
How the guitar duo put a hammerlock on heavy for Conformicide, a metal manifesto packed with serpentine 6-string and screaming, mega-speed solos.
If Havok’s fourth album, Conformicide, is meant to be a wake-up call, the alarm is set for loud, hard, and intense. Songs like “F.P.C” (the last two letters refer to political correctness), “Peace Is in Pieces,” and “Wake Up” carry a clear message about living in a broken system where elites control people’s lives without being held accountable. The lyrics are designed to make you think, but it’s the music that delivers the message.
After years building a devoted fan base, the Denver-based band’s new album could well be its defining moment. With new bassist Nick Schendzielos (from Job for a Cowboy and Cephalic Carnage) combining with drummer Pete Webber in a powerful-yet-nimble rhythm section, Havok’s engine room is fierce and fluid. Then there’s the explosive and highly synchronized team of rhythm guitarist, lead singer, and band co-founder David Sanchez and lead guitarist Reece Scruggs, who replaced Shawn Chavez in 2010.
The minor key acoustic guitar motif that introduces the album’s opening cut, “F.P.C.,” sets a contemplative tone, but as the song amps up to high gear under Sanchez’s snarling vocals, it’s clear that all thinking will be done out loud. The sonic and emotional shift sets the tone for the rest of the album, where high-powered thrash metal meshes with progressive—and often subtle—ideas from other genres.
Sanchez and Scruggs are evangelists for the supremacy of the riff. And on songs like “Hang ’Em High,” “Intention to Deceive,” “Ingsoc,” and others, they practice what they preach. The riffs don’t just hit hard: they show imagination—building tension, releasing it, and unleashing a fury that would fit the soundtrack to a present-day version of George Orwell’s 1984.
Sanchez, who played both sides of the two-guitar rhythm attack on most cuts, provides a perfect bridge between his vocals, Scruggs’s lead guitar, and the rhythm section. Meanwhile, Scruggs stands out with smart fills, textures, and blistering solos. The lead work displays impressive physical technique, but it goes beyond finger gymnastics to serve—and often elevate—the songs.
When we connected by phone upon the album’s recent release, Sanchez and Scruggs were clearly stoked about Conformicide, their new bassist, and the message behind their music.
We live in a singles-driven world, but Conformicide is a unified album in the old-school sense, musically and lyrically. What were your goals going in?
David Sanchez: The idea for the record was doing something that wakes people up and actually says something. A lot of bands today aren’t talking about anything real. As for the music, we wanted to match the anger and seriousness of the lyrics, and we wanted it to really be layered and dynamic.
The album opens with “F.P.C,” and though it becomes a very heavy tune, the acoustic intro sounds almost classical. Did you plan that contrast from the beginning?
Sanchez: That intro actually came together very last minute. Reece was just hanging out playing in the studio lobby. I heard what he was doing and was like, “Dude, we have to include this on the record!” Then we worked out our parts together. That intro is what led to “F.P.C.” becoming the album opener.
So you were drawing from the arsenal?
Sanchez: The beginning of the song “Master Plan”—that kind of slow, marching heavy classical motif—I’ve had that since I was a teenager and it never wound up on a recording until now. So, it was kinda cool, 13 years later, to put it on an album. Everything else in that song is built around it. It was cool to take something off the bookshelf. The rest of the song is loosely based on the chords from that intro. Once that song kicks in—it really kicks in. It takes off hard and is relentless the whole time. That one’s going to be fun to play live.
Speaking of builds, “Peace Is in Pieces” has an interesting intro, with that skittering guitar. How did that evolve?
Reece Scruggs: We basically had the whole record done and rehearsed. We were jamming on this idea and we started listening to these parts and were like, “We have to put this on the next record.”
Tidbit: The band arranged most of the songs for their fourth album on Pro Tools before honing them together in rehearsals for the recording sessions.
The music is clearly thrash metal, but it pushes to the edges of metal with other genres. What are your influences as players and songwriters?
Sanchez: I grew up in a house filled with music: Devo, Oingo Boingo, AC/DC, Elvis, the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd. My early influences were Metallica, then Anthrax, Pantera, Slayer, Exodus, Testament, Death, Dimmu Borgir. Now I’m influenced by everything from jazz to classical to classic rock, new wave, prog, etc.—especially in terms of songwriting. And it all finds its way into the music. Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo are an especially important influence, along with Al Di Meola.
I started playing when I was 13. I took lessons for the first year-and-a-half, and got pretty good pretty quickly because I used to play along with old Metallica records. My right hand got tight early.
