ALBUM REVIEW: Declaration from Overkill on Wings of War

WHEN you suddenly realise you are getting old...that's when Overkill's new album makes you realise that they have been going 30+ years and this is number 19 from the New Jersey thrashers...

What have we been doing with our lives when Overkill have been battling more than most: line-up changes, Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth's nose cancer and latterly pneumonia, added to his occasional controversial comments about the Democrats.

They have shown remarkable resilience, however, it is the quality of their albums that has always kept them held in high esteem. Their last release 'The Grinding Wheel' (reviewed here) was a statement of class, but #19 'Wings of War' raises the bar.

The 10 tracks show balance, precision, allied with humour and a knowing nod to their musical (and on one track literal) roots.

It may clock in at just over 50 minutes but there is not one second wasted. From 'Last Man Standing's militaristic opening beats to the closing notes of 'Hole In My Soul' this is a thrash masterclass. True, they are not re-inventing the genre or doing anything really challenging, but by all the Metal Gods they don't need to when these tracks are so good.

Bobby and bassist DD Verni may be the 'originals' but Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer combined guitar grunt have elevated every recent released, and the addition of Jason Bittner (ex of Shadows Fall and Flotsam and Jetsam) has given this album a new dynamic vibe.

For fuck sake, if you can keep still 'Bat Shit Crazy' you are dead from the neck up: add in the changes in tempo and guitar work on this it is madness to deny how good it is.

Now, as some of you know Overkill take pride in having influences that include punk. And, they take pride in their New Jersey home. Thus, step back, mosh and laugh to 'Welcome To The Garden State' - savagery and hilarity in one neat 4:42 package.

Mid-paced tracks such as 'Distortion' have the broody feel of the first and second generation thrash, without diluting Overkill's own take on it; while 'Where Few Dare To Walk' drips with menace.

Wings Of War can be summed up in many ways, but best to check out 'Believe In The Fight' and 'Hole In My Soul'. Both songs encapsulate a fuck you attitude; a single finger in the air and a relentless commitment to give everything.

And, given that the album was recorded across three studios it is a cohesive and...well brilliant.

Wings of War is declaration that no matter the age, when an album is this good it is best to set the volume to max and shake the neighbourhood.

Review by Jonathan Traynor

Overkill's Wings of War is out now on Nuclear Blast

ALBUM REVIEW: All turning great on The Grinding Wheel for Overkill's 18th outing

IT seems that the idea of thrash has gotten way far away from what it was when it was birthed into the unholy decade of the 80s. That's no bad thing, as everything can and must evolve. But one band have never truly deviated from the thrash origins - Overkill.

And, on 'The Grinding Wheel' the band have taken the original template, smashed it into a smelting pot of sheer thrash glory - you got your NWOBHM, classic metal, speed and punk influences rolled into 10 neck achingly good tracks.

Bracketed by 7:30 opener 'Mean Green Killing Machine' and the almost eight minute closer and title track this is chock full of songs that leave you smiling, and if driving while playing it you do run the risk of exceeding the speed limit.

Not that it adheres to anything other than Overkill, the mixture of fast, slow, well thought out time changes and arrangements.

There are some wonderfully exquisite guitar sections from Dave Linsk's lead work, such as at the close of 'Shine On' and on the intro to 'The Long Road' (spot the doff of the cap to Maiden here).

However, what allows this to be a truly exceptional piece of work is the furious rhythm pieces slotted in. DD Verni's bass, Derek Tailer's rhythm guitar and Ron Lipnicki's drumming.

Indeed it is Lipnicki's work that holds many of the tracks together, as well  as adding flourishes and fills that are almost lyrical.

But, of course it's Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth who provides the gel that holds their belief system together as a 'blue-collar' thrash band.

He explains many of the concepts behind the thoughts going into the album.

"One of the principles - if not characteristics - of the band is that it's been grinding through for long, long periods of time," said Ellsworth. " Decades to this point. And, not necessarily with huge gains with regards to popularity, but for sure with huge gains in as much as we can earn a living while doing the kind of music that we want.

"And, so the idea of grinding it out over the decades became a device for writing the album, whether it would be riffs or lyrics".

He may now be a self-confessed mature human at 57-years-old but his enthusiasm oozes from every word, whether they are metaphorical or casting a witty, cynical eye on this dystopian reality.

Whether it is the war cry to band as one people with common vision in metal or philosophy on the phenomenal 'Our Finest Hour', or the rigours and enjoyment of earning a living as a band on 'The Wheel' he still turns a phrase to delight.

