Review: the Album "Burn" by Thrash Metal Band Havok

1. Wreckquiem (instrumental)
2. The Root of All Evil
3. The Path to Nowhere
4. Morbid Symmetry
5. Identity Theft
6. The Disease
7. Scabs of Trust
8. Ivory Tower
9. To Hell
10. Category of the Dead
11. Melting the Mountain
12. Afterburner

Denver Colorado based thrash metal band Havok released their debut album called Burn in 2009 and is it ever a great one! They are one of the best “newer” American metal bands. I put newer in quotes because while these guys are not a brand new band that just started to play, they are not veterans like Slayer or Exodus.

The first song called "Wreckquiem" is a short instrumental with influences from bands such as Blind Guardian, Fates Warning, and others. Guitarist Shawn Chavez who plays guitar on the album passed away in 2015. "The Root of All Evil" sounds like a song that Testament would have played in the 1980’s or early 1990’s. The song is about the kind of chaos that occurred before the arrival of Jesus Christ into the world. There was much disorder in the world at the time and if someone has no proper or guidance in their life, they may resort to acts of violence or oppression of others. The third song called "Path to Nowhere" has another Testament influence in the bass part in the beginning. I see a resemblance to the song “Trial By Fire.” There is a really fast riffing and solo section, actually two of them that sound like something similar to what Megadeth or Metallica would have played earlier in their career.

The fast song "Morbid Symmetry" describes the life of celebrity as their fame and fortune eventually catches up to them as they pay a price for this fame. Many celebrities turn to drug or alcohol abuse because they find that they cannot deal with this fame. This song should be heard by metal fans everywhere due to its important message. If you pay attention closely enough you will know just what the song is about. The song illustrates perfectly the problem not just with celebrities but the American population as a whole with the line “misery is on the rise.” This is a very accurate statement.

The song “Identity Theft” is a song that mocks and criticizes the practice of identity theft. The song is actually also a description of what an identity thief typically does. They lack originality. The song called “The Disease” is a song about what can happen to a person’s body if they become infected by a certain disease such as a plague. Treatment of this condition is necessary otherwise it will lead to death. The song has a kind of Prong influence because of the speed and guitar tone but Havok adds their own melodic touch to the song. The vocals have screams in them but this does not detract from the songs at all. Havok are one of the best thrash metal bands that I have discovered. These guys should be noticed by metal fans and trust me, there are still good things about the US even if it does not seem that way. Scabs of Trust has an Annihilator style of influence because I can hear it in the lead guitar playing. The song "Ivory Tower" is a song that makes reference to the capitalist system especially in the United States. The line “they think paper equals power” refers to the fact that politicians and corporations think that they can buy each other’s services by the power of the dollar. The current system is designed so that politicians follow where the money goes. How could it come to this? That’s an excellent line in the song itself. The song called “To Hell” has an Impellitteri influence to it. Havok has got many different influences in their songs and this album is really enjoyable.

Is the album Burn better than 2011’s Time Is Up? That is a great question because both of these albums are solid! The song Melting the Mountain has a kind of Motorbreath influence in it and there is a sort of raw, heavy enough sound similar to Metallica’s Kill 'em All album. But the production on this album is better than that. I can also hear a kind of Mike Muir influence in the vocals of David Sanchez. I can also hear an early Fates Warning style lead interlude in one of the parts.

What are the good songs you might ask? Having listened to the album two times all the way through, there are no bad songs and there is little wrong to find about the debut album Burn by this Denver, Colorado band! We are now starting our third full listen through and the song “The Root of All Evil” is a sold, modern Testament influenced song. The Path to Nowhere has a good exotic guitar beginning to it which adds to the complexity of this band. Who would have thought that a modern American metal band would use such exotic playing in its music but that’s why Havok is different from other American metal bands in this modern era.