I went to see the Unholy Alliance Tour this Wednesday, featuring Slayer, Slipknot and Hatebreed. That was the first date of the tour here in Geneva. That was also my first live experience with these bands. The show was great. Slipknot is unbelievable on stage. Pure aggression !!! I have a good knowledge from the headliner (Slayer), a quite good one for Slipknot. That was however not the case for Hatebreed, the opening act.

So a few days before the show, I decide to listen to this unknown band called Hatebreed. I plugged their last album - The Rise Of Brutality - in the player and let it turn a few spins. As Hatebreed was opening the show, I better know what we were talking about. Well, The Rise Of Brutality is a disappointment to be honest with you. And the label dare calling this music ... hardcore ? If this is hardcore, it confirms I hate hardcore. No structures, stolen Slayer riffs, brutal vocals released at the same tone from the first track until the end of the album. This is what The Rise Of Brutality is all about. While Hatebreed was playing live, I though to myself : this is even worst on stage. Get out !!! Roadrunner is the label of Slipknot & Hatebreed. I suppose someone had the idea at Roadrunner to put Hatebreed as the starter of the Unholy Alliance Tour (for Europe at least). After all, if this media tour can help to sell more Hatebreed albums, why not?

I must admit at this stage that I really like Slayer and Slipknot, putting Hatebreed in an uncomfortable seat from the beginning. On the other hand, The Rise Of Brutality is nothing else than a mix of Slayer meets Machine Head, without the talent of these bands. Taking receipt from other bands and screaming like Slipknot ... doesn't hide the tree in the wood. Sorry guys, but you don't have the requested talent to shine. Thus, each of your songs reminds me either a killer Slayer riffs, a Machine Head song or a Slipknot tempo. Do you have anything personal to offer ?

The "originality" comes from the lyrics, which are much more optimistic compare to Slayer. My dear readers, the rise of brutality took place with Slayer a long time ago while Slipknot push it very far beyond. Excluding the excellent Live For This (wonderful tempo, aggressive chorus) and Another Day, Another Vendetta (as good as Machine Head at its best), every song on The Rise Of Brutality starts almost the same way and unfortunately ends the same way. Twelve tracks of hate, anger and oppression ... but no imagination at the end of the road. Boring, uninteresting, unexciting, tiresome.

Hatebreed is another Roadrunner band with the usual "hardcore" sound. We know that Roadrunner discovered Machine Head, Slipknot. Congratulations !!! I am just wondering if this label can now offer something different to the public. Let's make a story short : don't come to me saying this is hardcore because if that's the case, something is wrong with the other above-mentioned bands. Unless you are dying for "neo-hardcore", pass your way.

As for the Unholy Alliance Tour, don't miss it for nothing ;)