Hatebreed

Hatebreed gained fans beyond its hardcore niche by touring with Slayer and the Deftones, leading to big sales for The Rise of Brutality in 2003. But the album was a step away from the Connecticut band’s original mission statement: to create old-school hardcore music in the face of the pop-infused, nu-hardcore of bands like Atreyu. With last year’s Supremacy, Hatebreed displayed a truly brutal rising from the roots of Black Flag, Blood for Blood and Sick of It All. The songs are meant for live performance; onstage, Hatebreed holds onto the punk but tweaks up the technical influence of metal.