The Metal/Punk/Rock Thread

[KingOfMetal]

As promised, i said I would do my review when I got my advance copy, which only came today, so with this being release day, isn't so much advance as it is a free copy but:

 

 

Having been away for what seems like forever and after a decent self-titled effort in 2009, Hatebreed brings their brand of hardcore crossover back to the masses, this time on anew label (Razor & Tie in the US, Nuclear Blast in Europe).

After being mistaken for a pillar of White Supremacy, a decent second album from his side-band Kingdom Of Sorrow and a rather disappointing solo album, Jamey Jasta is back with the band he'll be most fondly remembered for when he calls it a day and stops working so damn hard. With his fingers in so many pies, its always interesting to play the 'was this a left-over from the last Hatebreed album?' game, which i think was what made his solo album such a disappointment. It sounded like Hatebreed...a little too much like Hatebreed. Hatebreed, whilst having never put out a poor album, are one of those bands that stick firmly to what brought them to the dance, which is what makes the Kingdom Of Sorrow project enjoyable in that it doesn't sound exactly like Hatebreed. And with this album, you get exactly what you expect from a hatebreed album. the drawback of this being that...you get exactly what you expect from a Hatebreed album. Opening track and first single, 'Put It To The Torch' is what we have come to know and love. Loud, fast and Jasta is shouting his lungs out as usual. At a shade over 2 minutes in length, it is a trademark of the Hatebreed sound, and will slot in nicely with Perseverance and The Rise Of Brutality era staples in the live set. From their you get more driving riffs and shouty gang vocals on 'Honour Never Dies', 'Own Your World' and 'The Language'. The problem with this is that the only thing to set each of those track aside is a very short guitar solo in 'The Language', and unfortunately that seems to be the story of this album as a whole.

It's what I call 'Slayer-syndrome', in that (as I mentioned earlier), the band very sticks to what made them famous in the first place. However, that presents the question, 'where is the progression?' There is very little to set this apart from the Perseverance album released 11 years ago. When that album came out, Jasta (then 24 years old) was the mouthpiece for a lot of angry youngsters, feeling let down and misunderstood. Now, at age 35, it all just comes across a bit passe. If you look at a band like Throwdown, another hardcore band who shifted their sound on their fifth album (2007s 'Venum & Tears') in a new direction. it prolonged the life of the band and with that increased their artistic scope. Hatebreed, however, seem to be almost scared to something new/different with thier sound for fear of alienating their very loyal, but ultimately fickle, core fanbase. They're songs on this album that will slot into the live set seamlessly ('Before The Fight Ends You', 'Nothing Scars Me') Thats not to say that Hatebreed fans are stupid, but all too often fans will bitch and moan the second a band tries something that isn't the band's bread and butter. Morbid Angel's 'Illud Divinum Insanus' from 2011 is a great example of that. Fans backlashed as, god forbid, the band would want to try something different on their eighth album (in Morbid Angel's case, adding an industrial element to their sound), rather than just chunning out the same thing every 2/3 years.

At 38 minutes,'The Divinity Of Purpose' is not a bad album, if you are looking for something loud to hit the weights to or let off some steam, this will go down a treat. But the ground will not break underneath this, it will stay very much intact. Whether that is Jasta's insistence on having Chris 'ZEUSS' Harris produce yet again (having done the previous Hatebreed albums all the way back to Perseverance, and having worked on Jasta fronted IcePick - Violent Epiphany album and Kingdom Of Sorrow albums) begs the question 'is it time to try something/someone new?' I'm not saying bring in Bob Rock or Rick Rubin or perform with the San Francisco symphony orchestra, but maybe, just maybe, a fresh set of ears can bring in something new to the sound. Even if Jasta was to take the reigns himself, then he would be making the album that he wants to make, rather seemingly walking on egg-shells trying to keep everyone onside. Hatebreed have very much played it safe with 'The Divinity Of Purpose', in an era were it is harder and harder to make money from your recorded music, its like playing roulette by simply going on red or black rather than playing the odds. Putting out a safe album like this will please the loyal/hardcore fanbase who will buy your album come to your show and buy your t-shirt. However, this is going to struggle to bring in new fans who can see any number of younger bands who sound similar. Its the hardcore/metal version of TNA. The number doesn't really increase or go down, its stayed pretty much the same for years.

Overall, 'The Divinity Of Purpose' is good if you want something loud and fast, but don't be shocked when this fails to appear in the '20 Best Metal Albums of 2013' polls

Edited January 28, 2013 by KingOfMetal

[Egg Shen]

I'm not a massive fan but i like the album. You're review hits the nail on the head really but for me Hatebreed are the kind of band that a certain fanbase, and that fanbase wanna hear Hatebreed sound like Hatebreed (the Slayer analogy was spot on). They've never been a band to push the creative boundaries of the hardcore genre have they? I understand the need to progress, but i think Jasta gets that kinda shit from his side-projects, this is Hatebreed music for Hatebreed fans.

 

It will sound massive live though, i'm seeing em in March so i'll report back.

Edited January 28, 2013 by Ebb

[KingOfMetal]

Don't get me wrong, im not saying that I disliked the album or they Hatebreed to become some kind of prog-band. Was merely pointing out what people can expect to get from the album, and that being a Hatebreed-by-numbers effort

[David]

Yeah, I've listened to the album a few times today and have to say, it's fucking epic.

