“Enemies Never Die / Conflict Is Unending / Chaos Never Ceases / Where Does the Solution Lie?” The solution for Hatebreed is to drop another slab of peerless metallic hardcore that strays little from the formula they laid down upwards of ten years ago on their stellar debut. Raging against the same foes and the same wrongs using essentially the same music, you can’t help but feel the sides of the well worn the groove this album travels down. Let’s face it, even the notoriously single minded Ramones, who sported the same clothes and haircuts for twenty plus years, showed far more musical experimentation over a similar time period than Hatebreed has to date. So Supremacy is sure to piss off snobby critics with its lack of “growth” and “maturity” but, by stubbornly sticking with the fan friendly formula that catapulted them to Ozzfest stardom on the backs of angry, backwards baseball cap sporting suburban kids, they’ve assured that this album will receive a very warm welcome by their devoted fan base. 

After reading the above it should be no surprise that there’s no big change in sound afoot on Supremacy, no expansion beyond the hardcore lyrical staples of inner strength, self-determination and crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you and hearing the lamentation of their women. Seriously, in today’s wishy washy world, with people switching musical allegiances (not to mention political!) at the drop of a hat, it’s actually kind of comforting knowing that Hatebreed is going to deliver each and every time. And deliver they do. Like those that came before it, this album is simple vitriolic metallic hardcore with chugaliscous, non-technical breakdowns and venomous tough guy vocals that sound just as pissed a decade later as they did when they started. That’s what sold me on this album. Everything is done with the same level of intensity and vigor as they originally brought to the table. Yes the formula may be wearing a little thin but, like fellow “why fix what ain’t broken?” stalwarts Sick Of It All, when it’s played with this much conviction you can’t help but get pumped when it comes blasting out of your speakers. 

For those of you that want a comparison to previous efforts, I would say this album leans a little more heavily on the hardcore side and sounds slightly less metallic/down tuned than their last but it’s something you’d only point out if you played them back to back. Otherwise it’s pretty much what you’ve heard before. There are some nice new breakdowns and some new choruses to scream along to but in the end it’s not going to win them any new fans, only give their existing ones another set of songs to their mosh on to. To quote another song on Supremacy that pretty much sums this effort up: “Never Waver / Never Falter / Remain Die-Hard”. Can a Hatebreed fan ask for anything more?