One thing of which I am convinced: Hatebreed doesn’t need two guitar players. Seriously: besides like twenty seconds of “I Will be Heard,” is there even a Hatebreed song with two guitar parts? I saw the band several times between 2002 and 2005, when Sean Martin – he’s the giant, skin head looking motherfucker, FYI – was the sole six stringer in the group, and they sounded pretty much identical to pre-’02 and post-’05, when they had a second axeman.

I mention this because Sean Martin and the band have apparently parted ways. From a statement from Martin:

“After 10 years, I’ve decided to leave Hatebreed. This in no way reflects my personal relationship with Jamey, Chris, Matt and Frank; they’re four of my closest friends and I’ll always love them with all my heart. I want to thank all of the fans as well as the guys in the band and crew, past and present, for giving me some of the best times of my life.”

There’s also a statement from Jamey Jasta, which I won’t re-print here, because it would be as redundant as Hatebreed adding a second guitar player.

Anyway, the band apparently thinks they really do need another person to share the profits with another guitar player, as they’ve already announced that founding member Wayne Lozinak is returning to the fold. That’s gotta be some kind of coup for Lozinak; when he left the band in ’96, they were still pretty underground, and now they’re band Most Likely to Play Ozzfest Year After Year that isn’t Ozzy himself or Black Label Society.

I’m curious to hear what other Hatebreed fans think: is there any earthly reason to replace Martin?

-AR