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Hatebreed Supremacy

Supremacy
01. Defeatist 02. Horrors of Self 03. Mind Over All 04. To the Threshold 05. Give Wings to My Triumph WINDOWS MEDIA 06. Destroy Everything 07. Divine Judgment 08. Immortal Enemies 09. The Most Truth 10. Never Let It Die 11. Spitting Venom 12. As Diehard as They Come 13. Supremacy of Self
2006 Roadrunner Records
Our score 6
by Cory
9/12/2006
After waiting five years to release their second album, Hatebreed has spent the last five years churning out records. Their latest, Supremacy, follows in the footsteps of the last two, cementing Hatebreed's place as one of the most consistent acts in the history of hardcore after 13 years of existence, despite having only two original members. The key to Hatebreed's success and staying power has a lot to do with their formula of tough-guy hardcore with Slayer riffs. Unfortunately, this tried-and-true formula is also their biggest shortcoming and it's never been quite so obvious as on Supremacy. Supremacy can definitely be enjoyed if approached with the right set of relatively low expectations. It's a perfectly anthemic meathead hardcore record, tailor-made for high school football players and gym rats looking for the ultimate theme songs to their practices and workouts. It's the soundtrack to a shirtless, sweaty Pantera-style push mosh. Supermacy is a even a great record to enjoy in your car on the way to work in a traffic jam. It just isn't anything more. The simplistic and one-dimensional lyrics are mediocre, even by Hatebreed standards. The riffs are predictably unoriginal, albeit this time a bit more inspired by the early 90's than the mid-80's. Despite all of this, the real justification for Supremacy's existence is obvious after the first few seconds: Nobody does this better than Hatebreed. There's a place for this sort of thing just like there's a place for cheesy commercial rap music. Simply stated, most fans of hardcore and metal have a soft spot in their heart for something mindlessly entertaining and Hatebreed does both "mindless" and "entertaining" like nobody's business. Supremacy plays out like the slightly slower-paced, catchier offspring of 2003's The Rise of Brutality, showing that Hatebreed have a near-perfect understanding of their audience and their strengths. Perhaps the addition of Ringworm's Frank Novinec on guitar will help them address some of their songwriting weaknesses. Who knows. Whatever minimal attempts to mix things up that have been implemented on Supremacy are appreciated, as in the slightly melodic vocals on "Never Let It Die" or the punk-style shouts on "Immortal Enemies," but these are just minor flourishes tacked on to the established Hatebreed style rather than noteworthy innovations. Bottom Line: I can't call Supremacy a "good" or "bad" record because I think those descriptors are meaningless in relation to a Hatebreed record at this point in time. It is what it is and you'll either find something you like in it or you won't. I've got a spot in my heart (and on my shelf) for everything Hatebreed has released and Supremacy is no exception.

31 comments

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chris_ 9/12/2006 1:50:48 PM

first

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truthsayer_ 9/12/2006 1:54:59 PM

Fair review - I agree on all counts.

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jerseyislame_ 9/12/2006 2:00:08 PM

"Supremacy can definitely be enjoyed if approached with the right set of relatively low expectations. " that made me LOL bigtime

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Dingle_Berry_ 9/12/2006 2:00:57 PM

'It's the soundtrack to a shirtless, sweaty Pantera-style push mosh.' <--- phrases like this reveal the shittiness of this guys mentality. too concerned with what's cool, not with what's good music. Plus, he rides a jumbo balogna pony.

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bolognapony_ 9/12/2006 2:28:50 PM

Cory does not ride me, sir.

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panzram_ 9/12/2006 2:31:10 PM

^^^^^lol^^^^^^

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mydixiewrecked_ 9/12/2006 3:02:16 PM

tailor-made for high school football players and gym rats looking for the ultimate theme songs to their practices and workouts.

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gfhfghfg_ 9/12/2006 3:14:06 PM

anything core sucks

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wolfpack_ 9/12/2006 3:40:21 PM

would have givenan 7 or 8

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whocares_ 9/12/2006 3:48:25 PM

A reviewer can concentrate "on the music", but it's a little dishonest to totally ignore the fans. Let's face it; the fans are pretty much why a lot of people hate certain bands..

