Hatebreed

The Divinity Of Purpose

Written by: PP on 07/02/2013 22:10:53

Everyone's favorite moshcore warriors Hatebreed are back with a new album called "The Divinity Of Purpose". It's their sixth one, so you know exactly what to expect: muscular riffs, gang shouts, and Jamey Jasta's thick, dominating yell on top of their trademark riffs that believe in simplicity over complexity, and crushing power of artistic ambition or challenging structure. The band have changed disappearingly little over the years, mostly adjusting the relative heaviness of their sound more rather than style or overall delivery, which has earned them the respect of the hardcore crowds but has likewise made them an easy target for critics to tear apart. See Exhibit A.

Not so on "The Divinity Of Purpose", however, which is probably the most energetic Hatebreed album since "Supremacy", probably even since "The Rise Of Brutality". Both the instrumentals and Jasta's uncompromising scream glow of the kind of immediacy and urgency that originally popularized their expression during their classic albums, and his spirited hardcore power messages are back, big time. For instance, "Honor Never Dies" has a repeating line to finish the song of "Sometimes standing for what you believe means standing alone", and "Own Your World" starts with a brutalized, but inspiring shout of "who's got more heart than you?".

At the same time, the band have toned down the macho element of their self-titled album, replacing it with elements from hardcore punk, as evident on "Indivisible" that's probably as non-heavy as you'll ever experience Hatebreed during their career. It's faster and more melodic in its nature, and may feel a little odd to some Hatebreed fans used to breaking down walls with ten-ton trucks while jamming out to "Perseverance". Similarly, "Dead Man Breathing" borrows a couple of slower riffs from Slayer repertoire to give the song an evil, thrashy feel. Again, a little different from the mindless moshcore the band is usually playing.

It's small variation like this that makes "The Divinity Of Purpose" a much more enjoyable album than "Hatebreed" was almost four years ago. It feels like a refresh on a legacy sound that was dangerously close to running out of steam due to over-saturation and lack of innovation. Not that this is an innovative album, but on the Hatebreed scale it certainly is.

Download: Honor Never Dies, Own Your World, Indivisible
For the fans of: Lionheart, Terror, Kingdom of Sorrow
Listen: Facebook

Release date 25.01.2013
Razor & Tie / Nuclear Blast

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