sound if they went sludge or even then check this out. Is it anything groundbreaking? No not really but it’s different from Hatebreed that’s for sure. Anyway, I’ll give this one 8/10
Standouts: Hear This Prayer For Her, Lead The Ghosts Astray, Begging For The Truth
For The Lions- ah yes the obligatory covers album. Here we have covers of Slayer, Madball, The Misfits, and more. It’s actually a pretty good covers album. I find that covers albums can either be great or not so great but here they do a good job. I’ll give this 8/10
Standouts: Ghosts Of War, Refuse Resist, I’m In Pain
Hatebreed- this is the album where I really started to get into this band. This one seems to be their most focused album and certainly their most cohesive album since Perseverance. I think when I got it I had it in the CD player for a month straight. This also has two of my favorite Hatebreed songs those being Between Hell And A Heartbeat and Become The Fuse. Definitely check this record out and I’m definitely giving this one 10/10
Standouts: Become The Fuse, Between Hell And A Heartbeat, Through The Thorns
Behind The Blackest Tears- the second and final Kingdom Of Sorrow record. This one to me has more of a Down sound going for it than the other one. It’s a bit more blues-ey than the other KOS record too. I do like the way that Kirk and Jamey do vocal trade offs. This is a really cool record and if you wanted to hear what Down sounded like with Jamey Jasta on vocals, you might want to check this one out. I’ll give this one 9/10
Standouts: The Death We Owe, Enlightened To Extinction, Behind The Blackest Tears
The Divinity Of Purpose- to me this one could be a part 2 from their self titled record. Now is there any variation between the songs? No not really but for some reason I find myself going back to this one more and more. Anyway, this is definitely a great follow up from their last record so I’ll give this 9.5/10
Standouts: Honor Never Dies, Dead Man Breathing, Bitter Truth
The Concrete Confessional- one thing that people who don’t know this band very well will say that all their albums sound the same and while that might be true to a certain extent, on here we actually get to hear Jamey sing on one or two songs. If you actually listen to the lyrics, they are actually pretty political too. This is a great record and I’m going back and forth as to what to give it but ultimately I’m going to give it 10/10
Standouts: A.D., Something’s Off, Walking The Knife
Weight Of The False Self- this one has that Concrete vibe to it and one would think that at this point they would be a parody of themselves but that isn’t the case here. Now I did enjoy this one but it’s not quite as strong as the previous and yes there are some songs where there is some actual singing but it’s not a lot. I’ll give this one 8.5/10
Standouts: Let Them All Rot, Dig Your Way Out, From Gold To Gray
This was one of those deep dives that was a lot of fun and if you’ve never seen Hatebreed then you are definitely missing out. These guys are one of most fun bands to see live so if you haven’t seen them yet definitely do so.
Final Grade: A
Album Rankings:
- Perseverance
- Hatebreed
- The Concrete Confessional
- The Divinity Of Purpose
- Supremacy
- Behind The Blackest Tears
- Weight Of False Self
- For The Lions
- Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire
- Kingdom Of Sorrow
- The Rise Of Brutality
Sinister Reviews 