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HT: Hatebreed has accomplished almost every single goal any band would want to accomplish. What's the drive behind Hatebreed and the new album, Supremacy?
JJ: I think our main goal is to take things further and show people that we can progress without compromising our music or our message. This album is about attaining supremacy over whatever adversity life throws at you. The album packaging contains liner notes that explain the basic concept behind the lyrics and title. I hope people will get the whole experience of buying the CD and reading along with the liner notes and lyrics while listening. That was the way I used to do it and I feel like this record has a deeper meaning to me and I hope people can derive inspiration from it like I was able to in making it. The drive to make this album came from getting back to basics and getting in touch with the intensity and ferocity of the songs. I wanted to tap into the adrenaline and try to create songs that were charged and brutal, but at the same time memorable and uplifting. It's hard to put into words, but trust me when I say the album crushes and will give you chills when listening.
HT: You just finished shooting the video for "Defeatist." How does the video portray the meaning behind the music?
JJ: Well, the video shows some people who are hitting rock bottom in one way or another. There is an addict, a glutton, an abusive mother, a prostitute and an alcoholic. The music is almost like an awakening for these people. It goes from showing their horror to us playing live with about 300 or so fans going insane, shouting every word. Shooting this video was an awesome experience because we got to work with our friend, director Dale Restighini, again and we were able to get our fans down there with 48 hours notice. People waited for like 6 or 7 hours in the hot sun just to be in the video. We have the best, most dedicated supporters out there. We also shot a behind the music special for MTV2 which was really cool. That will be airing soon.
HT: How does the new addition, Frank Novinec, fit with the band?
JJ: Well, Frank is one of our oldest, best friends. When he was in Terror, he would actually ride with us on our bus when we would tour together. Basically, it was always like he was in the band in a way! We started Hatebreed as a 5 piece, so when we decided to go back to the way it was we knew that when we began our search for another guitarist we didn't have to look very far. I don't think we even called anyone else. He's a road dog like us. He loves beer and classic rock. He's a perfect fit!
HT: How do you get excited about writing another album? What inspires you?
JJ: I felt like I had to say more and communicate new things through the songs and that excited me and made me feel like I did back in 94/95 when we first started jamming. It was a feeling that I had lost for awhile. Once Beattie started giving me riff CDs and I started jamming my riffs with his, things started to really flow. One of the first songs we recorded a demo of was "To The Threshold." We started playing it for people and the response was amazing. Roadrunner liked it so much they put it on the Headbanger's Ball compilation, and when that hit the streets the word started spreading like wild fire that we were coming even harder with the new stuff. It felt really good and made us work harder and get more involved in the studio. Once we all started jamming together things really came together and Matt and Sean brought some cool ideas to the table, as well as our producer Zeuss. We ended up having a bunch of material we were really proud of.
HT: Too many people think because they hear screaming, fast drums and crunchy guitars that the music comes off as negative or evil. Set the story straight on what Hatebreed is set out to accomplish.
JJ: I think there are many things we still want to accomplish as a band, like touring with Metallica would be awesome, being the first hardcore band with a gold album would be incredible, etc. etc. but in the grand scheme of things we hope to accomplish more on a deeper level, connecting with more people, not just in hopes of gaining materialistic things. With a name like Hatebreed, a lot of people get the wrong impression, but we speak about turning the negative into the positive. We always have. Music was always more than entertainment for me. It was my life, my community and my escape from a world that wasn't always so kind. So when we started this band, not only did we want to give back to the scene that had done so much for us. We wanted to make music like the bands we loved and we wanted to bring the scenes together and make it bigger and better for everyone. Looking back at now, it's amazing to see how far we've come and how the music has been able to touch people. Even for people who don't read the lyrics and just like heavy music, I feel like this record has more to offer. I think we've been able to stay brutal and throw down some pounding tunes, but they are memorable and the words are more discernible which was another accomplishment.
HT: You'll be soon headlining the Monsters Of Mayhem Tour. Tell us what the anticipation of headlining and touring with bands that inspired you is like?
JJ: This is the tour we've been wanting to do for a long time. We get to see two of our favorite bands every night (Napalm Death & Exodus) and we're excited to be helping out two great young bands like First Blood and Despised Icon. We're happy to be waving the flags high for extreme music. It's such a brutal package. We feel like people will really get more bang for their buck. Not only that but we'll be getting some guitar lessons from Gary Holt!!!
HT: Is everyone in the band stoked to be on Roadrunner Records?
JJ: Yes. Signing to Roadrunner was one of the best things ever to happen to this band. It was meant to be. They have a great staff who believe in us and a great roster of bands. Not too mention they have put out some of our favorite albums ever!
HT: What can you honestly say about your fans compared to any other fans you've seen at any given show?
JJ: Our fans have the most heart. They endure the brutal shows and go off harder than any other fan base out there. They follow us to other cities, they have our words and logo tattooed on them. It's an honor to have such dedication from so many people!
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