Hatebreed guitarist Frank Novinec has confirmed that the band's next album is slated for release in 2026, following the release of their first new single in nearly five years, "Make The Demons Obey." Speaking with Hardlore, Novinec shared that most of the record is already finished. "[It's] coming out this year, yeah. Most of it's pretty much — I mean, it's done," he said.
Novinec highlighted the flexibility of modern release strategies, noting how dropping singles before the full record allows the band to refine songs or even add new material: "The nice thing about the way things are rolled out now… you can drop a single even if you have the whole record done, and be, like, 'All right, now there's all this time,' where you can really review what you've done and… even make another song. It's not like, 'Here's the record, here's the two videos, here's what the singles are, and that's it.'"
He added that the response to "Make The Demons Obey" has been positive, and hinted at another single — potentially accompanied by a proper music video — in the near future: "We love the song. As far as the band's concerned, we're real happy with it… We'll probably leak another one here soon. And there'll probably be proper videos coming after that."
Novinec, who became a full-time member of Hatebreed in 2006, also addressed his contributions to the band's songwriting over the past 20 years. He admitted his role has been limited compared to founding members: "No. I think I have one riff on one song. It was always [bassist] Chris [Beattie] and [vocalist] Jamey [Jasta] writing the music. That's it. From day one, it's Chris and Jamey. They're the guys [who wrote all the music] from day one, for the most part."
Following Beattie's recent departure, Novinec said the songwriting process has shifted slightly, with guitarist Wayne Lozinak and other members now contributing more input on arrangements: "We all have our ideas about songs. Songs are presented, and then we say, 'Hey, I think we should change this,' 'Hey, I think this riff should go longer.' I'm not a groove dude like that when it comes to writing… I'm not somebody that's trying to show up and break something that's not broken."
With the album nearly complete and new singles on the horizon, Hatebreed fans can expect a full return in 2026, combining the band's signature hardcore aggression with the refined approach that comes from decades of experience.
