{"id":12251,"date":"2013-06-25T00:00:17","date_gmt":"2013-06-25T00:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=12251"},"modified":"2013-09-05T15:47:18","modified_gmt":"2013-09-05T15:47:18","slug":"album-review-havok-unnatural-selection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-havok-unnatural-selection\/","title":{"rendered":"HAVOK – Unnatural Selection (2013) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

HAVOK
Unnatural Selection<\/strong><\/span>
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\nCandlelight (2013)<\/span>
Rating: 7.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Denver, Colorado\u2019s Havok were one of those bands spearheading the thrash revival that emerged just a few years into the new millennium.<\/p>\n

Unnatural Selection<\/em> is the band\u2019s third full-length platter, and despite several line-up changes since their formation in 2004, Havok have stuck to their guns and churned out some decent retro thrash that sits nicely alongside other moshers such as Municipal Waste, who were one of the bands responsible for first bringing old school style thrash to the masses.<\/p>\n

Since 2004 Havok have been fronted by David Sanchez \u2013 vocalist, guitarist and captain of the ship \u2013 who since 2010 has been accompanied by lead guitarist Reece Scruggs and drummer Pete Webber, with bassist Michael Leon joining in 2013.<\/p>\n

Despite the seemingly unsteady ship, the constant alterations within the camp seem to suggest that like thrash titans Megadeth<\/a>, there is a method to the ever-changing madness. Although Havok, like so many of the modern thrash bands doing the rounds, have yet to make the same impact on the scene as those bands in the 80s, Unnatural Selection<\/em> is still a commendable effort that combines old school structures, dynamics and ethos \u2013 the result being a rattling good listen that proves far more rewarding than so many of the other recent thrash metal copyists.<\/p>\n

Vocally, as expected, David Sanchez is quite a force; his sneering vocal attack makes a change from the almost daft, comical set-up some bands are going for. Sanchez effortlessly shifts between two main styles, the first being the vicious, spitting rasp, the second a slightly more melodic tone, both of which are evident on the slightly funk-influenced groove of \u2018Is It True\u2019, which boasts an infectious, and colourful rhythm section \u2013 the sort of cool, jerk you\u2019d expect to hear on a Suicidal Tendencies record.<\/p>\n

Album opener \u2018I Am The State\u2019 is a far different proposition, a dark, brooding thrasher that builds with a racing guitar and frantic drum assault. Sanchez this time adopts a rather archetype thrash snarl, while Leon\u2019s bass thuds away with considerable force.<\/p>\n

Just like in the 1980s, I\u2019m predicting that much of the current crop of thrash upstarts will fizzle away, eventually becoming bereft of what little ideas they have. But I\u2019m also pretty sure that acts such as Havok, who clearly have a little more in the think tank, will survive the wave and continue to release notable thrash records.<\/p>\n

The Anthrax-styled chug of \u2018Under The Gun\u2019 and pounding \u2018Living Nightmare\u2019 suggest that Havok aren\u2019t just here to make up the numbers \u2013 again those hostile vocals do their job, backed by the distinctive mosh pit chants that made so many of the older thrash bands so popular.<\/p>\n

The fact these guys were invited to open for thrash gods Testament is testimony to their work ethic and knowledge of the genre. Tracks such as \u2018Chasing The Edge\u2019, with its intriguing intro, and the blistering title cut are evidence of a band keen to combine the old school values with their own style, which should hold them in good stead for years to come.<\/p>\n

Those failed to be moved by the sinister surge of \u2018Worse Than War\u2019 need look elsewhere, because Unnatural Selection<\/em> is a formidable little record that relies on the serious rather than the silly to make its mark, and for that I admire Havok.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HAVOKUnnatural Selection Candlelight (2013)Rating: 7.5\/10 Denver, Colorado\u2019s Havok were one of those bands spearheading the thrash revival that emerged just a few years into the new millennium. Unnatural Selection is the band\u2019s third full-length platter, and despite several line-up changes since their formation in 2004, Havok have stuck to their guns and churned out some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,588],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-havok"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12251"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13885,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12251\/revisions\/13885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}