Hatebreed - The Concrete Confessional (Album Review)

HATEBREED – The Concrete Confessional

OUT: 13^th May, 2016

HATEBREED Line up:

Jamey Jasta (Vocals)
Wayne Lozinak (Guitar, Vocals)
Frank „3 Gun“ Novinec (Guitar)
Chris Beattie (Bass)
Matt Byrne (Drums)

HATEBREED Online:
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The old adage “If it’s broke, don’t fix it” has been one I have always applied to the DNA of Hatebreed. The band have developed a superpower when it comes to spewing forth brutal riffs made for moshpits around the world.

Having seen Hatebreed in 2012 I can truly attest to this power. Standing foot deep in mud, wet in the rain, watching as Hatebreed pummelled me into hardcore oblivion was probably one of the highlights of my life.

The Concrete Confessional – the band's seventh record does the job of making me wish I was back in that moment. Front-man Jamey Jasta has traded in his brand of personal, positive hardcore lyrics for politically inspired anthems of change and the band he has surrounded himself with do what they do best with each song crushing your spirit.

Album opener ‘A.D’ hits like a rhino fuelled on redbull and steroids, the thrash inspired riffs adding a speed that is reminiscent of Slayer’s more punk fuelled cuts. The songs on the album barely reach the three minute mark with only one hitting above that length, which adds a real sense of brevity, the songs staying around just long enough to pummel your ears and senses into the ground before moving into the next pit anthem.

Not to say that Hatebreed have forgotten their hardcore roots with songs like ‘Something Off’ and ‘Walking the Knife’ recalling their early days with gang vocals and bouncing chugging riffs ensuring that they’ll still remain the number one band for invisible ninja fighting hardcore kids and gym junkies around the world.

Ending the album with ‘Serve Your Masters’ Jasta spits blood with the line “now serve your masters in hell” whilst the band chugs and drums to their final crescendo.

It’s not hard to say that Hatebreed have crafted their best and most immediate album since Supremacy. If The Divinity of Purpose was the culmination of everything they had been working towards since their self-titled album, this album is a return to vintage Hatebreed with a chunkier, beefier metallic thrash/punk sound. Jasta’s most pissed off set of songs yet. Seven albums into their career and Hatebreed still continue spitting out mosh anthems better than anyone else in the genre.

Track listing
1. A.D.
2. Looking Down The Barrel Of Today
3. Seven Enemies
4. In The Walls
5. From Grace We’ve Fallen
6. Us Against Us
7. Something’s Off
8. Remember When
9. Slaughtered In Their Dreams
10. The Apex Within
11. Walking The Knife
12. Dissonance
13. Serve Your Masters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCgozwhkV-g

Listen to our interview with front man, Jamey Jasta talking about the new album and more, here

By Kaydan Howison