Cry Havoc

From the opening second of first track ‘Losing Everything’, the new 4-track EP ‘New Life’ by Exeter’s Cry Havoc grabs your attention and doesn’t let go for the next 15 minutes. Kicking headfirst with this previously mentioned opener; with heavy chugging guitars, it just makes you want to headbang along to it and its a fantastic opener and reflection of what is yet to come with ‘New Life’.


‘Ignition’ follows and shows a lot more of a flourish in the musicianship. This track sees the band at their best; solos aplenty provided by guitarists Tris and James, solid rhythms from bassist Billy and drummer John and a wide range of vocals. Lead singer Gav manages to sound like a very raspy Phil Anselmo inspired sound, to a very clean melodic sound throughout the full EP. It gives both that heavy thrash metal inspired sound, but also can lead to a soaring, anthemic feel on the tracks. It keeps the interest high throughout all the tracks.

‘Alone’ starts with a very distorted bass riff slowing the pace down, before a sudden burst with guitars the guitars kicking back in, keeping the same energy built up on the first two tracks before heading into title track, ‘New Life’, starting with a very clean guitar pattern, before again coming back with the raw heaviness. The track does again flow between this heaviness and the melodic interlude of the opening guitar pattern, but it allows the band to show they’re capable of seamlessly mixing from a quiet passage to pure metal noise. If anything, this track seems heavily inspired by Pantera. A solid way to close the EP.

Self-described as ‘thrash ‘n’ roll’, Cry Havoc have certainly manage to deliver four kickass songs in the space of just only 15 minutes. It only leads to imagine what they could deliver with a full album. A stunning debut from a promising up-and-coming act.
- Dead Press

Uk Thrashers Cry Havoc mean business...

http://www.realgonerocks.com/2012/12/cry-havoc-new-life-ep/ - Real Gone Rocks

So we featured Cry Havoc a while back, and at the time I remember sitting back and thinking there was a hell of a lot that was good about their music, and that I wanted to hear a lot more. Then recently, we were sent through 4 new tracks to check out, so I finally had the chance to hear what else they had on offer. Jumping at the chance to check them out, I hit play and sat back to see what was going on!

Opening with Losing Everything it’s good to hear that nothing’s changed and the power of the band is still what I remember hearing! Funky and powerful guitar lines drive the opening moments of the track before ushering in a rolling double bass melee, the whole track forming into something which is powerful, heavy, fast and the sort of thing which is going to get crowds moving from the front to the back. Raspy and gravelly vocals come into take the lead and the track adopts its full form, throwing out a sound which is heavy, fast and downright dirty. This is the pure definition of metal, the sort of sound which is going to get pits moving, fists pumping, and a feeling that nothing matters but the sound you’re hearing at that exact moment. Ignition follows the same sort of approach, once again thrusting their sound upon you and forcing a sound down your throat that’s impossible to resist, it’s the sort of sound that your inner soul is craving. Harking towards the old school metal sounds of GnR and similar in the guitar work, all comparisons are blown out of the water before long and the track adopts a sound which is quite simply that of Cry Havoc. If you listen to one track from these guys then make it this one – you’ll be hooked from the word go.

Moving on to Alone and everything seems to fade back for a moment, opening with a rhythm combination to set things in motion and suggesting that sometimes, the simpler approach can be just as effective. Not sticking to this for too long, once again we’re soon thrown back into the rolling pit of aggression and power, the guys hammering out another track full to the brim with rolling drums, pounding guitar lines, rumbling bass and those awesome vocals. Building to the crescendo of the track, we’re soon upon the last of the four tracks in the form of New Life, a track which seems to mark a change in the sound of the tracks. Softer as it opens, the focus moves from raw power to an edge of melody, gradually building into the track over an acoustic guitar lines before once again building up to that almighty power. Not allowing any sense of safety to creep too far in, this final track from the selection closes things on a high, leaving on a funky and powerful note, leaving no doubt in your mind that Cry Havoc are here, and they’re about to take over.

I liked Cry Havoc the first time I heard them, but these four tracks are a whole new level of things in my eyes. At times I found myself thinking of Pantera, at other times Guns N Roses, but all the time knowing that it was Cry Havoc thanks to their unique sound and ability to create music. If you’re looking for a new band to discover to listen to constantly then you won’t go far wrong here, welcome Cry Havoc, please make more music soon!
- Loud-Stuff

Some band names just invite intrigue and eagerness to learn more. Such is the case with British metal band Cry Havoc, their name inspiring thoughts and impressions which one only hoped their sounds could live up to. Their debut release the New Life EP easily matched and exceeded those wishes, its muscular presence standing tall with music to fire up deep enthusiasm and satisfaction.

