WILL HAVEN
Carpe Diem (Revelation)
Reviewed by Jason Thornberry

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Heavy metal never really went anywhere. Obviously the days of poodle hair and glam-rock (Poison, Cinderella, Britny Fox, Warrant, Enuff Znuff, Bullet Boys, etc.) are over. I'm grateful. There are groups that have weathered the storms, survived the finicky tastes of the greater public, endured the 'lean years' of life in a "heavy-rock band," and are still plugging along. Far from being dead in the water as a style, there are many outfits who are really just getting started. I'd like you to meet the band Will Haven.

First, let me ask you: do you know what's lower than a 'B' tuning? See 3:17 of the second track, "Saga," to find out. Will Haven drops down into a gear my economical stereo speakers were only just capable of handling. This album has grown on me quite significantly over the past week and, no, you can't have it. Get your own copy!

Will Haven are a reverberating organism with an instrumental sound somewhat reminiscent of Godflesh. Colossal guitars, floor-bound bass, drums that hold a Ted Parsons grip on the groove of the songs (Godflesh again). The vocals? Well, he just croons in the sweetest, lilting falsetto most of the time, chants Gregorian-style between each track, and busts the suckah MC battle rhymes on the bonus track, a duet with Snoop Dogg. I just made all of that shit up. Actually, Grady Avenell sings, hollers, and screams (usually) from a murky tunnel of frustrated despondency.

"I thought being a part of this would solidify my existence."

Lots of much bigger outfits have taken these Cow Town boys on tour with them, bands such as Limp Bizkit, Soulfly, Fear Factory, Deftones, and the utterly disposable Slipknot, but in my perfect universe, of course, most of these groups would be lucky to even open for Will Haven.

One of my picks for great albums of 2001.

Grade: A.

© 2002 - Jason Thornberry