In a new interview with Hardlore (Link), guitarist Frank Novinec of Connecticut hardcore/metal veterans HATEBREED was asked about the status of a new album.
“It’s coming out this year, yeah. Most of it’s pretty much done,” he said. Referring to the band’s first new single in nearly five years, “Make The Demons Obey,” released last July, Novinec explained that modern release cycles allow more flexibility: the band can drop singles even with a finished record, revisit material, make changes, or even write new songs along the way.
“It’s not like, ‘Here’s the record, here are the singles, that’s it,’” he said. “We dropped the single, got a great response, and we love the song. We’re really happy with ‘Make The Demons Obey.’ We’ll probably leak another one soon, with proper videos after that.”
Asked about his own songwriting contributions since joining HATEBREED full time in 2006, Novinec was candid. “No. I think I have one riff on one song. From day one, it was always Chris [Beattie] and Jamey [Jasta]. They wrote the music, for the most part.”
On how Beattie’s recent departure has affected the band’s dynamic, Novinec noted that guitarist Wayne Lozinak and others now contribute ideas. “Songs are presented, and we’ll say, ‘This riff should go longer,’ or ‘We should change this.’”
Drummer Matt Byrne has also spoken openly about the new material. In an interview last October with Baby Huey of San Francisco radio station 107.7 The Bone (Link), Byrne said the new album was about 85–90 percent complete, with a target release set for this year. He described “Make The Demons Obey” as fast, heavy, and unmistakably HATEBREED, adding that it’s refreshing to play new material after decades of staples like “I Will Be Heard.”
Lozinak has been dealing with health issues following surgery earlier this year for a benign brain meningioma, but the band remains active. The follow-up to Weight Of The False Self is progressing steadily, with Jasta stating that the ideas, lyrics, and music are all in place as he works to finalize the record.