First off I would like to say that after a few times of listening to this album that Havok has become my all-time favorite thrash bands. The thing that’s interesting is that when I came to this conclusion, this was the only full-length they’d released. Usually, for me to truly love a band, they have to have plenty of material for me to judge them on, because it’s easier to judge a band if they have lots of music for you to get an idea of their basic sound. And so far they have done nothing short of amaze me.If you wanted a basic description of their sound, it would be a combination of Death Angel’s heavier material and Iron Maiden’s softer stuff. Probably having more Death Angel than Maiden in their songs. Going into more detail, the pure skill and musicianship of all of the members is mesmerizing. I would have to say especially the lead guitarist and the drummer. When I showed this band to my dad (a 70s hippie/metalhead), he instantly noted that there were several parts in Havok’s music that had a very classic sound. Being a huge fan of the old school stuff myself, I’m very impressed to see that there are newly formed bands that want to have the sound of the classic godfathers they look up to.
Every song on this record is a masterpiece. For those of you that are more for the faster/more brutal stuff, Morbid Symmetry and Category of the Dead are what you might find most appealing. My favorite thing about those two songs is that one of them has and amazing bass intro. The intro song for the album reminds me of the newer Iron Maiden songs (A Matter of Life and Dead era). My favorite song from this album is definitely Identity Theft. Its pure melody is mind-blowing and the guitar solo is the kind that makes you crap your pants. This gets a perfect score.
