Interview with Havok 2009

By Bradley Smith   

Your latest album Burn hit the streets not too long ago.  Can you tell me from a growth and historical perspective what this album represents for Havok?  What impressions has the metal community been commenting to you about it?

This album is a representation of where we started and where we are right now.  There are a few songs on this album from 2004!  But there are also a bunch of new ones that hints at where our music will be headed in the future.  So far, it seems like the album has been well received by most people.  We’re just doing our thing and if people like it, that makes us very happy.

Getting signed to a record label is usually one of the foremost goals of a young band.  What sort of personal blue print did you follow in order to achieve that goal and what has it meant to you personally now that you have attained that.  What are your future goals beyond just the record deal?

Once we started getting serious, the objective was to eventually tour and get people into the band.  The plan was doing just that, then we started hearing from labels and things like that and we took our time continuing to perform, write and work on the stage show.  It feels so rewarding to have all the hard work pay off and get some recognition from labels, fans, magazines, reviewers, etc.  In the coming years we are going to tour our asses off and write a couple more killer albums!

Candlelight Records is pretty well known, especially for black metal.  Do you ever feel like you might get lost on their roster or has been being one of the few thrash bands on there been beneficial to you?

At first, yes, it did seem that we might be overlooked.  Now it seems to be beneficial for us because if we were on a solid thrash metal label or something like that; we wouldn’t get as much personal attention and Candlelight is taking good care of us.

The lyrics on Identity Theft seem to be aimed at a specific event or experience that Havok had to deal with.  Is this true and if so where did the lyrics come from and are they aimed at anyone in particular? 

The song is actually about people that think it’s cool to just follow whatever trend there is at the time.  You know, the people who don’t find their own way in life, but just do what they think other people will like them for.  “Posers,” if you will…  We wrote the song quickly, spurred by an event at a local show where there was a band afraid to let us share the stage with them.  That particular band is still struggling for a good sound and trying to make it in Denver.

In the thanks list you made a comment towards “Shit Talkers.”  Has there been a lot of “shit Talking” aimed at Havok?  What is the nature of the slings and arrows and how do you deal with disdain from others?  Has it been all done via the internet and don’t you think that people somehow feel they can get away with saying something via the internet that they wouldn’t in person?

There are a few people out there.  There’s always shit talkers. No matter what you’re doing, SOMEBODY has something to say.  I guess in a way it’s good; it means they’re paying attention to what we’re doing!  Mainly it’s just people who have nothing good enough going on in their own lives, so they have to criticize what someone else is doing.  And to answer the last part of the question, yes, it is on the internet!  There are people that’ll talk shit on the internet and then we’ll see them at a show and they won’t make eye contact with us!  It’s actually pretty funny.

I read early on you guys did a ton of shows to get your name out.  How did your audience change in number and attitude from the beginning until now and when did you know you had “made it?”  When do you feel you stopped being just a local band?

Our crowd attendance has steadily increased over time.  Just like so many others, we have performed the late night show for the 3 regulars at the bar and then performed for thousands at a metal festival.  In our minds we still haven’t “made it” because we’re not done yet!  The next few years will be nothing but positive for us, so maybe a few years from now we will finally feel like we’ve made a dent.  The term “local band” means different things to different people, but in our minds, if a band is touring around the country and has fans all over the place, the band beyond a “local” level.  At that point, we believe you’re making a difference in more places than just your hometown.

You seem to be very proud of your Colorado affiliation when it comes to Havok.  What about Colorado is so special to you?  What about your state do you think outsiders should be aware of and how has being from Colorado worked its way into your music?

Colorado’s cool-factor is right there in the name: ColoRADo!  This state is so beautiful and it has great people.  It’s really cool to be a band from here because it’s not the first place that comes to mind when you think of big music scenes and especially METAL, but just to assure you, Denver has a HUGE music scene. 

Altitude and Attitude.  If you’re gonna come up here, be prepared to get drunk way faster.  It likely has something to do with the lack of oxygen, but for some reason, when we drink in lower-altitude places, it takes a lot more to get the job done.  The vibe here is a “we can do anything we dream”, “freedom to live” and all… there is a lot of appreciation for our freedoms here in Colorado and that gives us that “if we can dream it, we can do it” attitude!

 

Musically speaking, we sound a little different from our peers because of where we’re from.  We’re not surrounded by other thrash bands, so that forces us to be more creative.  That probably sounds really lame, but seriously, we don’t really sound like we’re from LA or the Bay Area and there’s not a lot of similarity to the East coast flavor either.

There is a new Thrash scene that is sweeping metal right now.  Aside from age, what do you think separates the new scene from the old original one?  I mean what does the new group of thrash bands bring to the table that gives it a freshness and modern edge?  What do the old and new scenes have in common and how did you first come to love the thrash style?

The style sounds fresh because nobody has heard new music that sounds like this in 15 years.  The new and old share one main thing, riffs.  That’s what draws people to thrash.  It’s all about the riffs!  We first came to love the thrash style by just listening to all kinds of music. Finding, and listening to, the guitar work from the 80’s thrash is what caught our guitar players. For the drummer, what drummers don’t love to play fast and hard?  It’s the kind of music that takes no prisoners and makes no apologies – that’s us.

The American image has changed dramatically over the years within the international community to include a recent upswing caused by Obama’s election.  How do you feel about foreign impressions of Americans and do you sort of see yourselves as a form of ambassadors for America when you start touring internationally or are you just planning to thrash hard with no regard?

Thrash hard with no regard is a good way to go!  But that’s not to say we don’t feel we need to represent ourselves well and respect others.  We are very self-conscious about making a good impression when we meet people.

What are some of your upcoming plans for Havok?  What sort of touring are you doing in order to support Burn and what are some of your favourite places to play live?

We hope to be touring our asses off for the next few years.  We will go all over the USA this year and we plan on hitting Europe in 2010.  Our favorite places to play so far are Phoenix, Nebraska, Saint Louis, and the Bay Area.  We are hitting the East coast for the first time this late summer and who knows, a few favorites may change.

Thanks for the interview and I’ll leave any Final Words to you, and remember, No shit talking!  Heh heh.

Come see us on the road and buy a shirt.  And if you’re a girl at a HAVOK show, flash your boobs or something…