Havok - Time is Up
Candlelight Records
Thrash Metal
10 songs (42:17)
Release year: 2011
Candlelight Records
Reviewed by Crash

The New Wave of American Thrash Metal. These words used to sound so hopeful. I remember when the wave first started. Bands like 3 Inches of Blood and Municipal Waste took direct influence from 80’s classics, but rather than just play like a glorified tribute band they (and others) took a genre in serious need of a jump start and gave it some new life. But as all good things come, a certain level of forgettable garbage will inevitably present itself. We are now in the middle of the trend. The first bands already made it big or faded into obscurity. What are left are two groups: The new bands giving it a try and the older ones trying again.

Havok are one of those bands. Hailing from Colorado, they are in perfect location to tour the west coast and build up themselves a very respectable following with their Pwn Em All disc. Out of nowhere, Candlelight announced that Havok would be the freshest band on their roster. This was good news to me as I thought that they were good guys who put on a good show and could definitely use the exposure. Other’s did not take so lightly. Like many of the bands left still trying to make a name in thrash, Havok have gotten their fair share of shit to go along with their equal amount of praise.

Burn was the result, a good album with a little bit too much filler and a weak production. I love some songs from that album. Some of them I don’t. Less than two years later and here is Time is Up, which the band thinks is big in every way. And they aren’t wrong. This album is filled from beginning to end with extremely rocking thrash metal. The band sounds incredibly tight, with each deliberate drum kick or the palm muted riffage from both axe men. Shredtastic guitar solos race through each song which really proves that these guys know more about their instruments than the next band. Bassist Jesse de la Santos even gets a few moments to shine. These moments are always great and I would welcome many more. But it is frontman David Sanchez that really makes the band shine. He is without a doubt one of the best vocalists in thrash, never getting to a level of “singing” but with shouting and screaming that goes all up and down the vocal range. His energy is contagious and it is very hard for me to listen to this in my car with the windows down.

Everything from Slayer to Testament can be heard here but luckily they never make the fatal mistake of imitating their idols. Never once does the band actually sound like Slayer. They just sound like they listen to a lot of it. And I dig that. They don’t blow the lid off creatively, but they manage to expand their sound and try new things while still maintaining a safe distance from their 80’s thrash metal core. Songs like… well to be honest it’s hard to think of specific songs. There is not a bad song among this cd. The problem is that after a while they blend together. This sounds worse than it actually is. In reality it is rarely noticeable as I don’t spend my time dissecting thrash music as much as I would a prog record. I can put the album on at any time I need a dose of adrenaline and it is ready to provide. But, to pick songs for the sake of having something to listen to on youtube, Scumbag in Disguise is probably the most cohesive song on the album.

We are nearing the end of the new wave of thrash. Hopefully some of the bands will survive and not leave this period as a sad waste of time. Bands like Havok could do it. All they need to do is keep trying new things and not cling so hard to the past.

Killing Songs :
Prepare For Attack, Scumbag in Design, Fatal Intervention
Crash quoted 86 / 100
Other albums by Havok that we have reviewed:
Havok - Unnatural Selection reviewed by Goat and quoted 82 / 100
Havok - Burn reviewed by Thomas and quoted 71 / 100
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