Havayoth - His Creation Reversed
Hammerheart Records
Gothic Metal
9 songs (44:39)
Release year: 2000
Hammerheart Records
Reviewed by Khelek
Archive review

Right from the start I must say that Havayoth are one of the most unique and interesting gothic metal bands I’ve ever heard. Formed by Andreas Hedlund of Vintersorg and Marcus Norman of Naglfar, Ancient Wisdom, etc. Havayoth is a darker and more melodic take on the sounds of those bands. They paint some really great dark atmospheres on this album that I immediately loved the first time I heard it. Finding this album is not easy though and if you do find it you'll probably end up paying a premium. Is it worth it? Yes, I think it is.

The album starts off with the instrumental track Transcendence, which is somewhat monotonous but does manage to be interesting with the use of synths and keyboard. The next track, Mirrors, is where the album really starts. The melodic guitar comes in with a nice albeit simple lead with huge drums following close behind to create a big melodic soundscape. Then the vocals of Hedlund come in and astound me with their deepness and intensity. I really enjoy the melodic guitar work in this song, and the album just gets better from there. The Watcher is actually the first song I ever heard by the band and it quickly became one of my favorites. Starting out with some cold sounding keyboard work, the atmosphere turns heavier as the drums and guitar come in accompanied by Hedlund's vocals. His voice is really what makes this song for me. The chorus comes in extremely catchy, almost sounding like something from an 80s glam band. The melodic guitar solo work in this song is also really great. The song is pretty lengthy at just over seven minutes, but it only gets a little boring for me towards the end. Burn comes in with the usual enormous drums and continues the melodic guitar work to create yet another melancholy yet catchy song. Starfall is a pretty good, dark instrumental track that uses a lot of keyboard and drums to create a cold atmosphere. Teloah is a softer track that really shows what this band is capable of in the instrument department. It begins with calm, clean guitar and the clean voice of Hedlund. Slowly the song picks up the pace with the heavy drums and then some great electric guitar work. The song focuses on the guitars for most of the rest of the song, showing off some great melodic work that never gets very technical but is just good to listen to.

Lyrically the album is also pretty interesting. The concept of the album was to write it from the perspective of the mythical character of Lucifer, and I think the album does a good job of telling a story. From the lonely perspective of The Watcher to the downhearted anger of Wounds, the words can't help but get me more interested in the musical concept. Personally I could have done without some of the instrumental tracks on this album, but I do think they add something to the atmosphere that these guys were going for. It's just that, as far as individual songs go, I like the really catchy and more vocal/lyrically driven songs on this album. Havayoth have managed to create something really great here that I have enjoyed for years now, and I will always hope that someday they will get back together and write the sequel to this epic album. Even if they do not I am sure that this will remain one of my favorite gothic metal releases of all time.

Killing Songs :
Mirrors, The Watcher, Wound
Khelek quoted 90 / 100
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There are 3 replies to this review. Last one on Fri Aug 14, 2009 7:59 am
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