Scruggs: I started at 11 and played in bands from an early age. As a kid, I started playing with much older guys, and I was sort of a local sensation in Virginia—the kid playing with the adults. I developed my style by being made to learn cover songs to play in three-sets-a-night cover bands on the weekends. I learned a variety of styles, because the tunes we covered varied from the Eagles to Metallica, Hendrix to 3 Doors Down [laughs]! Anything to get people on the dance floor.
KISS is my favorite rock band. Pantera is my favorite heavy band of all time. My musical influences came from what my family was listening to. Everything from Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, SRV to KISS, Pantera, solo Ozzy and on. I started to get into heavier music after listening to Metallica, Testament, Death, and Decapitated. The lead players with those bands are among my most favorites as well. I started really leaning towards shred stuff when I got my hands on the instructional videos by Paul Gilbert, Vinnie Moore, and Greg Howe. I still reference those videos to this day.
Do you guys build the arrangements through jamming or in the studio?
Sanchez: For the majority, stuff was arranged in Pro Tools as we would rehearse.
Scruggs: We were sitting on a stockpile of really good riffs and ideas. We said, “This is some killer material. Let’s use this stuff that we’ve had for a while because it fits so well.”
Sanchez: But there were a couple of songs that came about organically out of thin air as we were jamming together in a room.
As a guitar team, you’re totally locked together rhythmically and your parts play off each another. Do you work on them together?
Sanchez: Reece came up with the majority of the solos by himself. But there were certain parts [where we worked together]. Like in the song “Wake Up,” there was a part I knew for sure that I wanted the lead to match, to harmonize with the rhythm underneath. So, every once in a while, I’ll throw in my two cents. But as far as solos go, that’s mostly all Reece.
Sanchez expects no trouble translating the lock-step intensity of Conformicide to the stage. “Everyone’s a good musician in this band,” he says. “For me, getting down the vocals while playing the riffs is the hardest part. I have to split my brain in two and put my hands on autopilot.” Photo by Derek Novaes
Reece, how hard was it to nail your solos at these fast tempos?
Scruggs: To be able to lock into all these songs—whether it’s lead over rhythm, two rhythm parts, or rhythm over lead—I sat down for hours and hours a day playing with a metronome, playing with the demo track, playing with the solo section. I was just trying to get everything as locked as possible so there weren’t going to be any problems with me nailing things at the speed we were going, and I’d be able to pull off anything that I could come up with in my head. The metronome became my best friend.
Sanchez: Also, before we started recording, we were rehearsing all these new songs with the click. I think that helps a lot, too.
There are lots of tempo changes. Do you program those into the click?
Sanchez: Yeah. We map out most of that stuff before we start recording.
Scruggs: We’re super prepared.
Sonically, the guitars also blend extremely well together. How did you record them?
Sanchez: We used our own guitars with our own overdrive pedals. For amps, we blended a Peavey XXX II with a Peavey 6534 Plus. We ran one take into the two heads going into two different cabs and blended the microphones.
Did you guys play together?
Sanchez: No. I did most of the rhythms and Reece did most of the solos. We use different settings for our amps, and I used the same settings I use live. Even though I was tracking both rhythm parts, for “my side,” I used my guitar and my overdrive, and for “Reece’s side” [the parts Reece plays live], I was playing his guitar running through his overdrive. I think the different guitars and pickups make the biggest difference in keeping our individual tones definitive and separate.
What kinds of guitars and overdrives are you using?
Sanchez: The guitar I use in the studio is a Framus Custom Shop Wolf Hoffmann with EMG 81 pickup in the bridge, running through an Electro-Harmonix Soul Food overdrive.
Scruggs: I used two different guitars. I was using a Charvel Star that I was playing for a while with [Seymour Duncan] Jason Becker Perpetual Burn pickups, and I’ve been hooked up with a company out of California called Roehrs Guitars. I used those for a lot of the leads. For the “Wake Up” solo, I used a Charvel San Dimas with Seymour Duncans. The overdrive I used for leads—and Dave used for my rhythm parts—was an MXR Custom Badass O.D.
How do you fine-tune your tone when matching a high-gain amp and an overdrive pedal?
Sanchez: I don’t have a whole lot of drive on the pedal, and on the amplifier, my distortion is around 2 o’clock—at like 7.
Scruggs: My tone is similar. I don’t crank the distortion up on either the amp or the pedal. I have the overdrive on all the time, both live and when recording, just to basically fill in the cracks. Blending amp and pedal makes for a very solid, more consistent tone.
