Havok V

I really enjoyed the last Havok record, Conformicide from 2017, but honestly, I only listened to it a handful of times and haven't really felt any great pull to go back and revisit it. I like the modern thrash bands, and dig it when their records are spinning, but when I'm in the mood to listen to newer thrash, I'll just pull the latest Overkill or Testament albums from the shelf. So when I saw that Havok were releasing a new album this year, I didn't feel any rush to check it out.

The album had been out for a little while when I saw a video review for the album on youtube. The reviewer talked highly of the latest Havok album, and it kind of of piqued my curiosity. I gave it a quick spin on Spotify and immediately knew that I needed a copy. Sadly, by the time I tried to track down the album, it seemed that the colored vinyl options had sold out. Record stores were still closed at the time, but I did find that my local Bull Moose store had the option to buy the Indie Retail Store exclusive pressing through their online store. Score! Sea glass colored vinyl limited to 300 copies.

This record is a thrashing good time. Havok really are one of the best newer thrash bands, and this album had me banging my head like a maniac. Relentless energy. I'll easily be listening to this new album more than the last one.

Time Is Havok

When I first started getting into Hardcore, around 1990, I pretty much stepped away from anything that had to do with Metal. Hardcore was new to me, and it consumed my attention...I had no interest in anything else for a solid ten year stretch. I started to get back into Metal around 2000, when I dusted off some of my old Metal CDs, and I was surprise with how much I enjoyed listening to those old albums. Soon after that, I started checking out newer Metal bands, and was downloading albums from Slipknot, Mudvayne, and System Of A Down. That stuff was okay, I guess, but it didn't really stick with me. Soon I had stacks of burned CDs from newer Metal bands that I'd downloaded through Napster and WinMX, and while I liked the aggression, I found that there wasn't much that was memorable and I was bored after a few songs. Then along comes the Thrash revival.

Older Thrash bands, like Death Angel, Kreator, and Exodus, are making some noise with great new albums, and soon there is a wave of newer bands adding some fire to the scene as well. This was the shit that I was waiting for. I tossed most of those newer Metal bands into the trash, and was loving what bands like Bonded By Blood, Evile, and Gama Ray were bringing to the table. Thrash hard!

There were a number of new bands from the Thrash revival that I really enjoyed, but the Time Is Up album from Havok always stood out as one of my favorites. That album was full of 80's Thrash mayhem, and did not let up.

When Havok released their new album last year, I was checking the vinyl pressing info for their other albums on discogs. I noticed an entry for a hand numbered pressing of Time Is Up on purple vinyl was listed, but with none available for sale, I added it to my Want List.

A year goes by without any hits on it, and then surprisingly one shows up in my discogs daily notification. With a $12 price tag, I didn't think twice about scooping it up.

Got to love a low number! Number 3 out of 500 pressed on

Conformicide

Alongside Warbringer, another one of those Thrash revival bands from around 2010 that was at the top of my list at the time was Havok. Their Time Is Up album from 2011 was one of my favorite Thrash albums from that time. The fact that I did't own a single piece of Havok vinyl is kind of embarrassing.

When Century Media posted pre-orders for Conformicide, I thought that maybe it was time to finally pick up my first piece of Havok vinyl. Their last album was a bit dull, so I was a little hesitant, but as soon as I tuned in to their video for Hang 'Em High I was sold. Lyrics with a political slant about rebellion and corruption...reminds me of those old Sacred Reich albums. Fucking old school Thrash!

400 pressed on yellow vinyl for the U.S. pressing...with a D-side etching that is difficult to see (as they usually are).