Sheffield has a history of producing stellar rock and metal bands, and Havelocke are one of those bands looking to further the Steel City’s musical legacy with their second outing following 2019’s introductory EP, ‘This Is Havelocke’. Bordering on imitating early 2000’s post-hardcore and emo, its four tracks showed potential with plenty of adrenaline and the occasional big hook.
For the quartet’s second EP, ‘Arsonist’, Havelocke’s sound has naturally become refined and bolder. The (slight) lo-fi quality of its predecessor has been cemented with solid instrumentation, especially in the rhythm department courtesy of drummer Jack Taylor and bassist Jacob Clark. While lead guitarist Hope Thackray quickly sets the tone on ‘After Dark’ with a heavy sharpness, Owen Cousins proves to be a dynamic and catalytic vocalist, albeit with Americanised delivery.
Havelocke soon coats their sound in darkness as Cousins proclaims “no one is here to save you now” before his roaring scream of “burn” neatly segues into ‘Vampire Eyes’. Its catchy, explosive chorus makes it one of the standouts on this five-track offering. Even though Cousins sings about living in darkness and isolation, Havelocke’s adrenaline rush of a chorus provides a light of hope.
The EP’s centrepiece is suitably its (semi-)title track, ‘The Arsonist’. Clearly influenced by the post-hardcore/emo sound of their youth, it’s a visceral track with Cousins’ bitter words slicing through the chorus as Taylor and Clark provide density alongside Thackray’s power-chord driven guitars.
When put up against other songs on here, ‘100 Seconds’ doesn’t quite leave its mark. While the merge of duel vocals is welcomed, its instrumentation sounds all too similar to the three songs previously. Although this does show consistency, it’s the least impressionable song here.
Closing with ‘When We Go’, Cousins shows an almost effortless ability to go and back and forth between clean and screaming. Blistering, metallic guitars are anchored by thick, energetic drums before settling into an atmospheric mid-section. Cousins and Thackray’s haunting vocal work brilliantly ascends to a striking conclusion, with intertwining guitars and Cousins’ piercing, emotional release.
Like many young bands, Havelocke still haven’t quite found their own identity on ‘Arsonist’. Sure, they do sound bigger and have the ability to write effective, muscular hooks, yet they still have a tendency to lean on their influences. Nevertheless, the Sheffield four-piece are gradually building a set of digestible songs that have plenty of replay value, making them an exciting prospect for the future.
SÊAN REID