On March 5th, 2017 our very own Morgan McCormick rolled down to the St Petersburg State Theatre for a face to face with Reece Scruggs, lead guitarist of Havok. They were opening for Suicidal Tendencies on the “World Gone Mad” US tour and she was able to ask him a few questions about songwriting, his gear, and even political stances.
Morgan McCormick: Conformicide sounds a lot more varied in its songwriting and a little more technical. What made you want to steer in that direction?
Reece Scruggs: That’s always been something we’ve wanted to do. There’s a clear difference between Unnatural Selection and this one. The reason for that is because Unnatural was forced—very strict, under a tight time constraint. We had little material and even less time. Conformicide was completely different. We had a stockpile of really cool riffs we were saving for something better. We always want to put our best foot forward, even if it’s our last record with a label. But we didn’t intend for Conformicide to just end our deal—we wanted it to stand on its own.
M: Do you think the addition of Nick helped shape the album?
R: In the big picture, yeah. He’s like this new glue that brought things together. We’ve always had solid bassists, but Nick and David came up with some special stuff. Most of the material was written before Nick joined, but his contributions really helped elevate the final product.
M: Did the gap between Unnatural Selection and Conformicide have anything to do with label stuff?
R: No, it was a mix of things. After touring Unnatural in 38 countries across ten months, we were pretty fried. We decided to take six months off—go home, reset. Then David shattered his wrist, which added four more months. So it turned into a year off, which ended up being really therapeutic. During that time, we all honed our skills. I focused on turning weaknesses into strengths on guitar. I wanted this album to be my best work yet.
M: What’s your current gear setup?
R: I’m using a Peavey XXX II head—distortion and lead channel, very bare bones. I run minimal pedals: a constant overdrive (not distortion), a compressor for leads, a Carbon Copy delay, an ISP Decimator II noise gate, and a Peterson strobe tuner. That’s it. I believe if you can’t plug straight into something and sound good, you’re not a good player. Also, I’ve gone wireless recently—never thought I’d like it, but now I can run around without worrying about cables.
M: Is wireless worth the extra money?
R: Yeah, totally. Everyone’s on wireless now. Also, I’ve been getting custom guitars from Roehr’s Guitars in San Diego. I’ve got four so far—all handmade with Preston Roehr’s. The latest two are basically my holy grails. They’re not in production, so you can’t just order one—but if you want my guitar, that’s it.
M: Do you share the same political views behind Conformicide’s lyrics?
R: I pretty much think along with Dave, but I’m not super politically charged. He’s a glass-half-full guy, I’m more glass-half-empty. I stay educated, but I need Batman, wrestling, Game of Thrones, metal, bluegrass—stuff like that—to get me through the day. If I focus too much on the world’s problems, I get overwhelmed. Dave wants to change it, and I respect that. I just wanna play guitar. I do share the beliefs, I’m just quieter about it.
M: Any last words for readers?
R: Go buy Conformicide—out March 10th. If not on the 10th, then the 11th… or 12th. Just get it. We’ll be touring for the next billion years. After this tour ends, we’re heading out with Warbringer and Exmortus on the West Coast, then to Europe in April with Warbringer, Exmortus, and Gorod. It’s going to be insane.
Reece Scruggs plays with the precision of a surgeon and the attitude of a street fighter.
Conformicide is available everywhere March 10. Catch Havok live before they vanish into the next international tour leg — because with this band, you never know where the road leads next.
“World Gone Mad” US Tour Supporting Suicidal Tendencies & Crowbar
March 8th – Lawrence, KS @ The Granada
March 9th – Omaha, NE @ Lookout Lounge (No S.T.)
March 10th – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall (Record Release Show)
March 11th – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
West Coast Dates w/Warbringer & Exmortus
March 13th – Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
March 14th – Vancouver, BC @ The Venue
March 15th – Portland, OR @ Analog Cafe
March 16th – San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge
March 17th – Sacramento, CA @ Cafe Colonial
March 19th – West Hollywood, CA @ Whisky A Go Go
European Headlining Tour w/Warbringer, Gorod, Exmortus
April 1st, 2017 – Edingburgh, UK @ Heavy Scotland Festival (Havok Only)
April 2nd, 2017 – Manchester, UK @ Rebellion
April 3rd, 2017 – Birmingham, UK @ Mama Roux’s
April 4th, 2017 – London, UK @ Underworld
April 5th, 2017 – Hasselt, BEL @ Muziekodroom
April 6th, 2017 – Tilburg, NL @ 013
April 7th, 2017 – Hamburg, DE @ Logo
April 8th, 2017 – Aarhus, DNK @ Royal Metal Festival
April 9th, 2017 – Gothenburg, SWE @ Sticky Fingers
April 11th, 2017 – Helsinki, FIN @ Tavastia
April 13th, 2017 – Stockholm, SWE @ Fryshuset Klubben
April 14th, 2017 – Copenhagen, DNK @ Pumpehuset
April 15th, 2017 – Berlin, DE @ Cassiopeia
April 16th, 2017 – Markneukirchen, DE @ Framus & Warwick Concert Hall
April 17th, 2017 – München, DE @ Feierwerk
April 19th, 2017 – Vienna, AUT @ Arena
April 20th, 2017 – Ljubljana, SVN @ Orto Bar
April 21st, 2017 – Brescia, ITA @ Circolo Colony
April 22nd, 2017 – Pratteln, CHE @ Z7
April 23rd, 2017 – Saarbrücken, DE @ Garage
April 24th, 2017 – Nantes, FRA @ Ferrailleur
April 26th, 2017 – Madrid, ESP @ Caracol
April 27th, 2017 – Barcelona, ESP @ Salamandra 1
April 28th, 2017 – Puget, FRA @ Le Rats
April 29th, 2017 – Paris, FRA @ Petit Bain
April 30th, 2017 – Essen, DE @ Turock
#Havok #ReeceScruggs #Conformicide #ThrashMetal #MetalInterview #GuitarRig #SuicidalTendenciesTour #MetalGear #CustomGuitars #RoehrsGuitars #MetalheadsUnite #Warbringer #Exmortus #Gorod #LiveMetal #MetalTour #MetalCommunity #UndergroundMetal #ShredGuitar #NewMetalReleases
Categories: havok, Interviews, Music, News, Tour Dates
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