Hump day in Lansing got a lot more exciting when Havok with special guests Jungle Rot and Extinction A.D. incited mayhem with a bunch of diehard thrashers at The Loft.
Firing up this metalpocalypse was Hate Unbound from Detroit. Purveyors of technical death hell bent on blunt force trauma, this band came out swing for the fence. They played several new songs as well as a couple off their last album ‘Plague’. The new songs retain Hate Unbound’s penchant for relentless brutality while introducing some slower tempos. Given the crowd response, I’d wager the new album will be a hit for the band.
Next up was a lively performance by Lansing’s Tyrant. The hometown thrashers brought a solid contingent of fans who lined the front of the stage to headbang with the band. While the guys in Tyrant weren’t even born when bands like Destruction, Sodom, and Overkill were bringing thrash to the masses, they are proudly flying the flag of thrash for a new generation. Catchy riffs, crashing drums and bass, and plenty of guitar solos had the audience raging.
Extinction A. D. were up next supporting their latest album ‘Decimation Treaty’. One of New York’s finest thrash bands came prepare to whip the crowd into a frenzy. They took off on a sprint and never looked back. You could see, hear, and feel the blistering intensity of Extinction A.D. as they tore into “Rot In Pain” off their ‘Faithkiller’ album. The crowd got busy thrashing it up in the pit and throwing down with Extinction A.D.
Just when you thought the evening couldn’t get any rowdier, Jungle Rot took the stage and the circle pit exploded. The action was constant, as the savagery of the thrash laced death metal of Jungle Rot churned, stomped, and shredded. The guttural vocal assault of Dave Matrise provoked turmoil in the pit during “Send Forth Oblivion” and “Burning Cinder” off their new self-title album. This was my first time seeing Jungle Rot and I was astounded by the ferocity and crushing force of their performance.
Havok have been nonstop in their quest to bring their latest thrash masterpiece ‘Conformicide’ to their fans. I had the great fortune to see them earlier in the year in Detroit and now they were back in Lansing to expound upon the virtues of metal music. The band launched into the break neck “Fatal Intervention” which re-ignited the moshers. The popping bass of Nick Schendzielos announced the virulent “Hang ‘Em High”. Nick stalked the stage and engaged fans up front with his green LED inlays on his bass glowing.
David Sanchez and Reece Scruggs hurled rapid fire riffs with a vengeance on “No Amnesty”. The air guitarists in the audience were held mesmerized as Reece burned down the fret board on “Covering Fire”. David thanked everyone for coming out and promised the band would be working on new material soon. Meanwhile, drummer Pete Webber was an unstoppable force with flourishing rolls and concussive double kicks on “From the Cradle to the Grave” and “Time is Up”. That guy is an absolute machine behind the kit.
Thrash titans Havok along with special guests Jungle Rot and Extinction A.D. unleashed a firestorm of metal at the Loft in Lansing, Michigan. Each band brought their own unique concoction of metal to the stage. Havok gave a menacing performance that allowed their fans to release all the pent-up frustration in a vicious primal scream.