Havok – Conformicide

[nyrating]

8th March 2017 Reinier de Vries Album Reviews 0

Yeah, the new Havok album! In my opinion, Havok, together with Warbringer, Harlott, and Suicidal Angels is one of the new thrash bands that can compete with the old school eighties bands like Testament, Slayer, Exodus and Megadeth. The first notes of the song ‘F.P.C.’ immediately woke me up. Is this the new Havok album? The song opens with a bass line that makes me think of Mordred/Suicidal Tendencies. New member Nick Schendzielos is responsible for a lot of funky parts, and I must say, that due to his typical bass style, the music on Conformicide is very interesting and has a lot more variety compared to the first albums.

Fortunately, the band hasn’t lost any aggression. The angry vocals of David Sanchez are as harsh and raspy as never before. Listening to his aggressive singing style you already know how he thinks of today’s politics, even without reading the lyrics. Compared to the first albums the music sounds more complex, but never too technical. The band did sound more like a mix of Kreator, Exodus, and Slayer on the first album(s). They developed their style and now they sound more like a mix between Death Angel, Exodus, Megadeth, and Suicidal Tendencies (due to the funky bass lines). Still old school thrash influences are the basement of the music and perhaps that is why it also sounds rather familiar. Variety is the key word for the album. There are not a lot of albums with so many tempo changes and breaks. I can’t mention a song that really sticks out because they are all great. But I have to admit that the song ‘Intention To Deceive’ is one of my favorites, it has a lot of Death Angel influences and the gang shouting in a kind of Exodus style is very nice. Fans of Megadeth, Exodus and Death Angel are the first I think that will love this album.

Tracklist:

01. F.P.C.
02. Hang ‘Em High
03. Dogmaniacal
04. Intention To Deceive
05. Ingsoc
06. Masterplan
07. Peace Is In Pieces
08. Claiming Certainty
09. Wake Up
10. Circling the Drain

Playing time: 57:55

Release date: 10 March 2017

Label: Century Media

Website: www.facebook.com/havok official

About Reinier de Vries 188 Articles

Once a metal head, always a metalhead. My parents thought it would only be a period, but they were wrong. I quit to explain the beauty of metal music to others that are not into metal, because it is something you can't tell in words... It is like explaining to a teetotaller why a cold beer is so nice on a hot day... I started with bands like Accept, Metal Church, Iron Maiden and Metallica in the eighties and I think I will still listen to them when I'm stone deaf and old...