### Hatebreed: The rise of brutality

#### 12/06/14 || Habakuk

A LESSON LIVED IS A LESSON LEARNED TREAT YOUR MOTHER RIGHT DO YOUR HOMEWORK 100 PUSH-UPS DO IT!!

As easy it is mocking Hatebreed, as hard it is for me to dislike them. At least when it comes to their work up until “The Rise of Brutality”. That one is pretty much the last one of theirs that I fully enjoy for its straight-up approach of mixing aggression with nothing.

Led by the furious barks of Jamey Jasta which singlehandedly up the awesomeness levels a notch or two (and make you a better person), the band provide just the right blend of their strongman hardcore from the days of yore and hints of the primitive caveman metal which more recently seems to have become an interest of theirs.

At the time it came out, this album featured the band’s best production to date – and I have to say it probably still holds that title. That sense of balance between drums and guitars somehow got lost afterwards. Too bad, as it created the perfect platform for the mindnumbingly stupid but at the same time insanely effective chug grooves that hardly any band master as expertly as Hatebreed at the height of their game. Which is a point marked by “The Rise of Brutality”, if you ask me.

There’s not a single moment on the album where they stray from their formula (1+1=2), nor is there any need for that. It just flows perfectly. After starting off (literally) where the predecessor ended, a few punches STRAIGHT TO YOUR FACE are interspersed with just the right amount of all-out anthems of shameless self-empowerment. And of course the transition between those two is pretty fluid, due to the abundance of make-believe badassery in the lyrics. That is something only the church of Hatebreed and its disciples can deliver without a hint of irony or doubt. No room is allowed for such follies in their gospel. I think I understand why native speakers can have a hard time enjoying it. A band that I like to compare them with in this respect is Rammstein: I as a German cannot for the life of me enjoy them, although I hear some quality in what they do. Even if you understand what the lyrics are about as an acquired speaker, they never sound quite the same than if sung in your mother tongue.

Or maybe I’m just dumb enough to zone out. Whatever, I enjoy their shit! We can probably agree that they cannot be blamed for a lack of conviction with their endless “believe in yourself” tirades. And if you, for whatever reason, have no problem with those and are up for half an hour of full-on Neanderthaling, you should check this album out. And believe in yourself.

- Information
- Released: 2003
- Label: Universal
- Website: www.hatebreed.com
- Band
- Jamey Jasta: vocals
- Sean Martin: guitars
- Chris Beattie: bass
- Matt Byrne: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Tear it down
- 02. Straight to your face
- 03. Facing what consumes you
- 04. Live for this
- 05. Doomsayer
- 06. Another day, another vendetta
- 07. A lesson lived is a lesson learned
- 08. Beholder of justice
- 09. This is now
- 10. Voice of contention
- 11. Choose of be chosen
- 12. Confide in no one
- 13. Bound to violence (bonus)