A band still in it informative years, Cry Havoc has been exploding stages with high octane live shows which has seen performances alongside the likes of Malefice, Revoker, The Defiled, Voodoo Six, Jettblack, Romeo Must Die, The Dirty Youth, and Guns 2 Roses as well as their own gigs and festival appearances such as Hammerfest III in 2011. They were also invited to contribute to the Ozzy Osbourne tribute CD No More Tears alongside artists such as Vince Neil from Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, and Kiss. Things were definitely on a rapid rise as the band entered Nott-In-Pill studio in the closing weeks of last year to record New Life alongside producer Martyn “Ginge” Ford and Matthew Bond, who have previously worked with the likes of Bullet For My Valentine, Slipknot, Trivium, Skindred, The Dirty Youth and Revoker. With its release this September one can only assume a full and eager hunger for the band and their furious blend of thrash and hard/classic rock, or as they call it thrash n roll, will follow.

Losing Everything is the first rampage through the ear, a ferocious and hungry fury of crippling artillery driven rhythms and ravenous riffs. The song is an immediate thrust of pleasure and power to ignite all the demands of a great metal song, the passion and energy as resourceful and striking as the outstanding guitar imagination alongside openly impressive vocals. It would be wrong to say the song, and EP as a whole has anything new to say or bring to the mosh pit but undoubtedly it sparks all the fires one could wish from a release of immense quality. The track has a Mudvayne flavour to its sound to add another spice and depth to its crushing presence and by its end the result is an explosive and outstanding start to the EP.

The following Ignition starts mesmerising the senses within seconds with a tightly woven groove and again unrelenting rhythms. Into its stride the song is a charged and thrilling ride, the riffs squeezing the ear tightly so that groove and the flaming guitar solos which strike can singe its flesh. Like the opener it is an infectious and highly memorable rampant slab of metal, originality compromised for a stirring and magnetic Metallica/Slayer/American Death Charge like mix.

The malevolent Alone swamps the ear next with further thrash and metal barracking to devour greedily. Thumping drums bludgeon the senses whilst the guitars continue their skilful and inventive pursuit of the heart, whether a riff or melodic enterprise there is only imaginative and greatly crafted play.

The release closes with the title track and of course again it is a uncompromising assault of thrash n roll, a raw and abrasive sound which leaves one wanting more by its final note. The song shifts its pace from top gear aggression to melodic ‘catch a breather’ asides at times but all is seamless and sculpted to leave a lingering burn of satisfaction behind.

The New Life EP is not the most unique in sound but one of the most enjoyable and riotous thrash driven releases sure to pass your way. Cry Havoc is a band with a big horizon ahead of them and sooner rather than later one suspects. - Ringmaster

When The Black Flag needs some ‘proper heavy’ music reviewing they can only give it to one man for he lives and breathes all thing Metal, laughs in the face of a wall of Marshall amps and bites heads off passing ducks whilst waiting to tell Satan he’s a p*ssy for only having it turned up to ‘10’. That man, dear reader, is….not me. But I do own a number of ‘heavier’ metal albums – ranging from Entombed to Gorefest to Trivium so whilst I am not currently in any dialogue with the ‘horned one’, I reckon I can give this review a fair effort.
Cry Havoc are a five piece thrash metal band hailing from Devon, UK. To coincide with the release of this four track EP they will be supporting Firewind and Leaves’ Eye. They already have an impressive back catalogue of work – appearing at festivals such as Hammerfest III and Glastonbudget. They have appeared on the Ozzy Osbourne tribute CD ‘No More Tears’ with their cover of ‘Mr. Tinkertrain’ alongside names such as Vince Neil and Alice Cooper. They can count appearances on the same bill as Romeo Must Die, Revoker, The Defiled, Guns 2 Roses, Voodoo Six, Jettblack and Malefice in their gig history and all of this should go some way to demonstrating the size of the waves they are making in the music industry.
‘Losing Everything’ opens the EP with blistering drums and guitar before it breaks down to an almost machine gun style of guitar playing. This track no doubt displays some of the influence of the producers, Martyn Ford and Matthew Bond who have previously worked with Trivium amongst others. I mention Trivium specifically as Cry Havoc employ a similar style in this track, with the more aggressive (shouty) vocals over the verses before Gavin Bolt (vocals) lifts his tone to a more harmonious manner.

