HATEBREED’s JAMEY JASTA on the Essential Hardcore Bands You Need to Hear

Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta has always worn his hardcore roots on his sleeve, and in a feature piece for Metal Hammer, he digs into the bands that shaped him — the hardcore acts he regards as essential listening. For Jasta, these aren’t just influences: they’re the foundation of his ethos, his voice, and the fire that fuels Hatebreed’s mission.

Jasta points to classic New York and East Coast hardcore bands like Agnostic Front, Madball, and Judge as key pillars in his musical DNA. In interviews, he’s praised Agnostic Front’s raw, emotionally honest delivery; he calls Judge “much underrated” and admires their unfiltered intensity. He’s also referenced Merauder and their demo Life Is Pain as pivotal to his early understanding of weightier, darker hardcore.

Beyond those, Jasta gives nods to crossover-style bands that blend hardcore and metal — acts like Celtic Frost, which he’s mentioned in terms of influence. His own side‑projects (such as Icepick, his tough-guy metalcore outfit) reflect this hybrid passion and further underscore how his taste gravitates toward music that’s brutal, honest, and unflinching.

In his Metal Hammer remarks, Jasta doesn’t just pick songs — he highlights albums that shaped him, tracks that felt like life lessons, and the bands whose spirit still bleeds into Hatebreed today. For fans — both new and old — his curated list is a roadmap through hardcore’s history: a guide to the raw, fearless energy that defines not just the genre, but Jasta’s very voice.