David Sanchez’ Gear
GuitarsFramus Custom Shop Wolf Hoffman
Amps
Peavey Triple XXX II
Peavey 6534 Plus
Peavey 4x12 with Celestion Vintage 30s
Effects
Electro-Harmonix Soul Food fuzz/overdrive
Electro-Harmonix Soul Preacher Compressor/Sustainer
Mooer Acoustikar acoustic guitar simulator
TC Electronic Vortex Mini Flanger
TC Electronic Corona Mini Chorus
TC Electronic Flashback Mini Delay
TC Electronic Hall of Fame Mini Reverb
ISP Decimator II G-String Noise Reduction
Peterson Stomp Classic tuner
Decibel Eleven Switch Dr. loop switcher
Strings and Picks
Ernie Ball Skinny Top/Heavy Bottom (.010–.052)
InTuneGP Jumbo Jazz 1.0 mm
Reece Scruggs’ Gear
GuitarsRoehrs Custom RS Star with Floyd Rose Original Series Tremolo Bridge, Hipshot locking tuners, stainless steel frets, glow-in-the-dark fret markers, Instrumental Pickups Syfy3 humbuckers with coil tapping
Charvel San Dimas
Amps
Peavey Triple XXX II
Peavey 6505 4x12 with Celestion Vintage 30s
Effects
MXR Custom Badass Modified Bass O.D.
MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay
MXR Super Comp
ISP Decimator II G-String Noise Reduction
Peterson Stomp Classic tuner
Decibel Eleven Switch Dr. loop switcher
Strings and Picks
Dunlop (.009–.046)
InTuneGP Jumbo Jazz 1.14 mm
This is your first record with Nick Schendzielos on bass. What does he bring?
Sanchez: Nick’s cool to have in the band because he can play practically anything. Ask him to play something crazy as hell and he can pull it off, noproblem. Songwriting-wise, some bass lines were already written before he jumped into the process, but he wrote some bass lines completely himself. Others were collaborative with us tossing ideas around—playing bass line ping-pong, going back and forth with ideas until we settled on something. He brought ideas that none of the rest of us would’ve thought of.
I’ve read that you pride yourselves on creating riffs. What makes a great riff?
Sanchez: First, it must be heavy to qualify for a Havok song.
Scruggs: Whether I’m listening to music or Dave has just played me a riff, if it makes me scrunch up my nose and furrow my brow and just bob my head, that’s when a good riff is happening [laughs]. It just has to have the weight behind that couple of seconds of music to be like, “Yeah, let’s work off that!” In rock and metal, it’s all based around the riff, but there’s a whole lack of riffs in metal today. There are a lot of parts, but there isn’t a lot of staying on something decent for a while and making a tune out of it.
Sanchez: A great riff is substantive. It pulls you into the song and makes you want to invest the
five minutes to not hit skip on your music player.
So how do you develop a riff that’s strong enough to be a song’s foundation?
Scruggs: We throw stuff at the wall and see what happens. We might have 30 riffs, and one to five times out of 30 you’ll have something pretty damn special that you might base half a song off of. You must have that hook—that catchy part.
Sanchez: Every once in a while, I’ll hear something in my head and I’ll just record it into my phone with my voice and then go figure out how to play it on a guitar later. I record myself doing Beavis & Butt-Head style riffs with my mouth [laughs].
The songs are fast, hard, and rhythmically complex. Are they a challenge to perform live?
Sanchez: It’s not so bad because everyone’s a good musician in this band. For me, getting down the vocals while playing the riffs is the hardest part. I have to split my brain in two and put my hands on autopilot, and not think about anything so I can focus on the vocals.
Scruggs: [While writing the album] we got together four times a week and just played for hours on end. When we went into the studio to record, we had the material down. We played the hell out of it together. So, once we got to our [tour] rehearsals, it was still damn tight from writing and recording it.
Critics have called this your most consistent and forceful album. What stands out for you about it?
Sanchez: For me, it’s the drum sounds. I think they sound really great. And a big deal for me is the lyrical content. I’m hoping people listen to the lyrics and snap out of their television stupor. Another thing that’s cool for me is “No Conscience.” There’s a solo in that song I think is pretty cool—and that’s a rare occasion where I played it [laughs].
Scruggs: Everybody’s personal performance is the best they could possibly get. I’m more excited and proud of this record than any I’ve ever recorded. Standout moments, as far as songs go: I’m a big fan of “Intention to Deceive.” I believe it’s the best solo I’ve written in my life, so I’m very proud of that. “Wake Up” is a good one, too. That was a good collaboration. I had a chunk of that already done and Dave was like, “Hey, try that here...” And, overall, just how progressive and smart the songs are, and the direction we’re going.
