HATEBREED Guitarist: 'We're Using The Biggest Backline Of Any Other Band' On OZZFEST

Blasting-Zone.com recently conducted an in-depth interview with HATEBREED guitarist Frank Novinec. Several excerpts from the chat follow:

Blasting-Zone.com: How much of the new material are you working into your Ozzfest set?

Frank: "We're doing two every night. We do only a forty five minute set, so we wanna give the people a taste, but we also wanna give those that are seein' us for the first time a decent taste off the catalog. We do 'To The Threshold', which was release already on the 'Headbanger's Ball' compilation, but was re-recorded for the new record, and we do a song called 'Mind Over All' as well. We're getting ready to make a video right in Connecticut for the song 'Defeatist', which is gonna be the next single."

Blasting-Zone.com: How far back are you going in respect to the older material? Are you going back to the beginning?

Frank: "Absolutely. We're doing 'Smash Your Enemies', 'Under The Knife' and 'Puritan' from '95 and obviously songs from 'The Rise Of Brutality', 'Perseverance' and 'Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire' as well."

Blasting-Zone.com: It's actually nice to hear about a band sincerely interested in having depth within such a short set…

Frank: "That's the thing about HATEBREED. We can because the songs are so short, ya know? Other bands are out there playing eight songs and we're belting you like fifteen."

Blasting-Zone.com: How is the material the band recorded as a four piece coming across live with a second guitarist onstage? Is everyone just doubling their parts?

Frank: "Well, they're already doubled in the studio anyway, so it's not like it sound different. It just sounds more like the record now, ya know? We're using the biggest backline of any other band on the whole tour."

Blasting-Zone.com: Really?

Frank: "Yeah, but you gotta remember that most bands fill up the stage with fuckin' cabinets and none of them are plugged in. That's how they do it. When we roll out onstage, we're playing through six full stacks for just the guitars alone. Everything is plugged in all the time, which is something nobody is doing, ya know? That kinda shocked the hell out of some of the people here, especially the people working here and some of the other bands. That's been one of the really cool things about the tour. We're all really psyched out in a MOTÖRHEAD type of way. It's been great and it been loud. We've been doing off dates while we are on Ozzfest where we're the headlining band and we're still going into these little clubs with that big backline. That's when we really blow people away, ya know?"

Blasting-Zone.com: At this point, where do you feel HATEBREED stands within the hierarchy of the hardcore genre? Do you feel the band should be considered the reining godfathers of the style?

Frank: "I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't go so far as to say godfathers. I think that title should be reserved for the CRO-MAGS, AGNOSTIC FRONT and SICK OF IT ALL. HATEBREED is obviously a band that's a little bit heavier than all of those bands. We are a band that was able to break out into the metal scene, ya know? People can call us a metal band and we wouldn't mind, but people can call us hardcore, too. It's a crossover, that's for sure. I think…a lot of these bands that are playing the second stage of Ozzfest see that HATEBREED has been able to remain successful while playing music that is so heavy. I think it's a glimmer of hope for bands like UNEARTH, WALLS OF JERICHO, FULL BLOWN CHAOS and BLEEDING THROUGH that play the crossover style too, ya know? I don't think there were many band before HATEBREED that were able to go ahead and make this their full-time job, ya know? I wouldn't say that we are godfathers, but I can definitely tell that there are a lot of bands on the Ozzfest second stage that look up to HATEBREED. We're great friends with everyone over there and that's just something extra special about a band like us…the whole hardcore community and scene. Everyone is a human being just like everybody else. There are no rock-star attitudes. We want to meet the fans and I think that's also something that's special about the band because it puts us a lot more in touch with the fans."

Blasting-Zone.com: With that in mind, how much of HATEBREED's influence do you see in other bands?

Frank: "I think there is some. A lot of times, I think it comes through in the way bands present themselves. The things a singer might say in between songs or just the band's work ethic in general. We're certainly a band that doesn't take a break from the road at all and if we do, it's to go home and make a video or to record an album, ya know? I think in the work ethic area for sure…a lot of band are influenced by HATEBREED, especially when you're in a younger band and you can't necessarily afford to take a day off unless you're gonna go home and go to work or something like that because you're just struggling to get by, at know? The longer you stay out on the road, the more popular a band is gonna become and the better it's gonna be for the band in the long run."

Read the entire interview at www.blasting-zone.com.