Overkill
The Electric Age

I guess that we can say that we are living in the electric age and maybe that is the inspiration for New Jersey thrashers of Overkill, maybe it is something else. It is the sixteenth album in the very long career of Overkill, and it is a testament to the longevity and creativity of the band. They may not have sold in the numbers fellow countrymen Metallica or Megadeth although they started out roughly the same time even though they are not from the same coast, but I do believe they have from the more snowed in thrash fans probably gathered more respect for respecting the scene themselves. That last one might be inaccurate though as I am not really that much into the whole scene, I can like the music but I do not really care about the scene, just the good music.

And good music in production is what they do offer with their latest album, musically it is fast, aggressive, energetic, powerful and with Bobby “Blitz” they have one of the most charismatic singers in the genre. Controlled aggression was something he spoke of when I was talking to Bobby a while ago and that is something you could say about this album, controlled aggression and controlled chaos. For 50 minutes we get it and those fifty minutes are made up of ten tracks that are enough varied to make me say that it doesn’t suffer too much from similitude. I would also say that it stands stylistically on its own enough to be worthy of attention, much like its predecessor Ironbound. Bobby also told me that they have a rule that they do not leave the studio work until they are satisfied with what they have accomplished, they have the luxury of time and seem to purely the sound I would say that they did exit the studio at the right time, controlled aggression but still with this raw touch just like a good thrash sound should be all about.

I like this album, it is strong in sound and it is strong in songs as well. It feels fresh and powerful and the voice of Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth is probably the best one in the thrash metal genre, he has so much power and character in his voice, it is enjoyable to listen to. I have seen some fantastic reviews around the web so I guess some people agree with what I say as well. But the thing is that this album is interesting for a playing time of fifty minutes and that is usually not the case with thrash album which usually tend to become really boring when passing 40 minutes but not in this case.

I would say that the opening trio of songs on this album are probably the best, I really like Electric Rattlesnake with its loveable reptile and also opening Come and Get it and Wish You Were Dead which is the third track. And while I am at it and speaks of the impressionable tracks I have to add the ending track Good Bye which stands up to a really good quality level, an impressive ending to the album. And all in all anyone will have to admit that Overkill keeps delivering and this time they deliver an electric album, a high quality collection of thrash metal compositions.