HAVOK RELEASE NEW EYES EP; “DEATH IS AN ILLUSION” VIDEO STREAMING

Havok have released their new EP New Eyes. Get it here.

The four-track EP features two originals and two covers that will delight fans and keep them on their toes — including the band's take on Metallica's "Eye Of The Beholder" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Commotion."







The band has just shared the video for the original track "Death Is An Illusion."

"Death Is An Illusion" is a high-intensity, fast-paced thrash metal/D-Beat hardcore song about the first law of thermodynamics, the fact that energy cannot be created or destroyed," says the band. "The lyrics are written in a way to offer comfort and joy to the fact that all things are eternal and perpetual, including our loved ones; as their energy lives forever scientifically, and through our memories and their impact on the world they 'left behind.' "

Singer David Sanchez states, "New Eyes is an exciting step forward as it's Havok's first independent release since the early days of the band. 'Death Is An Illusion' introduces the band's first release since 2020 with ferocious speed and aggression that Havok has become known for. The EP's intro appeals to fans of metal and punk alike with its D-Beat rhythms and gang vocal choruses. The title track, 'New Eyes.' is a dynamic harmony-driven song about one's perspective changing over time and reflection. These new songs were fun to write and I think people may be surprised by the ambiguous and metaphysical nature of the lyrics."

Regarding the covers, Sanchez states, "We decided to cover a classic band that nobody would expect us to... Credence Clearwater Revival. We're all CCR fans and their song, 'Commotion,' was a perfect candidate for a proper 'metalizing,' since most of the metal was already built-in. We made it a little faster, turned up the distortion, and tweaked some riffs here and there to bend into the Havok style."

Furthermore, he says, "We had discussed covering a Metallica song for years, but didn't want to cover a big hit that had been covered to death, so we opted for the lesser-known 'Eye Of The Beholder.' We chose to cover this song because it's so damned heavy and the lyrics reflect Havok's lyrical themes throughout the last decade. We stayed true to the original where it counts, but made sure to spice up the bass guitar and drums to breathe new life into the track.

He finishes, "All in all, releasing the New Eyes EP will be a major turning point in our musical journey and we hope that we'll reach new fans and resonate with people who have been supporting Havok over the years. We're stoked to play these new songs live and give fans the chance to scream the lyrics with us!"
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LIVE REVIEW: Cannibal Corpse @ The Roundhouse, London

DEATH METALLIVE REVIEWSPHOTO GALLERIESREVIEWSTHRASH METAL


It’s Sunday night, and there’s a handful of people wearing corpse paint, standing around patiently at The Roundhouse in the UK capital as they wait for death metal titans, CANNIBAL CORPSE, to take to the stage. Typical of a night out in Camden, really, but very much a home for all four bands (SCHIZOPHRENIA, IMMOLATION, MUNICIPAL WASTE and CANNIBAL CORPSE) and the amassing fans.



Schizophrenia live @ The Roundhouse, London. Photo Credit: Sarah Tsang

Death-meets-thrash metal band, SCHIZOPHRENIA open up as the first band of the evening, grabbing the attention of fans as they move and play effortlessly across the stage. Drummer, Lorenzo Vissol, stands out with the fact he hypes up the crowd as he plays and is constantly smiling throughout. SCHIZOPHRENIA showed that despite that they are a young band, they have the songs and stage presence to prove why they are on this bill with CANNIBAL CORPSE.



Rating: 8/10Immolation live @ The Roundhouse, London. Photo Credit: Sarah Tsang

Up next are IMMOLATION, with their brutal riffs and the legacy that this band has, IMMOLATION made sure that each fan – both old and new – knew exactly what they got from the set: heavy in your face noises as well as melody that balanced the set out. Half way through set, IMMOLATION not only gave a shout out to all the bands on the bill, they also dedicated a song to Erik Ruton (who had to leave the tour early due to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in his home state of Florida). Very respectful and wholesome, indeed.



Rating: 8/10Municipal Waste live @ The Roundhouse, London. Photo Credit: Sarah Tsang

Main support act, MUNICIPAL WASTE actually wasted no time in making everyone feel involved. Their showmanship throughout their set led to egging on the crowd by demanding everyone to crowdsurf. This led to chaos especially with mosh pits everywhere and the constant stream of crowdsurfers of every moment of the songs, putting security to work. They ended their set with Born To Party, with chants of “MUNICIPAL WASTE is gonna fuck you up!”, it was the perfect way to get fans excited and riled up for the main act of the night.



Rating: 9/10Cannibal Corpse live @ The Roundhouse, London. Photo Credit: Sarah Tsang

Whatever threatening/eerie image you have in your head of vocalist Corpsegrinder aka George Fisher, it is immediately gone because as the band came on to the stage, a fan from the front row hands a stuffed toy bear to George. Cheers came from the fans as he held it up with a smile as he placed it on the back of the stage.



Following this, CANNIBAL CORPSE immediately transitioned smoothly to their first song – Blood Blind – from their latest album, Chaos Horrific, and it is a sudden reminder of who this band is. The descent into mosh pits is felt from the front row as the band playing just slaps you in the face with excitement and the feeling of dread. The Roundhouse is filled with red and blue colours across the stage, just the way it should be for a death metal band. As a sudden four piece band without the presence of Erik, it didn’t deter from their performance in the slightest.

As a band with a long successful legacy, the setlist spanned material from across 11 of their albums, all flowing well in to each other. As George commands the crowd, the band keep the crowd on their toes and Fisher‘s relentless headbanging with every song encourages everyone to do the same, if they can keep up, is another story entirely. The funny moments of the set comes from when George talks to the fans, his humour to mess around, such as telling all the men off for screaming when he said the band wanted to dedicate a song to the women in the crowd.Cannibal Corpse live @ The Roundhouse, London. Photo Credit: Sarah Tsang

Near the end of the set, he teases everyone by saying “I’ve decided out of the kindness in my heart, this is still going to be the last song”, which erupted in a mixture of cheers and sounds of disappointment.




Closing the set, there’s a pit opening up as wide as possible, while George screams “I’m sure you know what this song is next, but I’m gonna tell you motherfuckers anyway” and as the intro of Hammer Smashed Face unleashes, the entire venue turns in crushing wave of bodies flying everywhere and into each other. A song so popular that it was played in mainstream movies. Chants of people singing along to the riffs echoes around The Roundhouse is a highlight to see and hear.
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CANNIBAL CORPSE are a household name whether you’re into metal or not. With 36 years under their collective belts and boasting music that is still refreshing and never wavering in heaviness, it’s no wonder that the band have solid out The Roundhouse. After all these years, CANNIBAL CORPSE still have the tenacity and ravenous hunger for aural destruction and to witness their explosive mastery of death metal is a joy to behold. Long may it continue.

Rating: 10/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Sarah Tsang here:



































































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