HATEBREED Frontman: 'We Really, Really, Wanna Do A U.S. Tour With METALLICA'

Planet-Loud.com recently conducted an interview with HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Planet-Loud.com: Last year you did your ten-year anniversary tour. How did it feel reaching that milestone?

Jamey: It feels great. To go back and do two huge sold-out shows in Connecticut and to play little clubs without a barricade and to do some of the smaller clubs we haven't done in years was so cool.

Planet-Loud.com: Aside from musically, how do you feel you've changed over those ten years as a band?

Jamey: I think we're just more serious about it now as far as the intentions. We go out, we do shows, we make records. We're all on the same page, have the same vision, the same goals. This line-up is the strongest ever and it's such a good feeling because I think, for the first five years of the band, it was difficult to find people with the same vision and the same drive to go out and do this. This life isn't for everybody.

Planet-Loud.com: You've always been a DIY band. Is it difficult to maintain those ethics?

Jamey: Yeah, it is. It's one of those things where we have to keep proving ourselves which is fine. With the last record we said we wanted to do it ourselves, we wanted to do what we know. We wanted to do what was right for the legacy of the band. By doing a record at a small studio and using a producer we've known for over a decade, I think that was the right message to send. I think we could have jumped ship and gone to a bigger producer and used a bigger studio but that wasn't right for the vision of HATEBREED. At this point in our career we need to show people where our intensions are. We wanted to show people that we are still committed, even at this stage, to making brutal music with a positive message and we still try and help out people who've helped us out over the years. Those relationships do matter and we've made the best record of our career in "Supermacy".

Planet-Loud.com: You talked about goals earlier on. What goals have you got left?

Jamey: We really, really, wanna do a U.S. tour with METALLICA. It is something I've talked about for ages and it's like we've done so many international tours with bigger bands like SLAYER, SLIPKNOT and KORN and it has been amazing but, as far as a band being able to influence and break a new metal or hardcore band into a world of mainstream rock, METALLICA is the one that has the power. Much in the same way OZZY did for METALLICA, I think if METALLICA was to take out an underground band that is connected to the underground in some way rather than taking out a band like GODSMACK who already has radio/mainstream appeal, it would be a major opportunity for someone like ourselves. It would an honour come true.

Planet-Loud.com: Going on to the new record then. You've talked about your lyrics always having a positive edge, are they inspired by specific events on this record?

Jamey: Some are, some aren't. It depends, song by song. Some songs are written about bad situations and I felt that I needed to express myself through my music. It really depends. This album is like a snapshot of the last two and a half years right from the "Horrors of Self" through to the end, it's like a summing up of the past two and a half years and things I've experienced. This album is like me pointing myself in the right direction and I hope that the listener will get the same out of it. I hope that this record is like a compass that will point the listener in the right direction that they need to go. It's continuing with our legacy of making music that is more than entertainment. I think this record is going to solidify our legacy.

Planet-Loud.com: Kids seem to relate to you personally through your lyrics, how does that feel?

Jamey: It's an honor. All I've ever wanted to do with this band is communicate my feelings and get all this stuff off my chest. I wanted to feel like I felt when I started going to shows and getting involved in this scene. With the lyrics I feel like I have more of a purpose, I could see how people related to them.

Read the entire interview at Planet-Loud.com.