MATT BYRNE On New HATEBREED: "It's Way More Metal, Thrashy, Fast, SLAYER-Esque"

Hatebreed is apparently getting way thrashier with their new material. According to Hatebreed drummer Matt Byrne during an interview backstage at this year's Louder Than Life festival with The Kevin Powell Podcast, the new Hatebreed stuff is more in line with Slayer than anything else.

"I think this new material is way thrashier. There's always a tinge of metal to Hatebreed," said Byrne. "I think a lot of people try to kind of pigeonhole us as a hardcore band, but I think over the years we've just gone way more metal. There is still the hardcore punk vibe to us, but I think the new stuff is way more metal, thrashy, fast, Slayer-esque, if I may use that term.

"That's kind of the direction we're going in right now, but there's still a lot of groove to it. It's definitely the heaviest stuff that we've written to date. I know that can be a cliché thing with bands — 'Watch out, everybody. It's the coolest stuff,' or whatever they say — but it's true. It's true. It really is. So I'm excited for everyone to hear the other stuff too."

The new material follows the July release of "Make The Demons Obey", a comeback single that's already become a live staple: "It's fast, it's heavy, it's Hatebreed all over," Byrne said of the song. "It's a lot of fun to play. We've been playing 'I Will Be Heard' since 2002 — as much as we love that song, it's nice to tear into something new."

Byrne also addressed Hatebreed's lineup changes briefly, which I'm guessing has everything to do with their ongoing lawsuit against former bassist Chris Beattie: "New record, new music. It's a new era of the band. We've had some lineup changes. We dealt with some curve balls this summer, some health stuff. So we're coming out on top, we're grinding through, we're coming out on top. And, yeah — new production. We're just stepping up the show 100% and just forging onward."