Havoc Unit's cold, abrasive, inhuman industrial aesthetic captures the absurdity of our times. With the decline of meta-narratives and the state of flux that underpins cultural, political, and international anxieties, the dark forces that arise are constantly attributed to misshapen images that appear daily across our screens, erroneously leading us to chase shadows down blind alleys. Havoc Unit know this and their amalgamation of distorted industrial beats, giant walls of guitars, vitriolic vocals, and disturbing samples is like being right at its blackened heart.
From 'I. esus [The Liturgy of Inhumanity]' through 'When Children Are No Longer Enough [C.oitus O.rgasm C.atholic K.ids]' into 'Generation Genocide [Humanitarian Vivisection]', the tracks are solid, each bearing a distinct groove and feel all their own. 'Viremia [Regime HIV+]' offers a breather, albeit of thickly black, polluted and acidic air before the destructive, electronica dirge of 'Kyrie Eleison [Totalitarian Libertarianism]' collapses into the haunting vacancy of the twenty eight second 'Nihil [Operation Blitzkrieg]'. With 'Man vs. Flesh [Structured Suicide]' further depicting the systematic destruction of humanity in all its beautiful dissimilarity, the tempo slows for 'Ignoratio Elenchi [Reversed Genesis]' and a clean, melodic vocal line leads the melancholic and introspective prayer-like respite. A gentle lull before the storm, the walls again begin to crumble with 'Kill All Nations', a cacophonous cascade of industrial dance beats, distorted electronic bass riffs, and contorted samples and electronica. The soft piano of 'Kristallnacht [From Revolution to Reconstruction]', the first ray of light in the warzone, is met with the emergence of noise that escalates and segues into the monstrous 'Rape Scene Act I' [The Fine Art of Quality Time]. As ugly as its name implies, so are the lyrics. With the question "Why does daddy hammer mommy?" Havoc Unit paint a terrifying picture of the futility and utter stupidity of humanity.
With Meshuggah-like riffs, the tracks are ruthless throughout and bear much in the way of diversity in their approach. Structurally, the tracks start heavy and then either stay heavy or just get heavier, their machine-driven grind crushing all in its path. Jarring, discordant, and dynamic, the textures woven into the brickwork are subtle and very effective. This is harsh industrial painted on a chaotic canvas of torment and suffering, a bleak end as hope finally collapses, the battle finally abating, and we are left quaking, quivering amongst the rubble left in its wake. Rammstein may have the pyro, but Havoc Unit have the explosives, the fuse, and the homicidal motivation. This is just killer.
Track Listing:
- [Vermicide]
- I. esus [The Liturgy of Inhumanity]
- When Children Are No Longer Enough [C.oitus O.rgasm C.atholic K.ids]
- Generation Genocide [Humanitarian Vivisection]
- Viremia [Regime HIV+]
- Kyrie Eleison [Totalitarian Libertarianism]
- Nihil [Operation Blitzkrieg]
- Man vs. Flesh [Structured Suicide]
- Ignoratio Elenchi [Reversed Genesis]
- Kill All Nations [The Manual of Terrorism]
- Kristallnacht [From Revolution to Reconstruction]
- Klan Korps [Volkssturm & Erregung]
- Rape Scene Act I [The Fine Art of Quality Time]
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