A Review of Havok’s "Unnatural Selection" Thrash Metal Album

Denver Colorado thrash metal band Havok has really given the American heavy metal scene something to actually be really impressed about. Yes, there are bands like Mastodon that are pretty good, but in terms of the newer American heavy metal bands, Havok may be the best one that I’ve heard. Their 3^rd studio album called Unnatural Selection may be their best album even surpassing what is heard on the album Time Is Up. While I have stated in a previous article about the reasons why Metallica is the best US heavy metal band of all time, they are one of the best veteran US metal bands while Havok is the strongest modern US heavy metal band. When I say “modern US heavy metal band” we could state that it might as well be in the last 15 years or so.

The first song called "I Am the State" lyrically really dives into the political field and it is a song about what happens when one person is in charge of the government. Most of the population in this scenario starves while only the wealthy few really benefit off of this type of system. The song has that The Haunted influence because of the riffing style and speed.

The next song called “Give Me Liberty…Or Give Me Death” should be familiar to us that studied US history. Does anyone remember Patrick Henry? During the pre-revolutionary period in the colonies, Great Britain wanted to exercise its power, control, and influence over the colonies and they just got tired of that kind of control. Is the USA really the land of the free and the home of the brave even nowadays in 2018? The short answer is…. Sadly not anymore and those of us that really see what is going on in 2018 United States can see what is happening as our media and press are being accused of reporting fake news but that’s beside the point of this analysis. Havok is a band that writes really thought provoking lyrics, the same thing that bands such as Sacred Reich and System of a Down brought attention to 15-20 years earlier. The United States was founded on the principles of freedom and liberty but we have not lived up to those values. This analysis is not meant to digress into politics but the message of the song is that the values that this country was founded on are under attack.

"It is True" is a song that discusses the power of the news media to lie to and brainwash its citizens. As the song says, our lives are too short to waste time on those things which make no sense. The news media has to broadcast the news stories that they know will attract viewers and profit. Not all news sources lie but some just are not credible at all. An underrated song in this album is the one called "Under the Gun." In life we are under pressure or stress to get things done and it feels like we are in danger if we do not do those things. In this album, vocalist David Sanchez sounds like a mixture of Steve Souza and Dave Mustaine especially in the very catchy song called "Waste of Life." The song’s message is that we should not waste time searching for ways to pass the time as our lives pass us by. We have to be involved in the real world and do something productive with our lives instead of just letting time pass us by. Those of you that are reading this and getting introduced to this talented American band are doing something productive. The next song called Living Nightmare sounds musically a little bit like Canada’s Annihilator. "Chasing the Edge" is a song that has the message that an open mind is our best asset because the old patterns of thinking no longer apply. The possibilities of the world are endless. The band does a pretty darn good cover of the song "Children of the Grave." They did it in a more modern way and of course, the vocals in this version are better than the original version with Ozzy Osbourne.

Pretty much every single song on Unnatural Selection is good and it is pretty much assured that unless Havok writes a better album than this, this one is their best album even though we are in 2021. Note: I have also discovered a lower octave version of the song Waste of Life and this one may be tough to get used to but in 2020, this one is also a good song but not as good as the original recording. The mid-section of this song really builds up into the solo making for quite a great song. However, at the end of the song Waste of Life, some people may be annoyed at the fact that there is this sound of a hospital monitoring machine that is making this sort of beeping noise. Even so, "Waste of Life" is one of the best songs in the history of the band Havok.