However, one piece stands out amongst many great moments - the sensational 'Let's All Go To Hades'. "When all you want to do is fucking scream, when all the world has gone insane"

It's his reaction to the Bataclan massacre and Lemmy's death - it's a fuck it all, we're not going to back down, there are still those willing to play and journey across this troubled continent. Having fun this is a tongue-in-cheek' chunk of defiance - as DD says "It got a little bit of fun in it".

That's not to say he ignores the US' political landscape such as on 'Red White and Blue'.

Abstract or literal he nails it every time.

It's hard to think that Overkill first rose to prominence in '85 with the Megaforce release of 'Feel the Fire' and still sound so fresh, so angered, yet gathering humour and a tight sound.

Produced by Overkill themselves the mix by Andy Sneap makes it all 'pop' in just the right way.

From 'Ironbound' to 'White Devil Armory' this evolution, if you like, of the second incarnation of Overkill's success. It almost feels as if they have reached out and touched something magical and unleashed an album that has an alchemist's touch, an elixir composed of Maiden, Sabbath, Priest, thrash, old school punk and musical excellence to produce the rare element of great metal

Review by Jonathan Traynor

The Grinding Wheel is released via Nuclear Blast on 10th February, 2017

NEWS: Overkill set to release 'The Grinding Wheel' - album number 18 - in February

Legendary New Jersey thrashers, OVERKILL, have announced their upcoming eighteenth album, ‘The Grinding Wheel’.

The album will be released on February 10th, 2017 via Nuclear Blast.

Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth said: “Grinding on! Here we come again kids, strapped to the Grinding Wheel! Bang your head.”

‘The Grinding Wheel’ was produced by the band and mixed by Andy Sneap (Testament, Exodus, Accept). The artwork was created again by Travis Smith (Nevermore, Opeth, Soilwork, Death...).
Below is the track listing for ‘The Grinding Wheel’:

1. Mean Green Killing Machine
2. Goddamn Trouble
3. Our Finest Hour
4. Shine On
5. The Long Road
6. Let's All Go To Hades
7. Come Heavy
8. Red White And Blue
9. The Wheel
10. The Grinding Wheel

Recently, the band released ‘Our Finest Hour’. Enjoy an impression of the mighty thrash inferno with this lyric video and prepare to bang your heads even wilder in 2017. Watch it below.

You can purchase the ‘Our Finest Hour’ single digitally right now – available here:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/our-finest-hour/id1169500425?i=1169500723

ALBUM REVIEW: Overkill strike hard on #17 with fully armed White Devil Armory

IT seems that Overkill have been around forever, given that their roots first dug into the earth in 1980 as The Lubricunts in 1980. But 34 years later can they still remain relevant as the thrash movement evolves and moves on?

On White Devil Armory, the band's 17th release, it could be argued that they haven't really moved beyond the East Coast Thrash template, but that would be to ignore the maturation of the individuals.

That's not to say they've settled down to a life of sounding like a thrash version of Foreigner. The fury is still there - take the track 'PIG' for example - it has just become more focussed.

At the heart of the band are Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth (vocals) and D.D. Verni  (bass and backing vox). Both original members, and both seem to be determined to keep the Overkill template; even if at times Ellsworth is beginning to sound a little Teutonic in places.

That's not to say that the rest of the band are not committed to the 'Kill. Lead axeman Dave Linsk, after all has been there for 15 years, rhythm man Derek Tailer for 12 years and drummer Ron Lipnicki for nine years.

Indeed this is one of the most stable line-ups of the band, and sounds a more coherent release than 2012's 'The Electric Age'. On 'Bitter Pill', for example they easily transform a chug-a-long riff to a breakdown that echoes Masters of Reality/Vol 4 era Sabbath before a tasty Linsk solo rounds the track off.

There are times when they do fall back on the thrash by numbers template, but these are few and far between. Even when they do such as on 'Down to the Bone', there is an honesty about the delivery that means one can forgive these elder statesmen that indulgence.

There are enough highlights throughout the album to keep even the critical voices still, such as when Verni's bass introduces the potent 'Freedom Rings' in all it's almost seven minutes of thrash glory; a track when even the chanted backing vocals do not grate but match the sense.

'King of the Rat Bastards' is another stand-out track, building with menace to a hellish vision of society torn apart.

The closer 'In The Name' perhaps sums up Overkill in 2014. Ellsworth straining to achieve maximum effect, intertwined guitar lines from Linsk and Tailer, while the clear production picks out Verni's bass lines and Lipnicki fires fills out. The breakdowns and the targets of the lyrics merge from pure fury to slowed down punctuation.

Yes, Overkill are still relevant in 2014. Yes, Overkill deserve their place in the  pantheon of thrash greats. Don't overlook Overkill. Join and get the head down.

White Devil Armory is available now on Nuclear Blast

Review by Jonny