There are two paths you can head down when you want to copy the masters.

A. They could have used a Xerox machine. You’re a one-dimensional copy of your peers. You do it because everyone else does it right now so there’s gotta be girls, free beer and maybe even some doe in it.

B. You put your heart into it. You have listened for hours and hours to the masters. You have somehow touched the spirit of what they did back then. You have worked, you have understood. Note: Originality is not a must if you do what you do with a suitable amount of conviction! Many times we have seen proof of this.

Havok from Colorado, USA, have taken path B. The four-piece brings together the sounds of early Metallica, Slayer and Kreator and have thus created an excellent thrash album.

I can’t help also being reminded of the US band Atrophy who released a couple of excellent albums during the nineties (‘Socialized Hate’ from 1988 and ‘Violent by Nature’ from 1990) and thus carried the torch of thrash metal with pride. Also Mortal Sin springs to mind – mainly because Havok vocalist David Sanchez' voice bears some resemblance to that of Matt Maurer.

‘Burn’ is for fans of powerful, no-nonsense thrash metal of the old school – done with a large dose of heart and soul.