Hatebreed on 05-06-2000 by Greg Kepka

Hatebreed is unrelenting hardcore at its best. As I write this they are about to embark on a few dates on Slipknot’s North American tour, and will shortly be releasing their follow-up to 1997 “Satisfaction is the Death of Desire.” I had a chance to catch up with them and get a few words in with Jamey (the vocalist) after their show in Montreal. Here is what came about...

Greg Kepka: How did you all hook up?
Jamey Jasta: We were basically all in other bands in late '94 and they didn't work out, we started this band just because of the lack of good heavy bands in our area. The line-up changed a little bit since then.

GK: Has the Connecticut scene picked up because of you guys?
JJ: Ya, we had it going pretty strong, you know. I mean we had a couple of shows that were like 1000+ people. But, since '97 it's kinda gone downhill. When we play we still do like six or seven hundred kids, but the local shows and the other shows have consistently gotten worse. But, that's how it goes.

GK: Is there a story behind the name Hatebreed?
JJ: We just got it from a Misfits song. We're all big Misfits fans.

GK: Can you give us an idea of what the lyrics behind "Satisfaction is the Death of Desire" are about?
JJ: The whole record?
GK: Just a general overview. Is there a general message you're trying to get across with the album?
JJ: They're introspective, for the most part we touch on everything. "Last Breath" is about being able to except someone that you love, dying. "Empty Promise" is just about being an individual, thinking for yourself, living for yourself. If anything we don't really have a message, we just…
GK: Sing about what you feel?
JJ: Ya and also we try to get conclusions without trying to comment about a problem. Our band our lyrics, what we do is a release for us, it's therapy for us. So it's a way for us to get our aggressions out. The kids can relate to it, identify with it, then it's a positive conclusion to what we've done.

GK: On your upcoming album, can you say there is a progression, be it musical or lyrical, and have kept the aggression?
JJ: Ya, it's gonna be twice as heavy as the other record and it's gonna be more directed messages, more focused lyrics. Basically just more concise topics, more personal topics. We're gonna touch on a lot of things that are gonna make people think.

GK: You've played with bands such as Soulfly and Motorhead and you will be playing a few dates with Slipknot very soon. Would you say this is a big push in expanding your fanbase? And what are your thoughts on opening for a band such as Slipknot?
JJ: I think it's great. I want to get our music out to enough people. I see that the kids that like us now, they're not different from any other kids. Everybody feels what we feel; everybody can identify with what we have to say, so why not get it out to as many people as possible. Obviously we're not changing our sound, we're not rocking or singing or anything like that. We're just taking what we do to a bigger audience in hopes that we can sell more records and gain a bigger fanbase, be able to do this for a living and be able to support our families and make this our career.


GK: Do you ever feel held back when classified by the term "hardcore" or by being on Victory? Being one of the heaviest bands if not the heaviest on Victory. Your music can appeal to many people, especially the Metal world.
JJ: Victory definitely holds us back, you know, it's an independent label. You can't expect much as far as tour support goes and as far as them making us appealing to bigger acts to take us out. A band like Metallica, they're gonna go OK what label are they on, how much money are they gonna give us to play with production, how much ad dollars are they gonna put in. Obviously they (Victory) can't do that, but hopefully as we grow they'll grow. It's a team it's a two-way street. We've go to be productive, we've got to go and work, and they've got to do the work. Hopefully we'll outlive some of the stigmas they've created around they're name, and the same with us. We still have a lot of work to do, we still have to make people see that there's more to hardcore than just Sick of it All and Earth Crisis. There are bands out there like us and Madball, sort of smaller bands that are doing something different and have stuff to say. It's the bands that go to the majors that don't really do that hot, that kind of apply limitations to what we do, because the labels and the bands they say, "hey if Earth Crisis went to Roadrunner and the album stiffed how can Hatebreed do it?" We just want to break down all barriers and not have any limitations apply to us; the sky's the limit for us. If we were asked to tour with Korn or whatever we would do it.

GK: What is your take on the whole Straight Edge scene and lifestyle, which is associated with certain hardcore bands?
JJ: It's good, it's a good thing. You get much more accomplished in your life when your of sober mind and body.
GK: What about the people who take to the next level, there was a case where this guy lit up a cigarette and got jumped by thirty kids and got the crap kicked out of him. Just because they live that lifestyle doesn't mean everybody else should live it to.
JJ: That's not cool. But there are so many better things for me to talk about and take a stand on. I don't want that happening at our shows, but I can't be worried about what these fucking twelve year old straight edge kids are doing to people. It's just dumb if they do that sort of thing; it's not cool.

GK: You've mentioned bands such as Slayer, Nile, Sepultura, and Entombed as influences in the past, has this changed in any way or are they still major influences on your music?
JJ: Slayer is definitely a main influence on the next record. We listen to a lot of early Biohazard, early Integrity, Obituary. We try to take the heaviness of death metal and add the simplicity of hardcore and catchy lyrics and sing alongs.

Johnny Hate (Cold As Life): I'm the king of hate!
JJ: You're the wigger of hate, is what you are. Heh heh heh
GK: Ha ha ha. What do you think of the whole mp3 situation, and Napster (lawsuit)?
JJ: I have no opinion on it, I don't know what it is, and I'm not really concerned although it probably affects us. We'll see when it starts to affect us then ask me. I have a kid to worry about; I'm living in a van with seven dudes. Mp3's and napster are the least of my worries.

GK: Does it take you guy's time to put a song together or does it just flow naturally?
JJ: It comes naturally, we just bang em out. Ya and they're simple like he (Johnny Hate) says. Bang em out when we get the time or when we can get into a practice space and do it.
GK: What's the next step for you guy's after the release of your next album? Are you going to take part in any summer festivals or tours?
JJ: We're gonna do a headline tour with Converge and we're gonna have a bunch of opening acts everywhere. There are talks of us and Six Feet Under doing the whole US and Canada together.
GK: What about talks about you guys on Tattoo the Earth?
JJ: Ya, we're pushing that and it might happen too. Since we're friends with Slipknot maybe they'll put in a good word for us, that would be great.

JH: You got to put Cold As Life somewhere in there.
JJ: Say Johnny from Cold As Life was interrupting the whole time during the interview.

GK: What's your take on Cold As Life?
JJ: They suck. Johnny Hate's cool. Ha ha ha.

GK: What have you been listening to lately and what is in your CD player right now?
JJ: Bloodhound Gang, ha ha. The new Deftones… oh ya thanks to Napster I got that. What else do we have, Ride the Lightning Metallica, Leeway's first album, Six Feet Under, a lot of Bad Brains.

GK: Any comments or shout out's you'd like to give?
JJ: Just check out Hatebreed.com, it just went up. And stillbornrecords.com and all the new releases on my label, Right Brigade, Death to the World, Sworn Enemy. Cold as Life's new one will be out next month.


Thanks go out to Hatebreed and Cold As Life for making this interview possible.


-Greg Kepka 2000 (pushbutton_warfare@hotmail.com)