Hatebreed singer Jamey Jasta has opened up about the conversation with Metallica’s James Hetfield which encouraged him to quit drinking.
The hardcore frontman, 49, gave up alcohol in 2008, shortly before meeting Hetfield backstage at an MTV event. Talking exclusively to Metal Hammer, he reveals that the heavy metal singer/guitarist, who went to rehab for alcoholism and other addictions in 2001, urged him to take his sobriety one show at a time. The advice made getting clean feel like less of an “impossibility”.
“I already owed Metallica a huge debt of gratitude, because they played [Hatebreed’s] Perseverance music video when they hosted [MTV programme] Headbanger’s Ball,” Jasta remembers. “So, when I became host, I told them I was trying to be sober at the time, and he said, ‘You just got to get through the first show.’”
He continues: “You just have to know that you can do a show sober. Once you do, once you get a couple under your belt, it gets better as you go, because it feels like such an impossibility. That’s just great life advice for anything: whatever you think is impossible, on the other side of doing it is the best feeling, because you had told yourself, ‘Oh, there’s no fucking way.’”
Jasta first revealed that Hetfield had helped him on his journey to sobriety in 2019, when Hetfield re-entered rehab due to further addiction issues. Jasta wrote on social media at the time: “Meeting James at MTV and speaking with him about my drinking problem was very eye-opening, because this is a guy who is in one of the biggest bands in the world, with so much pressure on him and so much weight to carry, and he really made me think: if he could quit, so could I.”
Jasta has been part of Hatebreed since their 1994 founding and is the band’s sole constant member. They’re one of the best-selling hardcore acts in the world, having shipped more than 1.5 million records in North America. Their single Live For This was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 47th Grammy Awards in 2005, but lost to Motörhead and their cover of Metallica’s song Whiplash.
Hatebreed will release their new album, Fatal Paradox, via BLKIIBLK on November 6. It will be their first album without founding bassist Chris Beattie, who was dismissed in 2024 and filed a lawsuit against his ex-bandmates in July 2025 alleging unpaid profits. The band’s attempt to dismiss the suit was shot down in May.
Meanwhile, Metallica are currently preparing for a residency at Las Vegas multimedia venue The Sphere, which kicks off on October 1 and concludes on March 13. After that, the metal giants will continue their M72 world tour across North America from May to June. Limp Bizkit and Avatar will support. Get tickets via Metallica’s website.
(LouderSound)
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