Hatebreed’s The Concrete Confessional (Nuclear Blast) starts out at a frenetic pace. It’s harsh and in your face. It’s totally what you’ve come to expect from them. With twenty years and eight albums under their belts, Hatebreed still brings the thunder.

The Concrete Confessional starts out with the song ‘AD’. It totally sets the tone for the carnage to come. Jamey Jasta takes control of the music and propels the listener down the rabbit hole. Frank Novinec and Wayne Lozinak create a wall of sound with their guitars that will melt your face. Chris Beattie and Matt Byrne are totally in the pocket as the rhythm section. ‘Seven Enemies’ starts out by saying “Today is not the day.” Hatebreed drops such truth bombs on The Concrete Confessional. They take all the anger and frustration we have living in 2016 and give a voice to it. Jamey Jasta eloquently says what we all want to say on a day-to-day basis. It’s a feather in the cap of Hatebreed that after two decades they are still angry and have the ability to tap into and translate the anger of their fan base.

The lyrics on ‘Something’s Off’ are timely. “Sometimes I wish I could just shut it off.” “Silent voices stabbing at peace…” “Making something meaningless seem significant….” You listen to the album and go YES! YES, THAT’S IT!! SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS!!! I give a huge thank you to Jamey and Hatebreed for writing such a poignant and topical album.

Hatebreed pack so much into the thirteen tracks on The Concrete Confessional. The longest track is 3:50. They are economical in speech and composition. Nothing is wasted. The Concrete Confessional is concise, direct, and raw.

8./10

VICTORIA ANDERSON

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