Metal File: Hatebreed, Bury Your Dead, Lair Of The Minotaur, Hate Eternal & More News That Rules
Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Hatebreed are now part of the Roadrunner Records kith. But while a deal has yet to be inked, a source said the band's been in continuing negotiations with the label -- and is close to signing the proverbial dotted line.
"We ended up doing two records with Universal, and our time at that label was killer," frontman Jamey Jasta explained when asked about the talks. "We sold over 300,000 on [2002's] Perseverance and 200,000 on [2003's] The Rise of Brutality. We got a Grammy nomination. But we feel we need to be at a label that deals with more metal bands and is more involved in the whole grand scheme of metal and hardcore."
Jasta added that Roadrunner's long tradition of fostering acts such as Madball, Biohazard and Sepultura is also appealing. "It [would] just [be] the right home for us," he said.
There's a lot going on in Hatebreed's world these days. They've just finished recording Supremacy, which Jasta calls an "all-out onslaught of completely adrenaline-charged, in-your-face brutality." Due in early August, the album will feature 13 tracks of Hatebreed's "best material yet."
"This album's just more charged, more focused," he added. "There are classic Hatebreed songs on here -- ones I can see being in our set for years to come. I really set out when writing these songs with these guys [that] if it didn't make my hair stand up or give me chills down my spine, I didn't use it. I wanted to tap into pure adrenaline -- the speed, the brutality, the breakdowns. I wanted to make a crushing record that was going to have a memorable impact on people."
He said Supremacy will include the first single, "To the Threshold," and the second single, "Never Let It Die," which the band is shooting a video for in May. Also expect it to have "Defeatist," "Spitting Venom," "As Diehard as They Come," "Mind Over All" and "The Most Truth."
At the end of April, Hatebreed will head to Australia, where they'll open gigs for Korn. A Canadian run is scheduled to precede the band's mainstage slot on this summer's Ozzfest, as will several European festival bookings. The Connecticut hardcore dudes will also headline a number of club shows this summer -- on Ozzfest off-dates -- with Strapping Young Lad.
Fans will see a new face onstage this summer, as Hatebreed have welcomed guitarist Frank "3 Gun" Novinec (Terror, Ringworm, Integrity) into the fold on second guitar. "This album is really involved with second guitar, and that was my original vision [for the band] -- I always wanted it to be a five-piece," Jasta said. Novinec replaces Lou "Boulder" Richards, who departed the band in 2002.
Jasta says Hatebreed will pack a lot of hardcore into their Ozzfest sets, promising that half the songs they play will come from their catalog. The rest will be Supremacy selections. "I'm really psyched we're able to do [Ozzfest] again because for a while there, we didn't even know if there were going to be anymore Ozzfests," he said. "Even though Ozzy's only doing 10 shows, it's obviously a huge honor. We will have enough time to get some of the new songs on there and play all the classics too. We're just looking forward to getting back on the stage. It's been a while."
The rest of the week's metal news:
All That Remains have chosen The Fall of Ideals as the title of their forthcoming album, which is slated to hit stores July 11. ... Full Blown Chaos, who are signed to Jamey Jasta's Stillborn Records, will release their second disc, Within the Grasp of Titans, July 11. The band will tour with Exodus from April 15 in Concord, California, through May 19 in San Francisco. ... Ozzfest 2006 second stagers Unearth have decided upon III: In the Eyes of Fire as the title of their forthcoming disc. According to a statement released by the band's publicist, the album contains the "angriest, darkest, fastest and heaviest" material Unearth have ever composed. "The title is a reflection of a couple different things for us," the band wrote. "For starters, it puts us in the place of our current worldly events. Last record we wrote about things brewing all around us in politics, environmental issues and war -- but this record deals with the effects of those very things and the consequences we are all dealing with right now and will continue to deal with until changes are made. We are in our nation's most critical point since the '60s and more importantly, devastation looms in the near future if we continue to make mistake after mistake with unjust wars and environmental disregard. The title also represents the personal struggles we all face, day to day, and our constant battles to overcome adversity." Um, sure. ...
