Album Review: Hatebreed – The Concrete Confessional (Nuclear Blast)

Hatebreed divide a lot of the metal community, many love them but just as many hate them citing their brand of metal/hardcore nothing more than foot-stomping meathead music. It’s an unfair tag that doesn’t do the band’s music justice.

Thanks to the quality of their output, their upbeat lyrics & impressive live shows, I consider myself a bit of a fan.

The Concrete Confessional is Hatebreed’s seventh studio album and their first since 2013. Opening track A.D. is exactly the kind of start you’d expect, heavy fast & short. A blast to the face with lyrics about corrupt America. It’s the second track, Looking Down the Barrel of Today where things really get going.

“Now the world is my trigger & I’m here too fucking pull it”

It’s fantastic with a beat that encourages circle pits & wild head-banging. Hatebreed at their best & the album continues this impressive upward swing. Only one song on the thirteen track album goes over 3 minutes, it’s short & sharp delivery makes for an addictive listen. It’s not music that will set the world on fire but it’s consistent with the quality output that Hatebreed are known for.

It’s never boring, with songs so short any that are lacking, are over before they become an irritation (Us Against Us is fairly sub-standard until the final 30 seconds).

The longest track at 3:49 is Something’s Off, slowing down but remaining aggressively heavy. It’s one of the best songs on the album mixing different styles to create a song that will see the repeat button hit a few times before its all taken in.

Praise has to be given to singer, Jamey Jasta who sounds severely pissed off throughout but is making strong points while remaining mostly positive in his style. New Hatebreed listeners might find that an odd combination but it’s just Hatebreed style. It’s one of the reasons they have such a hardcore following.

Near the end of the album things get a little uninspired with Slaughtered in Their Sleep & The Apex Within lacking the same quality found earlier on. The latter of the two has a pretty horrific ‘wooooo-hoooo-woooo’ part that seems so out of place.

It ends strongly though with Dissonace having a bit of the ‘Slayers’ about it at first while the final track Serve Your Masters stands up & gets in your face with its fury. It’s one of the best songs on the album with Jasta spitting absolute fire & the gang vocals backing up the aggressive beat & riff impressively.

The Concreate Confessional is a great Hatebreed album but also a great heavy metal album. So much more than ‘stompy metal’. Give it a listen, you won’t be disappointed.

1. A.D.
2. Looking Down the Barrel of Today
3. Seven Enemies
4. In the Walls
5. From Grace We’ve Fallen
6. Us Against Us
7. Something’s Off
8. Remember When
9. Slaughtered in Their Dreams
10. The Apex Within
11. Walking the Knife
12. Dissonance
13. Serve Your Masters