HAVOK, HELLRIPPER, SLACKJAW, XOTH

Inspired by the burgeoning American thrash metal revival of the mid-2000s, Denver, Colorado’s Havok emerged in 2004 with an aggressive, neck-snapping style that evoked Bay Area thrash legends like Exodus, Metallica, and Testament. They broke into the Billboard 200 in 2013 with their acclaimed third full-length effort, Unnatural Selection, and continued to refine their uncompromising sound on future endeavors like Conformicide (2017) and V (2020).

Havok assembled in 2004 and proceeded to ply their retro-fitted classic thrash trade via a series of self-financed releases: a 2005 demo, a 2006 single, and a 2007 EP, curiously named Pwn ’em All. These efforts duly got them signed to Candlelight Records, which released Havok’s debut album, Burn, in 2009 and then sent them off to tour with bands like Exodus, Anthrax, Destruction, Primal Fear, and Hammerfall. All of this roadwork only tightened up the group’s impressive chops, and prepared members David Sanchez (lead vocals, rhythm guitar),… [read more]

Slackjaw is an American heavy metal trio based in South Carolina. The band was formed when Dallas Young (vocals, rhythm guitar, bassist), also widely known online as Soup, met Brady Riggenbach (lead guitarist) in 2017. Jacob Rigdon (drummer) was added to complete the trio in July 2021. Despite various lineup changes, Dallas and Brady held the band’s vision together by taking on multiple roles in the studio, with Brady being the studio drummer on almost every track to date. Through a mutual interest in Black Label Society and Pantera, Dallas and Brady quickly started writing material. The band’s first single, “Caught in the Crossfire,” and their first studio album, “Ritual of Dissonance,” were met with astounding appraisal from old and new fans alike. When the band formed, they gathered an impressive online following with no management, label, or supporting tour. With influences such as Pantera, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Meshuggah, Black Label Society, Tool, and many others, there’s… [read more]

Since bursting forth from the cosmic ether in 2014, Seattle’s Xoth (pronounced ZOTH) has evoked fan and critical acclaim for their innovative approach to extreme metal. 2019’s Interdimensional Invocations has become a cult classic, blending technical death metal, black metal, and thrash in a novel synthesis that eludes categorization.

In partnership with Dawnbreed Records, their third triumph Exogalactic is an ambitious leap forward. It’s as if they’ve excavated musical relics from Earth’s core and melded them with sounds from the far reaches of the universe. Each song is an event horizon, stirring subgenres into a timewarp of past and future sonic chaos.

Amidst the vortex of sound, the mixing sorcery of Joe Cincotta at Full Force Studio (Obituary, Suffocation) manifests an auditory odyssey and the artwork of Shindy Reehal at Shindy Design sets the tone for the voyage. Xoth is not just music; it’s a journey across the celestial landscape led by interstellar luminaries.

“Through four… [read more]