Jamey Jasta named Hatebreed after a Misfits song, and then proceeded to make his Connecticut-bred hardcore band iconic in their own right.
It’s been more than 30 years since the New Haven group came up through the underground and proceeded to take their brick-batting anthems around the globe. Their steady rise of brutality has seen them uniting pits in clubs and festival grounds with bare-knuckle beats, fire-storming riffs and Jasta’s big-barked presence.
But which Hatebreed song is their most divine? The most purposeful beatdown that continues to perseveres as a top-tier favorite. The one that declares supremacy over all other Hatebreed outings.
We asked our readers to weigh in on the heavy-hitters in Hatebreed’s catalog, and they ranked them accordingly
“Doomsayer”
An evil edge possesses The Rise of Brutality’s “Doomsayer,” its minor-climbing earworm of an intro riff reveling in slow-mo and sinister Slayer-isms.
Jasta’s lyrics are more grounded in real-world conflict, the hardcore vocalist seething over selfish, self-centered figures who feel the world revolves around them and them alone.
The earnest battle anthem has gained the respect of many die-hard Hatebreed fans, as evidenced by this fan poll. We’d wager a lot of them are hoping “Doom” awaits them at any given Hatebreed gig.
“Before Dishonor”
Hatebreed burst out of Nineties-era Connecticut with an unbridled, imposing fury, which they laid bare on bruising 1997 debut album Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire.
“Before Dishonor” is one of its early highlights, a song that hits heavy with a no-frills kind of metallic hardcore — think chest-collapsing riff stacks, double-kick explosiveness and an Integrity-esque ‘tude (they released a split 7-inch that same year, while Integrity guitarist Frank Novinec would eventually join Hatebreed in 2006). Lyrically, Jasta pushes himself to live each day like it’s his last.
“Live for This”
If you don’t live for something, you’ll die for nothing. And when it comes to Hatebreed’s fanbase, they’re standing firm that this Rise of Brutality-era banger is peak power personified.
“Live for This” is a lean, clean-burning hardcore chant-along full of open-chugged riffage and to-the-point lyricism. Jasta puts on a pissed-sounding but positive-spirited performance as he howls of a fight for personal freedom.
Every drop of blood. Every bitter tear. Every bead of sweat. If the end result is living on your own damn terms, then you’ve won the fight. It’s a simple message, but one many strive for.
“Perseverance”
Remain steadfast.
It’s a brutal world out there. Per Jasta, you can face it with fear or you can face it with the will to survive. Clearly, Perseverance’s title track opts for the latter, the band launching into roto-judding hellfire and lead-clad mosh beats.
Hatebreed swung for the fences with their 2002 major label debut. And while its title track has Jasta striving for “pure strength through solitude, discipline and determination,” Perseverance is the album that found them embraced by the mainstream — it reached as high as No. 50 on the Billboard 200.
“I Will Be Heard”
Our readers rose to the occasion, shouted it out loud, and even got a little spit in our faces in the process, but we hear ya — “I Will Be Heard” is the most beloved of Hatebreed’s many classic cuts.
A true perseverance anthem beating through a mid-paced, moshy bound, “I Will Be Heard” is both tough-as-fuck and super posi. Jasta talks hard times, but adds that “through the worst we prevail.” It’s a song about getting beat down, but never giving up on yourself.
For those reasons and many more, it’s the Hatebreed song our readers love to hear time and time again.