YouTube It
Havok raises havoc on the floor of the January 2017 NAMM show, premiering “Hang ’Em High,” a track from Conformicide. This video provides close-up looks at the picking styles of David Sanchez and Reece Scruggs, as well as their main instruments: a Framus Custom Shop Wolf Hoffman V-style guitar and a Roehrs Custom RS Star.
A dose of magic gain potion.
Works like a little vial of magic gain potion. Fattens without obscuring individual frequency bands.
None.
$129
Solodallas SVDS Boost
solodallas.com
The Schaeffer-Vega Diversity System—an early and very successful wireless system—excelled at the tasks it was designed for. But there was more magic than met the eye. Though designed to sound as transparent as possible, it nonetheless colored the signal in a way that people like Angus Young and Eddie Van Halen found essential.
SoloDallas explored the possibilities of this circuit before in pedals like theSchaeffer Replica, but the new SVDS Boost strips the formula to essentials. Minimalist controls—one knob, that’s it—make this boost no less delicious. I’m not surprised Angus Young was smitten with the original SVDS. An SG and Marshall 18-watt amp sound fantastic naked, but the SVDS Boost has the rare talent for fattening everything without seeming to favor or obscure any frequency band too much. And as zest to the PAF/Marshall style formula, it makes the kind of rowdy, organic, airy, large, and punch-packing Marshall sound you would dream of getting in a studio or hearing on the radio. There are many shades of this basic awesome color in spite of the single knob. Unity gain lives in the earliest third of its range. From there you certainly get more volume, but mostly you bathe in various hues of compressed, saturated, thick, and dynamite growl. You don’t need a Gibson and a Marshall to use it to devastating effect, either. A Telecaster and Vibrolux snap with attitude and whip-crack energy with the SVDS in the line. And with both guitar/amp combos, the SVDS’ wide dynamic responsiveness to volume and tone attenuation assures that things stay cracking when you need more control.
Join PG contributor Tom Butwin as he explores all-new versions of the Framus Hootenanny 12-string and 6-string acoustics—made famous by John Lennon and now available with modern upgrades. From vintage-inspired tone to unique features, these guitars are built to spark creativity.
Positive Grid's Spark NEO offers guitarists a wireless guitar rig built into premium headphones, with AI-powered tone customization, exceptional sound quality, and versatile connectivity.
Positive Grid announces Spark NEO, a groundbreaking wireless guitar rig built directly into premium over-ear headphones. Designed to deliver a seamless, personal guitar experience, Spark NEO combines Positive Grid’s award-winning guitar amp technology with true wireless connectivity and AI-powered guitar tone customization.
Spark NEO offers a seamless solution for guitarists seeking exceptional sound quality, advanced tone-shaping tools, and the freedom to play anywhere. Built with custom-designed 40mm drivers and an ultra-lightweight bio-fiber diaphragm, Spark NEO ensures rich, balanced sound for every style of music. The included wireless transmitter instantly pairs any guitar with the headphones for plug-and-play convenience, while Spark NEO’s built-in 1/4" input can also support traditional guitar cables, for added versatility.
With four onboard, customizable guitar presets, Spark NEO enables private playing anywhere, free from space limitations or noise constraints. For even more variety, connecting to the free Spark app unlocks additional presets, amps & effects, and advanced tone controls. Spark NEO also doubles as premium Bluetooth® headphones, offering exceptional clarity for music, podcasts, and more.
Key Features:
- Optimized for Guitarists: Spark NEO integrates Positive Grid’s renowned tone engine, delivering precise sound tailored to electric, acoustic, and bass guitars.
- True Wireless Freedom: A proprietary 2.4GHz system provides reliable, ultra-low latency connectivity between Spark NEO and the user’s guitar, for a smooth and stable playing experience.
- AI-Powered Guitar Tone Customization: Create and refine tones effortlessly with AI-driven tools that adapt to every playing style.
- Exceptional Sound Quality: Precision-engineered drivers deliver clarity and balance for both guitar playing and music listening.
- Portable Design: Spark NEO’s compact, foldable build and rechargeable battery with up to six hours of play time make it easy to take anywhere.
Built for Guitarists
Spark NEO bridges the gap between traditional guitar setups and modern technology. Unlike using generic headphones with a guitar amp, Spark NEO’s integrated design ensures every element—from app to drivers—delivers unparalleled performance.
