Hatebreed beats sophomore jinx
by Mel Duncan Oct 22, 2003

New album, Slayer tour boost band
In his dry, raspy voice, Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta remembers a particular Indianapolis show. “There was one show where there couldn’t have been more than 20 kids there,” he says. “But sometimes the smallest shows can be the best.”
His band, Hatebreed, has been through Indianapolis several times since their inception in 1995 and will be back this Tuesday with Slayer at the Murat Egyptian Room. On that same day their third full-length album, Rise of Brutality, will hit the streets. “We proved we could do it. With this new album, we’ve beat the sophomore jinx,” Jasta tells me from a tour stop in Columbus, Ohio. A jinx that was sure to have hit Hatebreed considering the five-year lapse between their debut and its follow-up. But through the years, Hatebreed continued to increase their fan base with explosive live shows — something that caught the attention of Slayer. “We were on the ‘Tattoo The Earth’ tour with those guys in 2000 and found out they were huge fans of ours. They asked us to tour last year and again this year. The timing was perfect. Besides, how can you say no to Slayer? … We learned a lot from them. We realized this is a career, you know? Integrity, longevity.” Well said, coming from the singer of a band that played some 320 shows last year alone. While Hatebreed was becoming a household name and earning its place among the ranks of bands like Earth Crisis, Strife and Snapcase, rumors about a follow-up album were varied. After a five-year wait, Hatebreed had finally settled on Universal Music and released Perseverance last year. Even with the usual cries of “sell-out” from the elitist hard-core community, Jasta says he and his bandmates simply turned the other cheek. “We didn’t feel any pressure. If anything, it was a relief. Everyone saw how bad we suffered,” the singer says, referring to the limited support they got from indie label Victory Records. “Now we’ve got some financial backing for promotion and better tour support.” With that in mind, it may explain the feeling of hope that Perseverance gives off in contrast to Satisfaction. Though the band sounded just as tight and heavy as ever before, the lyrics were noticeably optimistic. “I had kids coming up to me telling me how the songs affected them, you know? Gave them hope. It’s something that influenced my writing [on Perseverance].” And the writing for Rise of Brutality? “Brutality was written on the road,” Jasta explains. “It’s very honest. There’s a lot going on in this world that can fill you with hatred but you have to look past it and turn it into a positive. So it’s a little of both.”
WHO: Hatebreed, Slayer WHERE: Murat Egyptian Room WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m. TICKETS: $25 general admission
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