WILL HAVEN
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
Sacramento hardcore band Will Haven is making a great effort to be heard. "WHVN" is the band's second full-length release. The best part about Will Haven is that there is a lot of melody to go along with the cathartic release of hardcore fury. The band's musical focus is clearly intent on maximizing the most of low-frequencies; soon enough Will Haven may stake their own territory in the hardcore community.
Occasionally the vocals sound too much like Tim Williams of Vision Of Disorder, but then again we are talking about two very similar bands. Although the band lacks the metal shrapnel of Vision Of Disorder, Will Haven are successful at adding neat musical motifs to the overall package.
Hints of Handsome-like arty guitar noise is quite evident in songs like "Fresno," "Genesis 11," and "Muse." Homage to hard-core legends Bad Brains is clearly heard in "Jaworski." Will Haven methodically slow the devastating "Slopez" down with interesting vocals, spoken word bits, and atmospheric guitar for a unique entry in the hardcore catalog. "End Summary" stands out from the rest of the tracks as it pulsates with fervor. "Miguel Abburido" is an eclectic mix of hardcore riffs and spacey guitar noise. The production is a bit murky on tracks like "Death Do Us Part" and "Dallas Drake."
"WHVN" is a solid hardcore effort from this up-and-coming outfit. Fans of New York City hardcore bands like Handsome and Quicksand will find Will Haven to be suitable listening.
"WHVN" was produced by Eric Stenman (Skinny Puppy, Training For Utopia, Vomit Launch) and Will Haven. Andy Sneap provided his considerable mastering talents to "WHVN"; Sneap has worked with such artists as Cathedral, Earth Crisis, Suck Mojo, and Obituary.
Will Haven is Jeff Irwin on guitar, Grady Avenell on vocals, Mike Martin on bass, and Wayne Morse on drums.
For more information visit http://www.foothill.net/~swisley/willhaven/ to learn more about the band.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 1999 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 04 Dec 2023 22:19:31 -0500.
