Syracuse and the rest of the United States are about to get a dose of Hatebreed as they tour in support of their latest album The Divinity of Purpose. Fan reaction around the world to the new album has been nothing less than shock and awe at what is the bands best effort to date in the minds of many people.
The album as whole never lets up and never lets the listener down as every single track is strong on its own; together they just may have put out an album of the year contender already.
I spoke with lead vocalist and former Head Banger’s Ball host Jamey Jasta about the record, touring, the upcoming shows and more. Check out what he had to say below and go get the album that is already #1 on iTunes in the rock category and is creating a storm of fan reaction worldwide. The band has never sounded as tight as they do on this one with a thunderous axe attack, pounding skins, and Jasta returning to his signature drill instructor style that can only be Hatebreed.
Hatebreed is
Jamey Jasta (vocals)
Chris Beattie (Bass)
Wayne Lozinak (Guitar)
Frank Novinec (Guitar)
Matthew Byrne (Drums)
Hatebreed Tour Dates
The Divinity Of Purpose USA Tour
Jan 26 - Flint, MI - Machine Shop (SOLD OUT)
Jan 27 - Joilet, IL - Mojoes
Jan 28 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
Jan 30 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater
Jan 31 - Flagstaff, AZ - Orpheum Theater
Feb 1 - Los Angeles, CA - Roxy
Feb 2 –Chico, CA–Senator Theater
Feb 3 - Reno, NV - Knitting Factory
Feb 5 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep
Feb 6 - Wichita, KS - Cotillion
Feb 7 - Sauget, IL - Pop's
Feb 8 - Lexington, KY - Busters
Feb 9 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
Feb 11 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution
Feb 12 - Jacksonville, FL - Freebird Live
Feb 13 - Jacksonville, NC - Hooligans
Feb 14–West Springfield, VA - Empire
Feb 15 - Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock
Feb 16 - Syracuse, NY - Westcott Theater
Feb 17 - Amityville, NY –Revolution
Hatebreed Links
The Divinity Of Purpose iTunes (http://smarturl.it/HBdiv)
Interview with Jamey Jasta
The Divinity of Purpose just released on January 29th and from what I am seeing; fans around the world are blown away by it. Twitter alone is loaded with comments from the fans. Do you guys see all the reactions going on everywhere?
Yeah man its great. Frank and I were just on Twitter and Instagram and it has really been beyond our expectations. I mean people like CM Punk tweeted to a million and a half followers that the album is bonkers. People from MMA, wrestling, actors, writers, comic book people; a lot of different people and cool to see. So awesome!
The making of this took awhile! And from what I have read, you were insanely busy working your asses off on the road at the same time. Can you talk about the whole process?
The Five Finger Death Punch tour that we did in 2011 was a 5-6 month tour and it was a really big tour for us. We haven’t had that opportunity to play so many different places Arenas, indoors, outdoors, clubs, you name since Slipknot in 2001-2002. Some of these places were bigger than the rooms we played with Slayer back in 2003. To get this so late in our career; to be selling so many CDs and t-shirts every night, it reinvigorated me for heavy music. I mean people were like ‘this is my first concert’. Just amazing to me. The people that listen to FFDP wouldn’t touch us before so it was a new gateway to get the music out there to a whole new audience.
He apologizes and excuses himself for a few moments as he deals with shipping issues for CDs while out on the road. Jamey is involved with everything when it comes to the band.
You also went with Razor & Tie for this album. Personally in my dealings with them, they are some of the best out there. So, I have to throw a shout out there to them.
It’s been great! We always had a lot of luck with good people at the labels and everything, but this time we have a lot of people that like the band and that is so important; to have people working hard for you behind the scenes every day. People that do their best. We are number one on the rock chart on iTunes right now so things are going really good.
I think you are being a little self-defeating in a way; I believe you guys are a lot bigger in the states and the world than you give yourself credit for.
