Hatebreed Have Divinity of Purpose

Hatebreed have announced announced a January 29 release date for Sergeant D.’s favorite album of 2013, The Divinity of Purpose. In case you’re slow, that’s the album art above, by MetalSucks fave Eliran Kantor, and if it’s not the best goddamn record cover Hatebreed have ever had, then my name is Jamey Jastafarian. It looks a Michelangelo portrait of Hell.

I found the last couple of Hatebreed albums to be good but not great, probably through no real fault of the band’s own — they basically keep doing the same thing over and over again, and it just got a little old for me after awhile. But I gotta say, at this moment, when I am more sick of tech metal that has no hooks or even a decent goddamn entry point for anyone who views a song as something more than just an excuse to show off how much time you’ve spent practicing your instrument instead of having sex, this is the most excited I’ve been for a Hatebreed album since 2003’s The Rise of Brutality. It’s not that I suspect that Hatebreed will finally break new ground on this release; it’s just that a bunch of really angry, really simple, really catchy songs sounds like just what the doctor ordered right now.

I suspect we’ll get to hear a new single before the end of the year. While we wait, Hatebreed are currently on tour with Lamb of God, In Flames, and Sylosis. Get remaining dates here.