Havok New Eyes EP Review

November 1st, the Thrash Metal band Havok surprised fans of the band with a new EP, entitled New Eyes. I’d heard rumblings that the band had been working on new material, but I didn’t know we’d be getting it so soon and what better of a time to release it than right before a big tour with Exodus! I narrowly missed the tour’s stop in Atlanta earlier this week, maybe next time. This new EP is the first independent release for the band in many years and as of this moment it’s not available to purchase physically on the internet, only at shows.

This EP is a return to form in so many ways, not that the band ever lost their way, but you can hear their hunger and insane musicianship in full force in the opening tune “Death is an illusion”. This is a throwback to the mid-eighties era of Thrash where it was all about riffs and the genre of THRASH. The title track “New Eyes” carries on much in the same manner as “illusion”, this tune is a bit more melodic and has some great twin-lead moments that add a bit more depth and feel to the song. The other two tracks on this EP are covers, fear not, they’re a ton of fun. The band chose to step outside of the box and cover CCR’S “Commotion” which is wild, but they didn’t butcher the song, they just injected a shit ton of attitude and a little bit of speed and aggression. The original tune had a swampy vibe, this version just hammers you with riff after riff. The last track on the EP is Metallica’s “Eye of The Beholder” dare I say this was expected or at least it’s what I’d expect – a cover of a classic Thrash track from one of the genre’s mainstays. It also isn’t lost on me that the band chose to cover this track due to its lyrical content given our current social climate. This has always been one of my favorite Metallica tracks, it just speaks volumes, and I always thought the arrangement was exceptional. Havok didn’t change much about it, they just did it their way and it has bass lines in it that you can hear! I’d rather listen to this version than the original and that says a lot about the band’s approach and the care they put into the recording.
 
With very little time left in the year, Havok have released an EP that will take a slot as one of my top ten releases of 2024. This is a breath of fresh air and if any other Thrash bands are paying attention, have a listen, this is exactly how you do it when you’ve been gone for a few years. The band had something to say on the two new tracks and they were well prepared when they hit the studio, this is one of the best Thrash recordings I’ve heard in a long time! We can only hope that there's more to come, the band has been away for far too long.

~Black Angel