Havoc Reigns (band)

Havoc Reigns is a heavy metal band formed in Maiclaus, Norcafa in 1999 by vocalist Gale Jennings and guitarist Finley Caulfield. The band currently consists of the aforementioned Gale Jennings and Finley Caulfield, along with bassist Alf Weaver and drummer Ernie Durant. Former members include Liam Pearce and Nathan Hardy.

The band released their self-titled debut studio album Havoc Reigns in 2003 with a further 3 albums being released, those being Countless Lies (2008), Martyr Galore (2014) and Nothing But The End (2019). 1 EP and 1 live album were also released in 2002 and 2010 respectively. Havoc Reigns has become one the most successful metal bands in the country, having sold over 990,000 records and making contracts with Roadrunner and Metal Blade Records.

Early years (1999-2002)
The band was established by friends Gale Jennings and Finley Caulfield, who first met in high school, in early 1999. A number of band names were considered, but the 'Havoc Reigns' name was selected. Drummer Liam Pearce and bassist Nathan Hardy became members of the band soon after and would begin performing in local pubs.

The band's reception was positive and would continue performing until Liam Pearce's retirement from the band in 2001 due to suffering a broken wrist. Ernie Durant would become the drummer soon after and would perform with the band since.

On 13 June 2002, the Havoc Reigns EP was released. It was produced independently in a recording studio in Maiclaus between October 2001 and February 2002. The EP had sold over 20,000 records within a year. Finley Caulfield remarked that it was "a sign of success".

Rise in popularity and Hardy's death (2003-2013)
The following year, the band would release their first studio album, Havoc Reigns, on 16 June 2003. Labelled under Roadrunner Records, the album had sold over 140,000 records in 3 years and was received positively. The band would make their first international tour in 2004 with concerts in France, Italy and Spain, attracting large crowds.

Nathan Hardy, the bassist for the band, was killed in a car accident in Valmontone, Italy on 8 July 2006. The band would take a temporary hiatus, where Alf Weaver took Hardy's place.

Their second studio album, Countless Lies, would be released on 9 September 2008. Almost 300,000 records of the album were sold, making it the band's highest sold album to date. The album ranked 81st on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart that year, helping contribute to the album's overall sales. 2 years later in 2010, Havoc Reigns LIVE was released as the band's first and only live album.

Continued success (2014-)
Martyr Galore, released on 29 August 2014, would be the last studio album by the band to be labelled under Roadrunner. As of today, the album has sold over 240,000 records. It peaked 88th on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart. During this time, the band was gaining popularity overseas. To complement this, they would do their first transcontinental tour across the United States and Canada in 2015, lasting from 11 June to 20 August.

In 2016, the band would do another tour, this time in honour of Nathan Hardy with it being the 10th anniversary of his death. Concerts were held across Europe with the last concert being held in Valmontone, where Hardy was killed.

The band's latest album, Nothing But The End, was released on 7 July 2019, being the first album by the band to be labelled under Metal Blade Records. The album has sold over 250,000 records so far. In November 2021, the band had announced that a new studio album is in the works and is set to be released sometime in 2023.

Musical style
Earlier songs mainly consist of a mix of elements from heavy metal and nu metal, particularly in the band's self-titled album and Countless Lies. However, elements of progressive metal have become more prevalent in later songs. Member Finley Caulfield claimed in a interview that expanding to more subgenres of metal is a possibility.

Lyrics
Lyrical themes in the band's earlier albums, along with their EP, had typically referenced politics and violence. In later albums such as Martyr Galore and Nothing But The End, topics such as religion, war and society had been referenced. The lyrics in the band's songs take on an aggressive and metaphorical style.

Influences
Members of the band have said that their songs, especially in earlier albums, have been influenced from bands such as Deftones, Korn, Megadeth, Metallica, Pantera, Slipknot, System of a Down among several others. Later albums have taken influence from more bands including Exhorder, Meshuggah and Rammstein, expanding the band's variety of music styles.

Current members

 * Gale Jennings - lead vocals (1999-present)
 * Finley Caulfield - lead guitarist (1999-present)
 * Alf Weaver - bass (2006-present)
 * Ernie Durant - drums (2001-present)

Former members

 * Liam Pearce - drums (1999-2001)
 * Nathan Hardy - bass (1999-2006)