Album review: HATEBREED – The Divinity Of Purpose

Nuclear Blast – Out Now.

Labels always accompany new releases with a press release, so I found the shortage of information on Nuclear Blast’s leaflet for Hatebreed’s sixth studio album “The Divinity Of Purpose” somewhat strange. On the other hand, maybe the band speaks for itself nowadays.

The last time Jasta & Co visited the studio was back in 2009, a year which turned out to be quite productive for them as not only did they release their full length “Hatebreed” album, but also “For The Lions” – a collection of covers of songs from bands which have influenced them over the years with Sepultura, Obituary and Agnostic Front being the most prominent names.

Having paid their tributes, the Connecticut-based quintet decided to stick to the formula they know best and in the process have created eleven Punk-infused, heavy-riffed compositions which may not stretch the band’s creativity, but which will definitely please those most loyal to them.

“Put It To The Torch” may not be the most impressive song on the album but it contains the energy and attitude needed to open a Hatebreed album. On the other hand, “Honor Never Dies” is the archetypal anthemic opus with the kind of powerful riffs and strong lyrics that you would expect from a band that is devoted to classic Hardcore, Agnostic Front-style, and which has been around for almost two decades now.It is this pretty fine balance between decent and impressive compositions which characterises the remainder of the album.

Though full of energy and meaty riffs, songs like “On Your World”, “Before The Fight Ends” and “Indivisible” are not the mind-blowing tracks that this band is capable of creating. It is really the head banging riffs of “The Language”, the Slayeric melodies of “Dead Man Breathing” and the relentless groove of the duet “The Divinity Of Purpose”/”Time To Murder It” that show what these guys are really capable of doing, i.e., successfully combining abrasive Punk-style screaming vocals with rhythmical riffs of immense heaviness and quality.

Hatebreed play a style of music that is very close to my heart and whose compositional rules are so simple that it requires a lot of effort for any band of this style to come up with a bad album. What I expect from Hardcore bands are simple but solid riffs, quality vocals and much energy and there are indeed times when “The Divinity Of Purpose” seems to fulfil all these simple requirements.

Hatebreed’s sixth studio album may not be the highlight of the band’s career but it is, however, a release that can proudly stand next to well-established efforts, such as “The Rise Of Brutality” and “Supremacy” and that should be enough to satisfy fans, old and new.

John Stefanis

Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5.0)

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