Colorado thrash metal powerhouse HAVOK have announced their signing to BLKIIBLK and simultaneously released a new single, "Fifth Generation Warfare", along with an official lyric video. The announcement marks a significant new chapter for one of modern thrash's most consistent and relentless forces.
The new single introduces Brett Rechtfertig as HAVOK's newest guitarist — and the track is designed to showcase the full spectrum of the revamped lineup. Vocalist and band leader David Sanchez and company describe the song as incorporating guitar harmonies, punk attitude, pummeling drums, bass lines that diverge from the guitar parts, and a lyrical focus on a timely and "gnarly" real-world topic, delivered with a characteristically optimistic angle.
"A lot of HAVOK lyrics discuss negative topics, but we always try to put a positive spin on things," the band states.
BLKIIBLK label head and global head of A&R for Frontiers Label Group, Mike Gitter, is enthusiastic about the partnership: "BLKIIBLK is proud to chart a new chapter for thrash metal as an international force with HAVOK. David Sanchez continues to reenergize his music with the ferocity, technicality, and incisive lyrical word-fare that makes HAVOK not just acolytes but masters of their steely game."
HAVOK brings a formidable discography to the table: Burn (2009), Time Is Up (2011), Unnatural Selection (2013), Conformicide (2017), and V (2020) — the latter earning Metal Hammer's proclamation that "HAVOK have nailed 21st century thrash." The band has shared stages with MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, KREATOR, and SEPULTURA, among others.
On the road front, HAVOK kick off their new era with headline dates starting June 1 in Omaha, Nebraska, before joining KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, MACHINE HEAD, and IRON REAGAN for a major U.S. tour from June 3. European and Latin American dates follow later in the year.
New music is expected throughout 2026 as HAVOK capitalize on this fresh start.