[Chest Rockwell]

Slayer-syndrome?

 

Come on... they have changed over the years for sure. Call it Iron Maiden syndrome.

 

Anyway.. The reason I came in this thread was not to bitch about things I know nothing of, it was to ask for a little help.

 

I used to be big in to my metal but it's something I've not paid attention to for a long time. I've picked up the occasional album (generally from exposure through this forum) but mostly stuck to the bands I have known and liked for a long time.

 

I think maybe the last "new" I've got is Mastadon after being introduced to them here, and the Corrosion of Conformity album that came out last year.

 

I'm looking to get into something that will be new to me.. so really it could be anything from at least the last 5 years if not longer. I want something heavy, but with decent vocals (nothing too incoherent and screechy/growly) and fairly accessible - i.e. nice riffs and stuff, nothing too esoteric with wierd time signatures or that is too clever for its own good.

 

Could you guys please toss out some names for me to try? Perhaps particular albums, or even some Youtube links.

 

Would be much obliged! Cheers in advance.

[lightningxlock]

Check out the new Pallbearer record. Sums up what you're after pretty well. Crushing, doomy riffs with 'propper' vocals. Got a bit of a 70's vibe to it too. It's excellent!

[Merzbow]

Check out the new Pallbearer record. Sums up what you're after pretty well. Crushing, doomy riffs with 'propper' vocals. Got a bit of a 70's vibe to it too. It's excellent!

 

Good shout, i'd say maybe give Christian Mistress and Witch Mountain a listen too, more great doomy riffs from Witch Mountain with some awesome female vocals from both bands. CM have an amazing traditional metal sound without being too stuck in the past (Fenriz of Darkthrone bums them).

Edited January 29, 2013 by Merzbow

[Carbomb]

If you've gotten into Mastodon, you should check out their albums "Blood Mountain" and "Crack The Skye" as well. For me personally, the best track on BM is "Siberia", whilst on CTS it's definitely "Oblivion" - in fact, I think Seven might even have reviewed it in one of his top 50 threads. Well worth a listen.

[Kawaii Guy]

The new Biffy album is a thing of beauty. Favourite track so far is Skylight.

i gave Disk 1 a few spins yesterday, it's sounding tremendous. It doesn't sound like too much of a progression from Only Revolutions (which is an album that took me a long time to get into), but it's hooked me in straight away. It's a great album in it's own right, if Disk 2 is as good it could be one of the albums of the year.

 

My collectors edition arrived today, wonderful looking set. (comes with vinyl, deluxe CD, Guitar Tab, lyric book, CD with guitar parts taken out, a plastic leaf and some frames from the making of film, all in a lovely presentation box)

 

Had a quick listen to disk 1 and loved it, there are a few moments where they sound like they did around infinity land, but mostly its just huge songs.

Bit gutted I didnt get standing tickets for the arena tour.

[KingOfMetal]

Chest - give the last Opeth album, 'Heritage' a whirl, reckon you'll dig that. And I can't say enough good things about the debut by Ghost - Opus Eponymous

 

As for Slayer changing their sound. The closet they even went was flirting with elements of nu-metal on 'Diablous In Musica'. Obviously im not meaning that Araya busted out a rap or anything, im referring to the general style of riffing.

Iron Maiden got alot more proggy from Brave New World onwards, but in terms of what got released as singles, it was Maiden-101

[Egg Shen]

I love Diablous in Musica, quality, underrated record.

[Chest Rockwell]

Diabolus in Musica is excellent.

 

Cheers for the tips guys; will check them out!

[Forrest]

I've never really liked Diabolus In Musica bar Bitter Peace, Scrum and the second half of Perversions of Pain. Undisputed Attitude, on the other hand is probably one of my favourite Slayer albums of all time. It's just such a fun album to listen to.

[Chest Rockwell]

Listened to Diabolus on the way in to work today. "Excellent" may have been overstating it, but it's a decent album with a few really great tracks.

 

I have a soft spot for that album because Ozfest 98 was the first gig that I went to, and Slayer were there and were touring that album at the time. I had only heard one song off it on a Kerrang compilation and their live set blew me away.

 

that was when I started to branch out my tastes in rock music beyond just GnR, Metallica, Megadeth AC/DC and Black Sabbath.

 

I typed in Pallbearer into Youtube this morning to check them out and all the tracks I checked out seemed a bit slow and pondering for me.. Bearing in mind I want some get up and go music for the drive to work mainly! I'm not sure how recent the tracks I heard were though, but unless the new album is a significant departure I guess they're probably not what I'm looking for... Will keep trying the other recommendations though!

[Dead Mike]

I know I'm late to the party but I've been listening to this pretty much constantly for the last week.

 

Gallows - Gallows

 

For some reason I'd written Gallows off when Frank Carter left. For me this record is head & shoulders above their previous releases, I love it. LOVE IT. The whole thing is only about 40 minutes long (one side of a C90!) & doesn't stop from the get go. I'm absolutely gutted I ignored this on it's release as they played about 10 miles down the road from me on this album tour, would've easily made my top 5 of 2012 list.