Hatebreed
Respect It
2008-06-04
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Hatebreed is no stranger to success. The Connecticut natives have risen “literally from people’s backyards” to touring with metal deities Slayer, headlining the second stage of the holy grail of all metal tours, Ozzfest, playing several sold out headlining tours of their own, and even has their lead singer, the ever accommodating and articulate Jamey Jasta, hosting Headbangers Ball on MTV2 for all the world to see. In short, one of the most popular bands in all of metal is actually a hardcore band, and it’s their sincere dedication and connection to those roots that makes Hatebreed one of those bands that isn’t necessarily listened to by everybody, but one that is most certainly respected by everybody.
In a genre whose fans are quicker than any other to scream the words “sell outs!” at the top of their lungs when a band has any type of commercial success, Hatebreed has somehow avoided the label by carrying themselves with the type of humility and gratitude that isn’t often displayed by musicians at the peak of their fame. They are at the same time iconic leaders and humble fans within the hardcore scene, and they are always busy, to say the least.
After recently agreeing to a three-project deal with Koch Records, the band announced they will be releasing a DVD, a live album (produced by none other than the great Vinnie Paul of Pantera/Hellyeah fame), and perhaps the most exciting for fans, a covers album featuring songs by everybody from Metallica and Sepultura to the Misfits, Judge and the Cro-Mags.
“We’re paying homage to all of these bands,” explained Jasta, who took time out to chat with Synthesis fresh off recording the live album the night before in Texas. “We’re showing where it came from.”
“We wanted to take bands that were leaders in their own right, and say, ‘hey, these are bands you might not know about — well some of the bands you obviously know about — but either way, we’re just showing
our respect.’”
Respect seems to be a recurring theme in the Hatebreed world, and it’s fitting that they would treat lesser-known acts such as Negative Approach and Agnostic Front with the same reverence as multi-platinum household names like Metallica.
This is all naturally leading up to the next studio album, which would appear to be set for a spring ‘09 release, and in typical Hatebreed fashion they are going to continue to push the envelope of what a hardcore band
can do.
“A lot of the stuff is written, but right now it’s about landing a new deal, choosing a label and the producer. We’re really going to take the sound to another level on this one, and we’re really going to be more open to working with a producer that we haven’t given a chance to yet,” said Jasta. “I always feel like we can make a better record than the last. It’s going to be interesting, it’s going to be like a challenge, but it’s going to be a good challenge, and at the end of the day this record is going to have more memorable tracks all the way through.”
For a band that has been together for well over a decade now, this would seem like one of the more exciting times in their history, yet as busy as the Hatebreed machine continues to be, the Jamey Jasta machine is even busier. With a seemingly tireless work ethic, he is fronting no less than three other studio projects, as well as doing re-mixes, guest appearances, running his own Stillborn Records label and hosting the aforementioned Headbangers Ball. The latest project Jasta was involved in, Kingdom of Sorrow, features the metal riff king himself Kirk Windstein (Down/Crowbar) and Derek Kerswill (Unearth/Seemless). The band released their debut on Relapse Records in February of this year and charted in the top 200 on Billboard, also landing a slot on this year’s one-date mega-show, Ozzfest. His studio band, Icepick, released an album in April of ‘06 that has sold over 25,000 copies to date with no touring, video or radio promotion, and they’re now working on its follow-up release. All this while Jasta is chipping away at his own solo album and balancing various other commitments. James Brown used to be known as the hardest working man in show business, but his crown may now belong to the dude in the hood at the top of the page.
In a genre whose fans are quicker than any other to scream the words “sell outs!” at the top of their lungs when a band has any type of commercial success, Hatebreed has somehow avoided the label by carrying themselves with the type of humility and gratitude that isn’t often displayed by musicians at the peak of their fame. They are at the same time iconic leaders and humble fans within the hardcore scene, and they are always busy, to say the least.
After recently agreeing to a three-project deal with Koch Records, the band announced they will be releasing a DVD, a live album (produced by none other than the great Vinnie Paul of Pantera/Hellyeah fame), and perhaps the most exciting for fans, a covers album featuring songs by everybody from Metallica and Sepultura to the Misfits, Judge and the Cro-Mags.
“We’re paying homage to all of these bands,” explained Jasta, who took time out to chat with Synthesis fresh off recording the live album the night before in Texas. “We’re showing where it came from.”
“We wanted to take bands that were leaders in their own right, and say, ‘hey, these are bands you might not know about — well some of the bands you obviously know about — but either way, we’re just showing
our respect.’”
Respect seems to be a recurring theme in the Hatebreed world, and it’s fitting that they would treat lesser-known acts such as Negative Approach and Agnostic Front with the same reverence as multi-platinum household names like Metallica.
This is all naturally leading up to the next studio album, which would appear to be set for a spring ‘09 release, and in typical Hatebreed fashion they are going to continue to push the envelope of what a hardcore band
can do.
“A lot of the stuff is written, but right now it’s about landing a new deal, choosing a label and the producer. We’re really going to take the sound to another level on this one, and we’re really going to be more open to working with a producer that we haven’t given a chance to yet,” said Jasta. “I always feel like we can make a better record than the last. It’s going to be interesting, it’s going to be like a challenge, but it’s going to be a good challenge, and at the end of the day this record is going to have more memorable tracks all the way through.”
For a band that has been together for well over a decade now, this would seem like one of the more exciting times in their history, yet as busy as the Hatebreed machine continues to be, the Jamey Jasta machine is even busier. With a seemingly tireless work ethic, he is fronting no less than three other studio projects, as well as doing re-mixes, guest appearances, running his own Stillborn Records label and hosting the aforementioned Headbangers Ball. The latest project Jasta was involved in, Kingdom of Sorrow, features the metal riff king himself Kirk Windstein (Down/Crowbar) and Derek Kerswill (Unearth/Seemless). The band released their debut on Relapse Records in February of this year and charted in the top 200 on Billboard, also landing a slot on this year’s one-date mega-show, Ozzfest. His studio band, Icepick, released an album in April of ‘06 that has sold over 25,000 copies to date with no touring, video or radio promotion, and they’re now working on its follow-up release. All this while Jasta is chipping away at his own solo album and balancing various other commitments. James Brown used to be known as the hardest working man in show business, but his crown may now belong to the dude in the hood at the top of the page.
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