Inject the Infection

H.A.T.E. Bio Although a new name to most, H.A.T.E. began life in the glorious 80s metal heyday, playing the fertile Northeast Ohio scene alongside international stalwarts (and future Auburn Records labelmates), Breaker, Destructor and Shok Paris. What do the letters in the band’s moniker represent one might ask? Mainstay singer Greg Wagner explains. “It means ‘halfway at the end’, which is how we felt about the breaking down of society at the time and is still relevant today. The band started in ’87. We had a lot of success with shows in Cleveland and upstate New York, up until about ’91. We were scheduled to record our debut, for Auburn, back then, but Nise (guitarist Bill Knisely) left the band. We had a couple of shifts in guitar players, but it all sort of fell apart in ’92. We picked up the pieces again in ’05, thanks to local fan interest for some shows. It felt good, so we just kept it going. Since then, we’ve been gigging around Cleveland, writing new songs and recording.” Wagner went on to briefly front Judas Priest tribute band British Steel, replacing Tim “Ripper” Owens in the 90s after he was recruited to replace Rob Halford in Judas Priest. Fast forward almost twenty years and H.A.T.E. finally get to issue their debut for Auburn, INJECT THE INFECTION. Talk about perseverance! In the meantime, Wagner made a name for himself, flying the flag of H.A.T.E. along the way, first as Breaker’s vocalist for their German commitments (including a still talked about dive off the Bang Your Head!!! festival stage!), fronting and recording an album with Cleveland progressive-metal band Archetype and then alongside Curran Murphy (ex-Nevermore/ex-Annihilator guitarist) in Shatter Messiah. However, this band has always been his first love. Despite the two decade delay, INJECT THE INFECTION isn’t just a compilation of old songs, as the singer explains, “About a quarter are throwbacks from the 80s, like ‘H.A.T.E.’, which goes back to the early days, and ‘Hey Baby’ is from ’87, right before I joined the band. The rest are brand new tunes,” which Wagner describes as “powerful, anthemic, high energy and fast paced. The H.A.T.E. fan is into Metallica, early Megadeth, Saxon, Riot (a cover of “Swords And Tequila” is included as a bonus track on the album) and Judas Priest, because of the vocals. There’s a lot of different vocals styles on this record but I try to stay in the melodic metal vein, like David Wayne from Metal Church. It’s a mixture of traditional heavy metal, grindy, brutal riffs, then there’s even some songs that might make the girls want to get up and shake it, a little bit! (laughs)” The album was produced by Curran Murphy and recorded at his Smiley Sound Studios in Akron, Ohio. Murphy also plays guitar on the album but is not a current member of the band due to his other commitments. He was replaced by Michael Miller (ex-Winters Bane) after the recording sessions. H.A.T.E. self-released an album in 2007 called “Metal Forever” that contains new recordings of old songs. There were a couple of new songs included, however, like “Battering Ram” and the title track, which have become permanent staples in the band’s live set. “The production on the album was rough and done on a very small budget”, says Wagner. “I’d like to go back and properly re-record some of those songs someday. INJECT THE INFECTION is our first real H.A.T.E. album and something we are all very proud of”. If someone only had one or two songs to get into H.A.T.E., which would optimize the band? Of the video single/title track, Wagner says, “It’s a ballsy, true metal song, screaming vocals, aggressive leads, good harmonies and melody. The song is about metal, evil and darkness. Another song I’d like people to hear would be the album’s opening track ‘Crazed’, a straight-ahead metal anthem that proudly proclaims to the world our love for this music and lifestyle.” As stoked as Wagner and crew are for the release of INJECT THE INFECTION, they really want to spread the word onstage, especially a return to Europe, where they feel their core audience resides, “We’re a great live band, so check us out!” H.A.T.E. will be performing live at this year’s edition of the Headbangers Open Air Festival, set to take place July 28-30, 2011 in Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany. H.A.T.E. is: Greg ‘Wags’ Wagner (vocals/guitar) Charlie Ruszin (bass) Michael Miller (guitar) Brent Mathias (drums) www.myspace.com/injectthehate