The Divinity of Purpose
2013 studio album by Hatebreed
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The Divinity of Purpose is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Hatebreed.[1] The album was released in North America on January 29, 2013, through Razor & Tie and in Europe on January 25, 2013, through Nuclear Blast Records.[2] The album was co-produced by Hatebreed, Zeuss and Josh Wilbur.[3] According to band frontman Jamey Jasta, the album will be "all pit, no shit."[4] On November 12, 2012, the group debuted a track from the album titled "Put It to the Torch" on YouTube.[5]
| The Divinity of Purpose | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Album artwork by Eliran Kantor | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 29, 2013 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:00 | |||
| Label | Razor & Tie (North America) Nuclear Blast (Europe) | |||
| Producer | Hatebreed, Zeuss, Josh Wilbur | |||
| Hatebreed chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Divinity of Purpose | ||||
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The Divinity of Purpose debuted at a career high No. 20 position on the Billboard 200 with over 17,400 copies sold in its first week. It has sold 55,000 copies in the US as of April 2016.[6]
Background
Jamey Jasta has described the recording approach as having strong work ethic: the band recorded "near to home in a friend's studio."[7]
The process involved collaboration: Jasta, guitarist(s), and other members would bring riffs, ideas, then refine them together. Frank Novinec (guitarist) said that for this album, Hatebreed intentionally aimed for songs that are more "meat and potatoes" — more direct, heavier, less "fluff."[8]
The album title "The Divinity of Purpose" is not explicitly religious — Jasta has framed it as a metaphor for the internal struggle between light and dark, good and bad, and having a purpose to guide you. While the band retains their aggressive delivery and heavy instrumentation, they also emphasize uplifting, motivational messaging — resilience, standing by one's convictions, perseverance.[9]
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 75/100[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [11] |
| AllMusic | [12] |
| CraveOnline | [13] |
| Peek from the Pit | [14] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5[15] |
The aggregate review site Metacritic assigned an average score of 75 to the album based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
In a positive review by AllMusic's James Christopher Monger, the reviewer characterized the record as "Meatier and more hardcore-centric than their last offering".[12] Chad Bower of About.com commented positively on the album's quality of content as well stating "Jamey Jasta and company blaze through the 12 tracks on The Divinity of Purpose in under 40 minutes, with nary an ounce of filler".[11]
In another positive review on Metalholic, Sairaj R. Kamath called the album, "one loud, charged-up, headstrong message of positive reinforcement, with such songs like "Own Your World," "Nothing Scars Me" and others having enough gusto to cure worldwide depression".[16]
In a mixed review of the album on CraveOnline, Iann Robinson commented on the albums repetition, stating "there is little variation from song to song but the intensity and drive help save Hatebreed from falling into parody like so many of their peers".[13]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Jamey Jasta; all music is composed by Hatebreed.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Put It to the Torch" | 2:12 |
| 2. | "Honor Never Dies" | 3:12 |
| 3. | "Own Your World" | 3:39 |
| 4. | "The Language" | 3:14 |
| 5. | "Before the Fight Ends You" | 3:17 |
| 6. | "Indivisible" | 2:56 |
| 7. | "Dead Man Breathing" | 3:19 |
| 8. | "The Divinity of Purpose" | 3:39 |
| 9. | "Nothing Scars Me" | 3:08 |
| 10. | "Bitter Truth" | 2:40 |
| 11. | "Boundless (Time to Murder It)" | 3:21 |
| 12. | "Idolized and Vilified" | 2:23 |
| Total length: | 37:00 | |
Personnel
- Hatebreed
- Jamey Jasta – vocals
- Chris Beattie – bass guitar
- Wayne Lozinak – lead guitar
- Matt Byrne – drums
- Frank Novinec – rhythm guitar
- Production
- Zeuss – record producer
- Josh Wilbur – record producer, audio mixing
Charts
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] | 28 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] | 38 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[19] | 84 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] | 86 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[21] | 43 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] | 25 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] | 40 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[24] | 144 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[25] | 19 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[26] | 12 |
| US Billboard 200[27] | 20 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[28] | 5 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[29] | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[30] | 6 |
| US Indie Store Album Sales (Billboard)[31] | 6 |
