Being a band like Hatebreed usually means one or two things – firstly, plenty of people are going to find their way to you from other bands and, secondly, some people just aren’t ever going to like you. Being a band like Hatebreed also means you can pretty much carry on without changing course stylistically too much.
The last few Hatebreed records have obviously still been very “Hatebreed”, but ‘The Divinity Of Purpose’ is arguably the most urgent they’ve sounded since their seminal ‘Perseverance’. Bringing a positive energy to their sound has always made them stand out, and songs like ‘Put It To The Torch’ and ‘Own Your World’ will skip straight to the top of live favourites for both musicianship and excellent intros (“Who’s got more heart than you? NO ONE”). Others like ‘Dead Man Breathing’ and ‘The Language’ have everything you could ever ask for from the band, and it’s just a very listenable thrash record – if not a very groundbreaking or genre defining one.
‘The Divinity Of Purpose’ shows that the band have lost no steam over the last decade, and the eleven tracks on display fly past as quickly as they strengthen the band’s repertoire. There’s not a moment that the record becomes tiresome or a song that should have been left on the cutting floor, and it’s just a great record as long as you like this type of thing and can take your thrash with a pinch of salt. Ahead of a fresh set of European dates, what else could you want from Hatebreed than eleven new pit inducers?
TOM AYLOTT