With unflinching tenacity, the impenetrable heavy metal hardcore factory that is Hatebreed has brought forth yet another iron cast, sonic weapon with Weight Of The False Self. It comes as no surprise that their eighth, full length album is the result of the usual sweat and blood that have cemented Hatebreed's unique niche in the world of music for over two decades. Renowned for their ability to provide an intense and cathartic release for their fans, Hatebreed challenged their writing style through this album cycle in order to produce material that is exceptionally relatable in a contemporary world flooded with overstimulation, emotional dampening, and lack of social patience.
Over the course of over 20 years and 8 albums, the writing process for a band like Hatebreed has stayed safe in it's roots, but still reached out and grabbed for crisp and compelling pieces of progressive sound to add to the mix on Weight Of The False Self. There are waves of fresh sounds while the massive foundation that houses Hatebreed remains strongly held in place. Tracks like "Cling To Life" supply a play on words that usually mean to desperately cling to those last breaths, but here, these words display that in the wake of true loss and mourning, to cling to the idea of happiness and future can bring sincere relief. On the other end of the philosophical spectrum, the second single "Instinctive (Slaughterlust)" not only presents a fresh vocabulary word, but screams about the power that comes from our defense mechanisms when backed into a corner. When someone is being pursued by their past, another person, or just defending their own territory, it's only a matter of time and distance before they can explode into a savage, primal beast.