Well thank you man! We’re trying! This tour, the attendance is already bigger than what we thought.
Now the music: I listened to this album 3 times in a row yesterday alone and twice today. There are no weak moments anywhere.
Thank you!
It’s a perfectly heavy, in your face wall of sound. You are back to that drill sgt. style that you got famous for and it really is just off the hook!
Thank you and that was the point as I was saying earlier; we had a lot of down time during the day on that tour and I wanted to make sure that I was writing while I was inspired and motivated. I’ve got to perform this stuff every night and I wanted a record that every song was good and I would want to sing it. That’s a big deal for me because there’s a couple songs on Supremacy and The Rise of Brutality that I would probably say ‘no, I don’t want to play that’ but every one of the songs on this record give me a charge.
What’s really cool as I opened up the website package on Spotify is the commentary before each song by you. It gives insight behind what each song is about, an awesome and unique thing. It’s like an interview for every song.
Yeah, you know it surprised me; we have had a lot of good response to that. The songs are open to anyones’ interpretation but people like that about Spotify so I didn’t want to be a stick in the mud.
One thing that is funny to me is a lot of older school people just don’t hear the lyrics and that’s a shame because you write a story into every song, especially on this one. There is an issue, a topic; something gets addressed in each song either on society or even personally, like Nothing Scars Me.
Well thank you!
Indivisible speaks about unity in music and how people around the world have the same reaction to the music; a very cool tune. Can you describe what it’s about?
Music being a universal language it’s a message that we want to push! People go crazy and the reaction is the same in Jakarta, which is in a Muslim country, as say in Detroit or NY. People go crazy! They mosh and they sing the words, they have our message and our lyrics tattooed on them. It just goes to show that music transcends all borders, and boundaries and we just want to keep promoting that; keep pushing that out there.
You guys should play Destroy Everything and Indivisible back to back; they kind of go together I think.
(Laughing) Yeah you know I think with Indivisible; it could be about the government, or society, but it could also be about music. In music we should not emulate the way that a lot of people in mainstream society really are, in music we bring it all together and make you see it in a different light, you know?
My favorite right now is Boundless (Time To Murder It). Great tune all around!
Aw, thank you! We were on Twitter last night and a lot of people said that about that track. That and also Bitter Truth which was surprising because that came together later in the album. And Dead Man Breathing kind of came together early in the process until I changed it a little.
This tour has an awesome line-up. I have interviewed Shadows Fall twice before and I will be doing something with the other bands too. What can the people of Syracuse expect at The Westcott Theater on Feb. 16th and everywhere else?
They can expect a career spanning set and hopefully they lose their voice like I do every the next day. Hopefully they come out and leave in sweat and feeling invincible like I do when we play. That’s the thing, that’s the beauty; even at 35 I still feel like I’m a kid again and for that hour I forget about all the bullshit, all the family issues, taxes, death, and the negative people. I hope people get that when I’m up there as well!
I’m older than you and I get the same thing, I completely forget all the crap going on and the people and their bullshit.
Exactly man, it’s almost like a therapeutic thing for me.
Are we ever going to see the Headbanger’s Ball be reinvented again?
I don’t know. I know MTV2 let a lot of people go and I don’t think they have the reach if there is anyone there at all anymore. It would be great if someone did. I think we need that medium, that outlet, having a TV show would be great. It’s the one thing that heavy metal and hardcore music is missing right now.
Thanks so much for taking time to do this today. Anything you want to say to the fans?
Thanks so much for the interview and thanks everyone in Syracuse that came to our last show there in that storm. We almost didn’t make it and then we ended up using all of A Life Once Lost’s equipment, it was a crazy day. We tried to get there last year, but it’s going to be great to get back and do a headline show there. A lot of people from Syracuse traveled to Buffalo and saw us there. So it’s going to be a good one!
This album is insanely good and took this writer by surprise. Go buy it now!!!
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