Havok: Point of No Return

Havok is a Denver-area thrash band that has long needed more praise and recognition. Fans of the band have long known that these guys bring intensity to their music and that, with time, they will be invited to sit alongside the reigning kings of thrash. To date, Havok has only released two albums, Time is Up and Burn. They now offer fans an EP consisting of only 4 tracks, but well worth hearing, particularly for the strong covers of Sepultra's "Arise" and Slayer's "Postmortem / Raining Blood." To my ears, the Slayer cover was spot-on. I'm not sure that Havok brings anything strikingly new to the song, but they play it with such talent, such passion, that I basically heard the song with fresh and grateful ears. If anyone reading this has never heard Havok before, this cover will convince you to give them a shot.

Some fans will likely clamor for something more distinctive on both "Arise" and "Raining Blood." I sympathize with that perspective, but sometimes the best thing to do with a classic is not to mess with it too much. After all, it's impressive to hear strong bands play classic songs so well. This is especially true with bands like Slayer who have already been covered by none other than Tori Amos in an unforgettably haunting version of the same track. For my money, I'd rather hear a band pay their respects and move on. I'm still angry about Fred Durst's awful cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" and The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes."Fans need to be careful what they wish for.

The original tracks on Point of No Return are solid, well-played, thrash works, but aren't quite as exciting as the cover songs. They may offer fans a little taste of what the band will offer on an upcoming release, but they should not be seen as representative tracks. I disappointed by the rather bland lyrical themes raised by titles like "Point of No Return" and "Cradle to the Grave." We've explored these concepts before, both in literature and in song. Simply put, there just isn't much more to see at the point of no return, unless maybe its zombies. That would be cool. Havok should explore lyrical themes with the same intensity they bring to their playing. This EP is nevertheless a powerful release from a talented band. I recommend it highly.

Track Listing:
1. Point of No Return
2. Cradle to the Grave
3. Arise
4. Postmortem / Raining Blood

Added: May 15th 2012
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2239
Language: english

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