Jamey Jasta

Jamey Jasta - Quick Facts

Profile Overview of Jamey Jasta

James Vincent Shanahan (born August 7, 1977), known professionally as Jamey Jasta, is an American vocalist, record producer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of metalcore/hardcore punk band Hatebreed. He also fronts the sludge metal band Kingdom of Sorrow and the metalcore band Icepick and has released several solo records. He has also produced albums for other artists.

This profile of Jamey Jasta covers Early Life and Family Background, Hatebreed, Career and Rise to Fame, Other ventures and side projects and Related projects.

In March 2006, Jasta was ranked at number 87 in Hit Parader's "Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time". Additionally Hatebreed is viewed as an influential band in the hardcore genre.

Early Life and Family Background of Jamey Jasta

Jasta was born and raised in Connecticut. He grew up in a working-class household; his father a ex-marine who served in the Vietnam War "fell on hard times," and Jasta was the first in his family to go to public school. He grew up alongside his brother and sister, his parents later divorced during his youth. He discovered hardcore around age 12–13 and started attending shows at a club called The Moon in New Haven. The hardcore scene's inclusivity and toughness appealed to him. He never graduated from high school and began living on his own at the age of 13.

Hatebreed of Jamey Jasta

Jasta formed his first band called Dreadnaught, now known as Jasta 14, and developed a name for himself in the local scene even getting to open for Sick of It All. But once he turned 16, he borrowed his grandfather's car and began to play with a group of guys that would eventually form Hatebreed in 1994. Jasta stated when he formed Hatebreed he had the intention to form something "bigger, better and more focused." They released their first EP in 1996, titled Under the Knife. Jasta said "We recorded it for $150 of our own money and people respect us for being the working man's band."

Their first album, Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire, was released in 1997 and has gone on to be viewed as a classic in both the hardcore and metalcore genres. Jasta and the band then saw a boost in popularity with their acclaimed sophomore album Perseverance which was released in 2002. The success continued with The Rise of Brutality in 2004 which saw the bands song "Live for This" garnering them a Grammy nomination at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance. This was followed by 2006's Supremacy, during the bands early years they were chaotic: heavy drinking, on-tour fights, hotel/bus incidents. Some of those antics damaged their reputation and led to them being booted off Warped Tour. This led to Jasta stopping drinking and leaving the chaotic lifestyle behind citing 2008 as a turning point toward sobriety/less partying. In 2009, they released their fifth album, a self-titled record. In 2013, they released their best commercially performing album, The Divinity of Purpose, which debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 along with topping the US Hard Rock Charts. This was then followed by 2016's The Concrete Confessional and 2020's Weight of the False Self.

Career and Rise to Fame

In 2011, Jasta released a solo album titled Jasta, collaborating with Randy Blythe and Mark Morton (Lamb of God), Zakk Wylde, Philip Labonte (All That Remains), and Tim Lambesis (As I Lay Dying). Jasta's debut solo album, through eOne Music. In Europe, the album was released via Century Media Records. AllMusic scored the album 4 out of 5 stars, while Blabbermouth.net gave it 6.5 out of 10 stars.

AllMusic claims "Like his flagship band, Jastas solo project utilizes punk, hardcore, and metal elements."

In 2015, Jasta made the walkout song for former UFC fighter Matt Brown titled “I am Immortal”. The UFC didn’t let Brown use the song at first but he was eventually able to.

He released a second album titled The Lost Chapters under the name Jasta in 2017; it featured a collection of previously released songs, with a couple of new ones included. It was released via his own record label Stillborn Records. His third album The Lost Chapters: Volume 2, was released in 2019 and featured collaborations with Jesse Leach (Kill Switch Engage), Matt Heafy (Trivium), Howard Jones (Light the Torch), and many more. Metal Master Kingdom gave the album a 6.5/10.

Jasta released his fourth and most recent solo album,...And Jasta for All, in May 2024. It featured collaborations with Chuck Billy, Scott Ian, Steve Souza and Phil Demmel. Blabbermouth.net gave the album a 8.5/10, stating "Far more than an indulgent side-project, JASTA has evolved into something truly formidable on '...And Jasta for All'. With no frills, no bullshit and absolutely no filler, this is essentially Jamey Jasta in musical form and, yes, there really is something loud and invigorating here for just about everyone. Jasta gets it. The metal never stops.

In September 2025, Jasta supported Life of Agony on the U.S. Leg of their 30th anniversary tour for their album Ugly.

Other ventures and side projects

In 1996, Jasta started his first side project titled Icepick. It originally remained stagnant until releasing a single in 2004 and has since released one album titled Violent Epiphany in 2006.

In 2000, Jasta was featured as a guest vocalist on Catch 22's Alone in a Crowd. He has since made numerous guest appearances with bands like Agnostic Front, Napalm Death and Terror.

In 2005, Jasta started a side project called Kingdom of Sorrow alongside Kirk Windstein. They have gone on to release two albums (Kingdom of Sorrow in 2008 and Behind the Blackest Tears in 2010) and still occasionally play live shows. Jasta has described it as a different musical and performative experience than Hatebreed.

Jasta owns Stillborn Records, a hardcore- and metal-based record label from West Haven, Connecticut, and a "rock-themed" apparel line called Hatewear. The label is also part of Jasta perseverance-media group which he also founded.

Jasta was the host for MTV's Headbangers Ball from 2003 to 2007.

Jasta hosted the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in 2007, 2016 and 2018.

Jasta created the music for "Stat of the Day" for the nationally syndicated radio and television talk show The Dan Patrick Show. Jasta appeared on air with Dan Patrick on January 25, 2013, discussing the making of the song.

Jasta’s first work as a producer came on Sworn Enemy’s 2003 album As Real As It Gets. He has since produced and co produced for many other bands such as Dee Snider's fourth solo album, For the Love of Metal. He also produced the follow-up that was released in the summer of 2021.

On May 16, 2025, Jasta served as the vocalist for a Stormtroopers of Death tribute set at the Milwaukee Metal Fest alongside Scott Ian on guitar, Dan Lilker on bass, and Scott Ian's son Revel Ian on drums.

Related projects

In 2006, Jasta appeared in the independent film The House of Usher.

Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamey_Jasta), text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.