Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta has revealed that James Hetfield of Metallica provided crucial advice that helped him achieve sobriety in 2008. The two musicians met backstage at an MTV event, where Hetfield, who had himself battled addiction, counselled Jasta to approach recovery one performance at a time, suggesting he simply needed to "get through the first show" sober. This perspective transformed Jasta's mindset, making the seemingly impossible goal of quitting alcohol feel more attainable.

Jasta, 49, has remained sober since 2008 and publicly credited Hetfield's guidance in 2019 when the Metallica guitarist re-entered rehab. As Hatebreed's sole founding member still with the band, Jasta has overseen one of the best-selling hardcore acts in the world, which has shipped over 1.5 million records in North America. The band will release their new album, Fatal Paradox, on 6 November, their first without founding bassist Chris Beattie, who was dismissed in 2024 and subsequently filed a lawsuit against the band over unpaid profits.