The introduction on the second track, ‘Ignition’, could easily have come from an early Metallica album – think Kill ‘em all. The guitars launch the song with a constant and relentless drum beat underpinning it before the track slows – only a fraction – to allow Bolts vocals to burst through. Bolt cleverly weaves his more aggressive vocals with his singing voice on this track, instead of their being a clear distinction like on the opening track. The ‘talking’ halfway through the track reminds me of a classic Megadeth song – ‘Sweating Bullets’ – and really helps to increase the somewhat manic feel to this song.
‘Alone’ is track three and opens with a much more subdued bass line before normal service is resumed and the back launch into, arguably, the heaviest track on the EP. Bolt’s growling vocals are at their best here but whats crucial – at least to me – is that you can still make out the lyrics. Ok, I couldn’t repeat them verbatim (ooooooooh, check you out – Ed) but you can still follow the song.
The title track, ‘New Life’, is last on the EP. The introduction displays some fine guitar playing by Tristan Gaskell, with Bolts whispering lyrics creating the calm before the inevitable storm. The song bursts forth and Cry Havoc finishes the EP on a real high. In my eyes the title track for an EP or album is almost the signature track and so it does always need to be high calibre track. Luckily, this is. Featuring some nice guitar and drum dovetailing in the songs ‘breakdown’ moments, when the central riff hits you it does so right between the eyes.
The excellent reviews the band have received thus far are, on the basis of this, all well deserved. If they can tour on the back of this EP and promote it heavily, they surely have a great chance to build on what is already an impressive platform. - Black Flag

Every now and then you need a nice dose of pure, unadulterated metal to get you through the day, and that’s exactly what Cry Havoc have kindly given us with their ‘New Life‘ EP. It may not be the most original metal record you’ve ever heard, but that’s not to say that it’s not enjoyable.

First track ‘Losing Everything’ is the perfect opener, with vocalist Gav’s heavy but accessible growls combining nicely with the meaty guitar riffs and killer drum beats. The impressive guitar solo makes for a fantastic all-round metal tune, and it sets the tone perfectly for next track ‘Ignition‘. You could almost be mistaken in thinking you’re back in the 80’s listening to ‘Kill ‘Em All’ or ‘Appetite For Destruction’ because the distinct Metallica and Guns’n’Roses influences are so apparent throughout. ‘Alone’ and ‘New Life’ follow the same kind of formula as their predecessors, and although they’re technically very good, the lack of uniqueness makes it easy to lose interest.

Fantastic effort from Cry Havoc, but a little more imagination would’ve been nice. If the band can build on their already excellent sound and add some of their own elements into their music, the potential is definitely there for a killer new metal band.
- Hit The Floor

To get the ball rolling was Devon based band Cry Havoc, who not only bought their raunchy guitars and ferocious drum beats with them, but a coach load of fans who wanted to show their support for the band. Frontman Gavin Bolt ran around the stage like a man on fire, climbing on the walls and chairs getting the crowd into gear ready for The Dirty Youth. As the crowd chanted along to ‘Kickin’ It In The Teeth’ with their firsts high in the air, guitarist Tristan Gaskell burst into a rippling energetic guitar solo behind his head, showing off every ounce of skill and talent in his bones.

The raunchy riffs provided by rhythm/lead guitarist James Findlay added this loud, locomotive of hard fast blaring rock across the audience, and trust me, it’s hard not to move when the music is that lurid and in your face. A guitar battle between these two players would be phenomenal to watch, as both of them are outstanding players. This band not only performed with electrifying stage presence, but they killed it. That stage was made for them, and they showed tonight that they were the new owners of London’s stages, and no one is gonna take that away from them quite yet. - Hit The Floor

Welcome to Saturday at Hammerfest. A lot of people are now completely broken and would quite like a nice sit down in a comfy chair and a cup of tea, but rabble-rousers Cry Havoc are having none of it and are treating their performance on the [metal forge] stage as if it were a headlining slot at Wembley. Frontman Gav is running from one side of the stage to the other, bare-chested and swivel-eyed, taking occasional leaps into the crowd and generally going beserk. His bandmates just about keep up with him and churn out a splendidly raw and brutish din. Hats off. We can only assume they weren't drowning Jager shots at 4Am like we were... Bastards. - Metal Hammer - Dom Lawson