jack_rawstone

Hatebreed singer Jamey Jasta reveals his musical responsibilities, why hate is a good thing and how his music is medicine for the soul.

If you ask someone who is ill-educated in the art of heavy metal what they think it is about, the answer youll often get is one of ignorance and loathing. People will invariably bring up themes of extreme violence, an inaudible screaming voice and, for some reason, baby eating.

Any true fan will know that this is way more than 'off the mark'. Metal provides solace for massive amounts of people across the globe, whether they are going through a tough time at home or they simply want to get some aggression out in the pit. Jamey Jasta knows this more than most. Hatebreed is often renowned for inspiring emotion and provoking reactions.

As the first hardcore band to go straight in at number one on the US rock charts (with their last album, The Rise of Brutality), Hatebreed have gained massive amounts of praise and respect on the hardcore scene for almost a decade now. Although Jameys lyrics may be slightly inaudible during a live set, he definitely does not eat babies. What he does is hope to inspire with his powerful and emotive music.

I think there are a lot of people out there who lack direction or motivation in life, you know, like I was when I was young. I feel music is definitely an emotional or physical or spiritual compass to point you in the right direction with your life. I look at our music as that type of compass, and if we can help direct someone in the right way, at least off the bad path, then I feel like weve done something more.

At most metal gigs, after the show, there are always kids lining up outside to tell their heroes that their music has helped them through some tough times. Jamey and Hatebreed are no exception, but does the music work both ways? And does it act as medicine for his soul? For me? Definitely, he starts with a smile. "Its just my way of communicating what Ive been through and my outlook on life, and yeah, thats it. You know, Ive been really lucky. A lot of people all over the world have identified with my lyrics, and now when I write, I definitely try to come across in a way that is easily discernable for the listener.

The fact that music affects and changes people is undeniable. Heavy metal perhaps affects more than most. The genre's stars are often looked upon as gods, taking the stage and dominating the crowd, whipping them up into a cathartic frenzy. So does Jamey feel any responsibility when writing his lyrics? I have a responsibility to myself to just remain true to what it is I want to say, which, as a band like Hatebreed continually grows, becomes increasingly difficult. He knows that he has to try and, not tailor it to any sort of trend or be worried about what people think. On the last album, I really got to say what I wanted to say and that was that. Its a really liberating thing for me, you know? If it came out, it came out, and thats the way I used it.

In a genre like hardcore, metal themes of hatred often crop up and are not to be taken lightly. This point comes across as Jamey says that he includes so much in his lyrics because he feels that hate, ultimately, can do good by leading to change. Thats what it's about. Its about channelling the negative energy and turning it into something positive, rather than focusing in on something and having the negativity be aimless, you know? Its about taking an aim, making a change, and changing the way justice is perceived.

Does the current situation of the world though, with terror and war give him fodder for his hate? Yeah definitely, you know I think there is a lot of turmoil in the world mainly because of people just not being able to live and let live. Its always over oil or money, or religion or some sort of corruption. It is certainly food for thought, so to speak, and I definitely think our next album will touch on being powerless in that sort of situation, just trying to live and let live.

Jameys lyrics are often directly linked to himself, highlighting a struggle or stance in his own life that will now give him, in the position he is in, to inspire, and as he said, hopefully push some one in the right direction. I mean, we have a couple of songs that arent necessarily directly about my life, so we do that as well. But when I write, I try to take the standpoint of being a kid and remembering certain lyrics that moved me, or certain songs that I enjoyed singing along to live. I use that as inspiration and now its my turn and our chance to inspire.

Jamey and his bandmates' passion and hard working ethic has brought Hatebreed to the front of the hardcore scene as it stands in the 21st century. They now, as Jamey says, have a pretty set formula that weve used for the last ten years.

In his own words, he is trying to focus on intensity with definitely memorable and powerful hooks, riffs and lyrics in general.

Hatebreeds extreme form of music is often clouded by the ignorance of people, the people who think that its about screaming, violence and nothing more. As long as Jamey and his bandmates stick to the same path, they can bring about change. They can keeping bringing darkness to light and reach out to people with their music.