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), Reece Scruggs (lead guitar), Jessie de los Santos (bass, backing vocals), and Pete Webber (drums) for the recording of their sophomore album, Time Is Up (produced by thrash stalwart James Murphy: Death, Obituary, Disincarnate, Testament, etc.), which was released in early 2011.
Michael Leon replaced de los Santos on bass for 2013’s Unnatural Selection, which earned positive reviews and saw Havok make their Billboard debut. The band toured steadily during the rest of the year, and they switched labels from Candlelight to Century Media. Leon left the group after three years to join Soulfly and was replaced by Nick Schendzielos of Cephalic Carnage, who made his studio debut on Havok’s fourth album, Conformicide, which was released in March 2017. Three years later, the band returned with new bassist Brandon Bruce in tow and issued their aptly named fifth long-player.
Hellripper
Hellripper is a Scottish one-man black/speed metal band influenced by the likes of Venom, Sodom, Darkthrone, Metallica etc. With the release of the debut EP ‘The Manifestation of Evil’ at the start of 2015, the band have made their statement clear… Total mayhem!
2015 and 2016 saw the release of an EP and couple of splits to positive reviews in the underground as well as the assembly of a live line-up. The band’s debut album ‘Coagulating Darkness’ was released in April 2017 to acclaim in the underground as well as positive reviews from the likes of Metal Hammer and Noisey with the former claiming Hellripper to be “Scotland’s King of the arcane mosh”.
2019 saw the release of a 4-track EP, ‘Black Arts & Alchemy’ in April 2019. This was accompanied by their first European tour in support of it.
At the end of 2019, the band signed a deal with Peaceville Records and released their second album ‘The Affair of the Poisons’ in October 2020 to critical acclaim and led to the band’s first appearance on the US Billboard Chart.
2023 marked the release of the 3rd full-length album, ‘Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ – a record inspired by the darker side of Scottish history and folklore, with the title itself taken from a line in the Robert Burns poem, ‘Address to the Deil’.
With a new record label in Century Media Records, Hellripper are preparing to release their 4th full-length album in early 2026.
ALL HAIL THE GOAT!
Slackjaw
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 no question this metal band has one goal: to follow in their predecessors’ footsteps and make albums that will stand the test of time.
Xoth
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 years of trials and tribulations, we are thrilled to finally unleash an album that has demanded immense dedication, fortitude, and sacrifice. The results of our experiment have surpassed our wildest imagination!”
Xoth is: Tyler Sturgill – Guitar & Vocals Woody Adler – Guitar Ben Bennett – Bass Jeremy Salvo – Drums
Booking: beholdxoth@gmail.com