Noise Isolating Design
Spark NEO’s ultra-soft, durable ear cups ensure a comfortable fit. With advanced damping materials, tuned venting, and precise port adjustments, Spark NEO provides passive noise isolation, letting every musical detail shine without external interference. Jam with backing tracks or favorite songs without disturbing a soul.
Enhanced Creativity with Spark App
The Spark App expands Spark NEO’s capabilities with access to 33 amps and 43 effects, plus over 100,000 tones on Positive Grid's online ToneCloud. Auto Chords helps players learn and jam along with any song by displaying its chords in real time as the song plays, while customizable presets offer endless creative possibilities. Play with backing tracks or along with favorite songs. Whether practicing, playing, or experimenting, Spark NEO delivers unmatched flexibility for guitar players at every level.
Availability and Pricing
Spark NEO is priced at USD $199, including the headphones, wireless transmitter, and full access to the Spark App. It will be available soon on Positive Grid’s website, Amazon, and select retailers.
For more info, please visit positivegrid.com.
This Japan-made Guyatone brings back memories of hitchin’ rides around the U.S.
This oddball vintage Guyatone has a streak of Jack Kerouac’s adventurous, thumbing spirit.
The other day, I saw something I hadn’t noticed in quite some time. Driving home from work, I saw an interesting-looking fellow hitchhiking. When I was a kid, “hitchers” seemed much more common, but, then again, the world didn’t seem as dangerous as today. Heck, I can remember hitching to my uncle’s cabin in Bradford, Pennsylvania—home of Zippo lighters—and riding almost 200 miles while I sat in a spare tire in the open bed of a pickup truck! Yes, safety wasn’t a big concern for kids back in the day.
So, as I’m prone to do, I started digging around hitchhiking culture and stories. Surprisingly, there are organized groups that embrace the hitching life, but the practice remains on the fringe in the U.S. Back in the 1950s, writer Jack Kerouac wrote the novel On the Road, which celebrated hitchhiking and exposed readers to the thrill of maverick travel. Heck, even Mike Dugan (the guitarist in all my videos) hitched his way to California in the 1960s. But seeing that fellow on the side of the road also sparked another image in my brain: Yep, it always comes back to guitars.
Let me present to you a guitar that’s ready to go hitching: the Guyatone LG-180T, hailing from 1966. The “thumbs-up” headstock and the big “thumb” on the upper bout always made me think of thumbing a ride, and I bought and sold this guitar so long ago that I had forgotten about it, until I saw that hitchhiking dude. Guyatone was an interesting Japanese company because they were primarily an electronics company, and most of their guitars had their wooden parts produced by other factories. In the case of the LG-180T, the bodies were made by Yamaha in Hamamatsu, Japan. At that time, Yamaha was arguably making the finest Japanese guitars, and the wood on this Guyatone model is outstanding. We don’t often see Guyatone-branded guitars here in the U.S., but a lot of players recognize the early ’60s label Kent—a brand name used by an American importer for Guyatone guitars.
With a bit of imagination, the LG-180T’s “thumbs up” headstock seems to be looking for a roadside ride.
Kent guitars were extremely popular from the early ’60s until around 1966. The U.S. importer B&J fed the American need for electric guitars with several nice Kent models, but when the Guyatone contract ended, so did most of the Kent guitars. After that, Guyatone primarily sold guitars in Japan, so this example is a rare model in the U.S.
“Unless you are a master at guitar setups, this would be a difficult player.”
This headstock is either the ugliest or the coolest of the Guyatone designs. I can’t decide which. I will say, no other Japanese guitar company ever put out anything like this. You have to give the Guyatone designers a thumbs up for trying to stand out in the crowd! Guyatone decided to forgo an adjustable truss rod in this model, opting instead for a light alloy non-adjustable core to reinforce the neck. Speaking of the neck, this instrument features the most odd-feeling neck. It’s very thin but has a deep shoulder (if that makes any sense). Totally strange!
Another strange feature is the bridge, which offers very little adjustment because of the three large saddles, which sort of rock back and forth with the tremolo. It’s a shame because these pickups sound great! They’re very crisp and have plenty of zing, but unless you are a master at guitar set-ups, this would be a difficult player.
This could be why the LG-180T only appeared in the 1966 and 1967 catalogs. After that, it disappeared along with all the other Yamaha-made Guyatone electrics. By 1969, Guyatone had gone bankrupt for the first time, and thus ended guitar production for a few decades. At least we were blessed with some wacky guitar designs we can marvel at while remembering the days when you could play in the back end of an explosive 1973 AMC Gremlin while your mom raced around town. Two thumbs up for surviving our childhoods! PG