Review: Havok – Conformicide
Thrash is perhaps the most difficult metal genre to really stand out in, as it is tough to innovate or offer something that is truly unique, yet still stay within the boundaries the style has set. The renaissance of thrash in the early part of this century brought with it an influx of new bands hoping to spearhead the second coming, yet very few seem to have managed to stick around. Of course, circumstances in the music scene in general will make it tougher, but it appears that fans are more interested in the output of the veteran acts than the newbies. Colorado’s Havok are one of the few who have managed to dig their heels in, their perseverance rewarded with the backing of Century Media Records, who distribute their latest record, Conformicide.
Before the play button is pushed there’s a potential red flag being waved, with the ten tracks having a run time of around 57 minutes. Thrash is very hard to get right when brevity is the name of the game; so a band that had never really done the basics to anything other than a passable standard becoming more expansive was a bit of a concern. On the other hand, it’s good to see Havok are confident enough to take the chance to widen their scope a little more. The confidence is generally misguided though, but strangely enough, two of the best songs are the album are the duo that exceed the seven minute mark. “Ingsoc” is the strongest of the bunch, and despite it struggling a little under the weight of its own ambition, it doesn’t feel like it’s stretched beyond its means, with some wonderfully subversive riffs and good drum work from Pete Webber.
There’s a large amount of technical flair displayed throughout the record, but it merely papers over the cracks of the weak song writing. Opener “F.P.C” sets the tone with tired riffing and a generally lethargic demeanour. There’s more than a subtle nod to Megadeth, a theme that rears it’s head a few times on the record, particularly with some of Dave Sanchez’s vocal cadence, but he largely utilitises a shriller, harsher attack. Some of the riffs would also be right at home on Countdown to Extinction or Youthanasia, but again they do tend to mix them up with some more thoroughbred thrash riffs. Whatever the approach however, the end result is usually a forgettable song with a collection of vapid riffs. Some tracks show glimmers of hope, such as “Peace Is In Pieces”, which has a rather nimble riff that flickers in and out the shadows, cloak and dagger style, possessing an undercurrent of danger that goes hand in hand with the cynical, conspiracy themed lyrics. It’s fantastic, but all the good work is undone by some generic chugging in the verses, ultimately making the song a chore, even at 5:17 in length. “Dogmaniacal” is a rare example of consistent quality, with jabbing riffs that get the adrenaline pumping, whilst the all too aptly titled “Wake Up” (perhaps a plea to listeners as the record draws to a close?) arrives too little too late, as at this point the record is already ‘circling the drain’ (which, funnily enough, is the title of the final song, which is also pretty good).
All in all, this is a disappointing record. Although I never felt Havok were a spectacular band, they were generally solid and their prior output is listenable enough. With Conformicide they perhaps became a bit over zealous, but they’re in a position where they can probably afford to take this one on the chin. There’s sure to be plenty of great thrash records in 2017, but unfortunately, this isn’t one of them.
Rating: 4/10 – major misfire from one of thrash’s bright young things
Highlights: “Dogmaniacal”, “Ingsoc”
Links: Facebook, Official Website
Conformicide is available worldwide now, via Century Media Records.
