HAVOK
Like many of the modern thrash bands that are cropping up all over the place, Havok sound like they have stepped right out of the 80s but with much heavier production, of course. Reminding me most of Overkill without the broodiness and Nuclear Assault without the hardcoreness, Havok from Denver, Colorado, acquit themselves well over the course of their debut album. They are not going to win any awards for breaking down the boundaries of music and, to tell the truth, they don’t offer anything new to the thrash genre but the album has a certain charm and the songs (although generic) feel strong and punchy when listening to them. To tell the truth I could quite easily go either way with this review and mention the positives like the full on great production, crisp and focused lead playing and punchy songs or I could just call it another derivative thrash album, but it falls somewhere directly in between making this a well played and written but non-essential release. At least there is one thing this band has got right, that some of the modern thrash bands haven’t, and that is the forward drive the music needs. As the album progresses some of the most aggressive tracks are saved until last such as closer ‘Afterburner’ which may be the standout track. I waver on a 6 or 7 out of 10 but on the strength of the last track I’ll give this a 7. My advice is to have a listen to this band and if one song does it for you then you’ll love the album; if not then listening to more will probably never change your mind!
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Candlelight Records
Album
BURN
Review by Paul Sims
RUNNING TIME:
49:25
RELEASE DATE:
30th Aug 2009
TRACK LISTING
1) Wrequiem
2) The Root of Evil
3) Path To Nowhere
4) Morbid Symmetry
5) Identity Theft
6) The Disease
7) Scabs of Trust
8) Ivory Tower
9) To Hell
10) Category of the Dead
11) Melting the Mountain
12) Afterburner
2) The Root of Evil
3) Path To Nowhere
4) Morbid Symmetry
5) Identity Theft
6) The Disease
7) Scabs of Trust
8) Ivory Tower
9) To Hell
10) Category of the Dead
11) Melting the Mountain
12) Afterburner
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
USA
"Reminding me most of Overkill without the broodiness and Nuclear Assault without the hardcoreness, Havok...acquit themselves well over the course of their debut album."