Zakk Wylde's not exactly known as a fashion plate. The dude wears a lot of leather and denim -- actually, that's pretty much all he wears. But for those who've been longing to replicate the Wylde look, Red Monkey's here to help. The leather purveyors are issuing a limited run of leather vests worn by Wylde and Black Label Society, which have previously been available "only to a select few in the BLS inner circle." One can be yours for $350, but the vests do not feature the BLS patches that adorn all of Wylde's accoutrements -- those'll set you back another $75. More information's available at RedMonkeyDesigns.com. ... Deicide frontman Glen Benton should be exhausted after the band's upcoming trek with Vital Remains, as he'll be fronting both sets during the God Killers Tour, Part 2. The run launches April 5 in Santa Ana, California, with Desolation and Crematorium opening. Dates are booked through April 17 in Las Vegas. ...
Losa have parted ways with Metal Blade Records, and drummer Dave Hall and guitarist Kory Koch have both left the band. The group hasn't offered an explanation for either the label split or the unexpected departures. ... Lair of the Minotaur and Unearthly Trance will hit the road together for an East Coast jaunt that kicks off April 14 in Bowling Green, Ohio, and winds down April 28 in Pittsburgh. ... After barely surviving Ozzfest 2005, Bury Your Dead headed to Florida's Audio Hammer Studios to begin working on their next LP with producer Jason Suecof (If Hope Dies, Trivium). Tentatively titled Beauty and the Breakdown, the record's nearly complete, and Suecof declared it "the heaviest f---ing album I've ever gotten to work on." The band has also announced it's found a new bassist in Aaron Patrick, who'll take the stage with Bury Your Dead this spring during their upcoming run with DevilDriver, Remembering Never, If Hope Dies and Southern metal groovers Artimus Pyledriver. ... Pyledriver will release their new album June 6. "This is the sh-- that bridges the gap between David Allan Coe and Black Flag," singer Dave Slocum said. A video for the first single, "Swamp Devil," will be filmed later this month. ...
Hate Eternal drummer Derek Roddy has jumped ship. "Real-life situations have forced me to resign," he said in a statement, adding that he "can no longer afford the expenses of touring." In his place the band's Kevin Talley will man the kit during Hate Eternal's upcoming trek with Chimaira and Arch Enemy. Frontman Erik Rutan said he learned of Roddy's departure when he spotted the announcement online. "Anyone and everyone in this business knows if you think you are going to make tons of cash playing metal, then you are in it for the wrong reasons," he wrote in a separate statement issued later this week. "What band has not had financial woes?" ... Seminal hardcore act Lifetime have signed a deal with Decaydance, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's imprint label through Fueled by Ramen. The band's working on new songs but there's no word yet on when they might surface. ...German death-metal outfit Fall of Serenity have put the finishing touches on their forthcoming LP, Bloodred Salvation. Look for it to include "A Piece of You," "Raise Your Remorse" and "Swallowed Lies" when it surfaces in mid-May. ...
Eclectic doom-metal band Kylesa have hired two drummers to replace Brandon Baltzley, who left the group in June. Detroit resident Jeff Porter and Savannah, Georgia, native Carl McGinley are currently helping the band write material for the follow-up to its 2005 album, To Walk a Middle Course. Kylesa will take a break from writing to carry out a spring tour that starts April 13 in Jacksonville, Florida, and runs through May 31 in Charleston, South Carolina. ... The Receiving End of Sirens guitarist and singer Alex Bars was badly injured in a fall down a flight of stairs last week in Boston. Bars was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital and treated for a fractured left scapula, three fractured ribs, a punctured lung and a few damaged vertebrae. He is currently at home and expects to fully recover. The band has decided not to cancel or postpone any dates on the New Hope Tour, which starts March 31 in Providence, Rhode Island, and runs through May 10 in Poughkeepsie, New York. A replacement for Bars has not been announced. ...
Swedish atmospheric voyagers Cult of Luna will release their fourth album, Somewhere Along the Highway, June 27. Recorded by Magnus Lindberg in northern Sweden, the LP includes "Marching to the Heartbeats," "And With Her Came the Birds" and "Back to Chapel Town." ... Chicago experimental extremists Yakuza have shot a live video for their nine-minute epic "Back to the Mountain," which can be viewed at MySpace.com/Yakuza
