After their debut in the mid-90s with the studio album ‘Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire,’ Hatebreed carved a path for themselves in the music world. Touring with heavy metal bands like Slayer, Deftones, Entombed, and Napalm Death, the group extended its reach beyond the hardcore scene.
The Band’s Music Style
The heavy metal influences showed themselves in Hatebreed’s records after the tours, especially in 2002’s ‘Perseverance,’ and 2003’s ‘The Rise Of Brutality.’ Through the years, the band created their own sound by combining two genres, describing their style as metalcore, hardcore punk, and beatdown hardcore.
The Accusations Of White Supremacy
While they played a role in shaping the Connecticut hardcore scene, the band’s name and style caused a problem at some point. In a 2012 CNN article about the Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting committed by a white supremacist musician, the director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Upper Midwest Region, Lonnie Nasatir, accused Hatebreed of being a white power group.
What Was The Truth?
Reacting to the list that also included names like Angry Aryans and Definite Hate, the band defended themselves on X and criticized Nasatir by writing:
“Our music brings people of all races together all over the world; CNN need to get their facts straight. Writers like Lonnie Nasatir are the reason why the American media is looked at as a complete joke.”
Hatebreed and their fans asked the network to correct the article and post an apology for the mistake, which led CNN to update the site by writing, ‘Hatebreed is a self-described ‘hardcore metal’ band. CNN regrets the error.’
Record Reviews After The Controversy
Months after the incident, a more hardcore Hatebreed record than the previous one, ‘The Divinity Of Purpose,’ hit the shelves, with some songs like ‘Own Your World’ and ‘Nothing Scars Me’ receiving good reviews for their ‘positive reinforcement.’
The album reached number 20 on the Billboard 200, while the follow-up, ‘The Concrete Confessional,’ went up to number 25, with generally positive reviews for its sound.
