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THE RISE OF BRUTALITY
(Universal)
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Connecticut hardcore heavyweights Hatebreed took five long years to make their second album, last year’s murderous Perseverance. It was worth the wait: the band filled the mainstream ugliness void left by the dissolution of Pantera, and frontman Jamey Jasta landed a sweet gig hosting MTV2’s new Headbangers Ball. They didn’t waste time going back into the studio for this raging follow-up, which reconfirms their spot at the top of the metal heap. Brutality is the first Hatebreed disc with renowned producer Zeuss (Shadows Fall) and the first without original guitarist Lou Richards, but the song remains the same. First single "This Is Now" is one of those no-frills self-empowerment anthems Jasta does so well: "How can I change tomorrow if I can’t change today?" The group’s debt to vintage NYC hardcore is made explicit in the liner notes: the pulverizing anti-corporate rant "Straight to Your Face" is for Agnostic Front and Madball, and the socio-political lament "Another Day, Another Vendetta" quotes Sick of It All. On the mosh-happy "Live for This," Jasta stays positive even as the riffs turn evil. Metal and hardcore fans can only hope Hatebreed’s current prolific streak continues.
