| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING A.D Looking Down The Barrel Of Today Seven Enemies In The Walls From Grace We've Fallen Us Against Us Something's Off Remember When Slaughtered In Their Dreams The Apex Within Walking The Knife Dissonance Serve Your Masters Release Date: May 13, 2016 Label: Nuclear Blast Records Website: www.hatebreed.com www.facebook.com/hatebreed |  |
HATEBREED IS:
Jamey Jasta - Vocals Chris Beatte - Bass Wayne Lozinak - Guitars Matt Byrne - Drums Frank Novinec - Guitars
Jamey Jasta - Vocals Chris Beatte - Bass Wayne Lozinak - Guitars Matt Byrne - Drums Frank Novinec - Guitars
I will fully admit, I'm not that big of a fan of hardcore, but I do have an appreciation for it. Hatebreed is one of the bands that does it right though. After listening to their new album The Concrete Confessional, I knew I had to review it because this album took me by surprise with the punchier production, slamming riffs and crushing vocals. It's definitely the band's most metal sounding album to date. Hatebreed always seem to have crowd participation in mind when writing songs because they fill their albums with bombastic crowd-chanting choruses and gang vocals, which make the songs perfect for any live setting.
Having toured with bands like Slayer, Motorhead, Machine Head, Exodus and Cannibal Corpse over the years, a lot of those influences have rubbed off on Hatebreed because if you listen to the opening track "A.D" for example, there's no way you can possibly say that that song isn't influenced by Slayer. It's just a fist-to-your-face, full-on thrash assault and not many people will expect that from Hatebreed. This is the perfect opening track to the album and would make a perfect opener for a Hatebreed live set. Other tracks that contain thrash influences are "Us Against Us", "The Apex Within" and "Dissonance". There's even a blast-beat section on "Walking The Knife".
The crushing riffs and vocals literally pound you into submission as Jamey Jasta screams about issues like corruption and greed. Aside from his aggressive vocals, which always sound great, Jasta's melodic voice sounds equally as great, and he sings a very hooky melodic vocal line on "Something's Off". This is the album's longest track, clocking in at just under 4 minutes because every other track is under 3 minutes. It's also a slightly slower track, but it's still super groovy and heavy. Do not ever expect ballads from Hatebreed. Along with "A.D" and "Something's Off", one of the album's best tracks is the closer "Serve Your Masters" because the chorus riff is one of the grooviest riffs on the album and is played in both half-time and thrash mode with the drums.
I know that changing your sound can be a double-edged sword, and while Hatebreed sticks to the motto of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", they incorporate enough new elements into their music without moving away too much from their traditional hardcore roots. The only slight flaw about the album is that the half-time grooves can be a little repetitive. However, if you prefer the half-time grooves, songs like "Seven Enemies" and "From Grace We've Fallen" will undoubtedly satisfy you. The latter is another favourite of mine from the album. If you're a hardcore Hatebreed fan, then this album will surely impress you, and who knows, maybe some of the people who aren't fans might end up embracing this album. Well done, Hatebreed!
Highs: "A.D", "Something's Off" and "Serve Your Masters"
Lows: The half-time grooves can get a little repetitive
Final Rating: 7.5/10
Having toured with bands like Slayer, Motorhead, Machine Head, Exodus and Cannibal Corpse over the years, a lot of those influences have rubbed off on Hatebreed because if you listen to the opening track "A.D" for example, there's no way you can possibly say that that song isn't influenced by Slayer. It's just a fist-to-your-face, full-on thrash assault and not many people will expect that from Hatebreed. This is the perfect opening track to the album and would make a perfect opener for a Hatebreed live set. Other tracks that contain thrash influences are "Us Against Us", "The Apex Within" and "Dissonance". There's even a blast-beat section on "Walking The Knife".
The crushing riffs and vocals literally pound you into submission as Jamey Jasta screams about issues like corruption and greed. Aside from his aggressive vocals, which always sound great, Jasta's melodic voice sounds equally as great, and he sings a very hooky melodic vocal line on "Something's Off". This is the album's longest track, clocking in at just under 4 minutes because every other track is under 3 minutes. It's also a slightly slower track, but it's still super groovy and heavy. Do not ever expect ballads from Hatebreed. Along with "A.D" and "Something's Off", one of the album's best tracks is the closer "Serve Your Masters" because the chorus riff is one of the grooviest riffs on the album and is played in both half-time and thrash mode with the drums.
I know that changing your sound can be a double-edged sword, and while Hatebreed sticks to the motto of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", they incorporate enough new elements into their music without moving away too much from their traditional hardcore roots. The only slight flaw about the album is that the half-time grooves can be a little repetitive. However, if you prefer the half-time grooves, songs like "Seven Enemies" and "From Grace We've Fallen" will undoubtedly satisfy you. The latter is another favourite of mine from the album. If you're a hardcore Hatebreed fan, then this album will surely impress you, and who knows, maybe some of the people who aren't fans might end up embracing this album. Well done, Hatebreed!
Highs: "A.D", "Something's Off" and "Serve Your Masters"
Lows: The half-time grooves can get a little repetitive
Final Rating: 7.5/10
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