When it was first announced that Havok would appear for the very first time in Greece, it was really a no brainer that we would be there although it was in the middle of a very hot summer night. After all, this was a rare opportunity to catch one of the best bands of the so called new wave of thrash metal (on a personal note, Havok and Angelus Apatrida are my two favorite such bands). For those of you out there who haven’t listened to Havok, check out their sensational “Time is Up” (2011) and you will know instantly what I mean.
My point of view shared almost 150 fans that found their way at the Death Disco Club in downtown Athens. The time schedule was accurate and the Greek outfit of Crucifier (or The Crucifier so as not to be confused with another band with that name) first hit the stage. Crucifier was formed in 1995 and their frenzy thrash metal proved to be the ideal warm up for the main menu! Ilias Kyriazis, the band’s lead singer and the sole original member, was the undeniable leader and signaled the call…to arms for the people down the stage who were obviously had the time of their lives. The set list included the songs “T.V. (Truth’s Vileness)”, “Thrash Till The Death”, “Crucifier”, “Execute Them All” and a brand new song taken from Crucifier’s upcoming third album. 30 minutes later Havok from Denver, Colorado was ready to play in front of their Greek fans.
David Sanchez (guitar/vocals), Reece Scruggs (guitar), Pete Webber (drums) and Nick Schendzielos (bass) hit the stage and…the war began! Absolute power and energy and the thrash metal hymns keeping the pace on a breakneck speed! The circle pit was on constant motion (and rotation) and how could it be otherwise as Havok reserved an attack at all fronts with their heavy artillery: “Point Of No Return”, “No Amnesty”, “From The Cradle To The Grave”, “Covering Fire” paved the way and it was obvious that both fans and band were in great spirits! Havok’s bassist, Nick Schendzielos was celebrating his birthday that night and we all wished him Happy Birthday by singing in Greek and the bassist making a toast with a bottle of wine.
The time passed really quickly and the closing with the brilliant “D.O.A.”, the cover of the AC/DC classic “T.N.T.” (played only up until the first chorus) and “Give Me Liberty…Or Give Me Death” took us absolutely by storm with Nick heading down from the stage to the circle pit and then up to the upper balcony! He then returned to the stage constantly playing and without missing a single note! Perfect!
On a positive note the low ticket price and Havok’s overall presence on stage that left us under the impression that they have a great career in ahead of them! On a negative note the unsuitable for a live show venue and the rather small set by Havok (they played less than an hour). We certainly hope to see them again in a better live environment!
George Terzakis
