Album Review - Hatebreed: “Supremacy”

It’s difficult to move forward in hardcore. So often it’s a genre built on doing things the right way, which puts some of the more modern metal infused hardcore bands in a bit of a rut.

Going back in time, when you compare the 2002 release “Perseverance” against 2003's “The Rise Of Brutality” you can see a definite progression between the two albums. Most of the songs on “Perseverance” were short mid-paced metal infused hardcore songs. “The Rise Of Brutality” presented the listener with both faster and slower songs that were longer, which really added to the depth of both the individual songs and the album overall.

On “Supremacy” there are little bits and pieces not seen in other Hatebreed albums. Jamey Jasta adds a hint of singing to his gruff shout in a few places. The song “Gives Wings To My Triumph” has a slow foreboding introduction, unfortunately the introductory piece wasn’t reflected through the rest of the song.

The album as a whole actually feels held back slightly by having most of the songs run at a generally mid-paced tempo. Indeed, taking a slight look back in time begins to hurt the album. The song “Destroy Everything” also feels like a dud out of the bunch by having a typical groove metal/lock-step pattern typical of many Pantera clones from the 90's, not to mention shallow tough guy lyrics within the same song.

The minor steps of progression of course are incredibly minor, and make very little impact in moving Hatebreed forward. At the same time, none of the downsides are truly terrible.

7/10

Hatebreed
Hatebreed At Roadrunner Records