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fvckyouyoufvckingfvck_ 9/12/2006 4:04:11 PM

I think this cd is bad. I liked all the others but this is pretty shitty. satisfaction>>>under the knife>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>perseverance>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>the rise of brutality>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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MEATHEAD_ 9/12/2006 4:27:50 PM

HATEBREAD RULZ MOTHERf*ckERS!!!!!!!!!! IF YOU DONT AGRE I WILL STUFF YOU IN A LOKER!!!!!!!!!! *SLAM DANCES*

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fart_ 9/12/2006 4:51:33 PM

SAY IT TO THEIR FACES

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Yeahyouwould_ 9/12/2006 6:59:34 PM

good review

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Coldchain_ 9/12/2006 7:57:34 PM

This band has never interested me

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James Shanahan_ 9/12/2006 8:28:49 PM

"The riffs are predictably unoriginal" oh yeah gay? That's what happens when you blow your thumb off with a firecracker as a kid. YOU try writing original music with one thumb. Seriously, f*ck you dude. TO ALL OUR FANS, SEE YOU ON TOUR!! DON'T FORGET TO COME EARLY FOR EXODUS!! PEACE, JASTA

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joehardcore_ 9/12/2006 8:51:49 PM

gym rats and football players listen to numetal. pssy suburban kids with no street sense think their tough and listen to bury your dead.

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wolfpack_ 9/12/2006 10:58:02 PM

All the f*cking pssys and gays who get beat up and picked on at the shows hate this band apparently!

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xnvb_ 9/13/2006 2:31:28 AM

god damn it cory, you write the shittest f*cking reviews ever. stop bashing bands with your pseudo-wit, stop attempting lame jokes. what do you listen to that's so much better?

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LEX_LUGER_ 9/13/2006 10:35:39 AM

This record is the best effort since Satisfaction. I like it. I like Hatebreed. However, I do not like this ass raping review. 0/10 review

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Seth Putnam_ 9/13/2006 1:05:10 PM

gay wiggers

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smokeoutloud_ 9/13/2006 2:19:08 PM

give me Cowboys From Hell any day over this, thats true moshy mosh!!!!

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sHAMEbreed_ 9/14/2006 5:34:01 AM

Good review! You don't even need to hear the album to know it's just more of the same boring formula. Hatebreed's only quality is playing ultra brutal HC live and to continue doing so without dissapointing their loyal fanbase they need to produce something in the line of their previous releases, otherwise they'd sell out to their sound and their ever growing (MTV-)crowd. Making more money and assure selling rates to stay on RR is the objective, most clearly. True music lovers won't buy this.

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CuntSnot_ 9/14/2006 10:12:57 AM

7 or 8 for me... Hatebreed always pull it off, but I agree this is their weakest CD...

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Hostile Wasteland_ 9/15/2006 7:05:35 AM

I don't think hardcore necessarily needs to break new ground. Look at dbeat and posi records--they're still doing exactly what the originators have done all these years later, and there's still great stuff being put out in those genres. I think the real weight of a hardcore record is measured in the sincerity, heart, and passion of the performance...and Hatebreed certainly don't have that here. This sounds purely by the numbers, and slightly contrived.

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Tommy_ 9/16/2006 2:29:04 PM

It shows a deficit of critical talent to have to breakdown an album based on, for lack of a better term, "scene politics." You wouldn't degrade a Radiohead album based on the nerds and geeks that listen to them, nor would you critique a Panic! At the Dance Club CD based on their homosexual fan base. That's a total Spin magazine move.

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scarlito_ 9/18/2006 9:51:33 AM

I think this is a pretty good review. For what the album is intended to be, energetic meathead anthems, it does it's job well. Great album to get psyched up to.

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mike_ 9/23/2006 12:37:00 PM

i agree with this review, but i think this cd should of been a 7 , it does have its good parts. but some parts are kinda lame

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citrous_ 11/23/2006 4:05:42 AM

Always the same

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throwbreedengage10_ 12/17/2006 9:48:37 PM

great cd deffentily beats the rise even though it was good this is a deff perserverence type album i love it tis going back to a lot of the hardcore roots but still keeps the good metal riffs here and there 9/10

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FICKLExFUCKER_ 3/2/2007 3:24:00 PM

Hatebreed is a great band. I like everything I've heard from them. New and old. But we have to be honest, it does have a tough jerk feel to it. I don't mind that when its hatebreed they pull it off good. But the fact that everyone that is disagreeing with this review are being jerks and saying they'll beat his ass or "Tough Guys" proves his point. I disagree with him. But why prove his point.

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