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by The Hobo
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The Heavils are cool. The Heavils are damn, damn cool. The Heavils are so goddamn cool, that they actually possess the ability to suck the coolness from whatever hapless bands tour with them, pooling that cool into their already over-stocked cool warehouse.

Why are they cool you ask? For starters The Heavils make their own guitars – and no, not ‘make’ like those (comparatively) lame made-to-order Jackson Custom Shop guitars - we’re talking make as in taking toilet seats and converting them into guitars. We’re talking about making a pair of handlebars into a guitar. These guitars (called ‘Meanies’) are used live and in the studio to create The Heavils’ distinctive, off-tap sound. Observe:

And even YOU have got to admit; that’s damn, damn cool.

Regardless, the Heavils are back, recording their second release with renown Metal Blade Records – but this time around they’ve invited friend and fellow musician Hevy Devy Townsend of Hevy Devy Records (Strapping Young Lad and countless solo projects) to assist with production. Devy also helped the boys out by providing some backing vocals and adding some extra ‘noises’ to the inexplicable nineteen-minute final track ‘Kadiyimonk’. 

So combine The Heavils f*ck around, alcohol-fueled, hard rock grooves with the genius of Devy and what do you get? The heaviest, grooviest and most fun Heavils record to date! 

The record itself is a mix of powerful rock melodies, stylish nu-metallish thrashes, catchy rock anthems and even a metal-come-blues crossover track. Take ‘Get Behind Me’ for example; the song is a simple yet effective blast of channeled angst – catchy enough to maintain listener attention and yet hard-hitting enough to have you aching to jump into a mosh pit and break some heads.

‘Reflection’ follows a similar format, switching between passages of awesomely heavy guitarwork to jazz-derived bass guitar breakdowns. But perhaps the best tracks on the album are the ones in which the band have obviously had the most fun with. Take ‘Floaters’ – a song dedicated to ‘something floating in your eye’. The band muse over the possibilities – ‘maybe pieces of the mind?’ – but soon the song breaks down into a rage-filled vent at the glittering, distracting object.

The Heavils ability to create half-serious, hard-arsed, laid-back rock grooves has successfully defused my cynical, analytical mind – instead I choose simply kick back with a beer and enjoy the record just as much as I’m sure the guys had making it. Heavilution is a great rock album, reminding us all that complexity does not always make for a good release. Full of memorable and funny tracks that’ll have you tapping your feet as well as punching the cat.
 
 

The Heavils – Heavilution
Label: Metal Blade
Genre: Hard Rock / Modern Metal Groove
Best Track: Heavilution
Rating: 
 

Tracks: 1.Outside The Circle  2.Get Behind Me  3.Heavilution  4.Reflection  5.Sinking Time  6.Space Heater  7.Touch  8.Just Got Back  9.Chicken Soup Can  10.Floaters  11.Laundry Day  12.The Other Side  13.Passed Away  14.Kadigimonk

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