by James Christopher Monger

It's nearly impossible to judge Supremacy -- or any other Hatebreed record for that matter -- outside of the monotone world that the brutal Connecticut metal quintet inhabit. All of their songs clock in at under three-and-a-half minutes, rarely deviate from one or two keys, and rely on lead singer Jamey Jasta's one-note megaphone of a voice to deliver the bullets. This insular approach to writing and recording pretty much works every time -- this is metalcore -- especially on the blistering opening track "Defeatist," "To the Threshold," and "Divine Judgment," but after four albums, even the hint of a melody line or a midtempo breakdown would break through the ether like a lighthouse in a Nor'easter.