What's a good example of Jason Bittner's tone? I loved Lipnicki's fast, clicky tone. I thought it helped OverKill get back to the thrashy side of their sound. I think Blitz admitted it himself, Lipnicki came tearing up their songs and they basically adapted by making everything faster and writing based off the drums. I'm still sad he didn't get a proper send-off from OverKill. It was announced he was dealing with personal issues and then next thing you know some months later, he's just all the way out, apparently not by his choice.

I honestly think this is an end of an era for OverKill's current style. Unless Bittner's intention is to get the band back to IronBound/The Electric Age, I can't see how this'll be good.

It shouldn’t be overlooked that this is one of those examples of a musician getting to play in a band they’ve loved since they were a kid. Blitz has said in interviews how Jason would show up to gigs as a teen, sticks in hand, hoping he would get a chance to jam. I’m making an educated guess that kind of enthusiasm is going to carry through with new material and based on the live videos I’ve seen, he’s already gradually beginning to add little bits and put his stamp on the band.

D.D.’s also about to release a solo album, so perhaps that might become the outlet for what we consider Overkill’s oddities.

Speaking about Verni's upcoming solo album, Ron Lipnicki is the drummer, indicating that there are no hard feelings there. And about the sound, D.D. says "there's some metal, punk, classic rock... it's all in there, from Queen to Green Day to Metallica, I think we covered all the basses!"

http://metalstorm.net/events/news_comme ... s_id=32823

I'm curious to see how a DD solo album would pan out. I'd personally expect something along the lines of a punkier Bronx Casket Co.

I doubted there was. Like most lineup changes of touring bands, it was probably that he couldn't support touring that much anymore due to family/financial commitments. I think Blitz said that was the case here too.

Yea, Bittner was much more needed in a band like F&J, which had ran into a snag. I feel like it won't be as major as an overhaul replacing Lipnicki, who is a beast in his own right.

My problem with Grinding, and it was kind of in WDA as well, is that Overkill has been milking the structure of Electric Rattlesnake too much on just about every song. Rattlesnake has a fantastic 1st half, but the slow section is pretty damn off putting, and the new album is full of those 2nd half blues slow sections that make no sense. It really irked me seeing them this year that 90% of their set was the last two albums, and not even a rip fucking riffer song like "Freedom Rings" was in it.

They've been doing that for a while now, and I agree it has become somewhat predictable. I think BH said it always sounded awkward when they transition, but the biggest issue to me is that it inflates the song lengths a bit too much. Overkill tracks don't need to be pushing six minutes on average....

Agreed. Overkill's at their best when it's under 5 minutes (Ironbound tracks are the exception)

Yeah, and recent openers suffer from the same thing. "Thunderhead" comes to mind. Great tune if it was two minutes shorter.

Goddammit, I really need to get my hands on Horrorscope, Taking Over, and Feel the Fire. Can someone just send me those cassettes please?

Posted about them before, but I already have Years of Decay, Under the Influence, and I Hear Black. Interested in getting the rest of the 90s/early 2000s albums as well. And eventually maybe switching to collecting them all on CD and looking for all the more recent albums too.

You definitely need the albums you need.

I'd also recommend Killbox 13 - IMO, the best of the early 2000s output.

When I saw them last year they had a nice, diversed, setlist. Granted, not very long, it was at a festival. But they played a very, very good cover of Radar Love.

I almost bought that one back when it was new, and that would have been my first exposure to them. I've definitely heard Horrorscope before though. My friend played it for me on the way to band practice one time. Good amount of songs from Feel the Fire, and Taking Over I've heard too, as well as as checking out all their official music videos. Also, got pretty into Ironbound back when that came out, though I never actually purchased it. Oh yeah, and I remember checking out the original self titled Overkill EP, and the Fuck You EP on youtube some time ago. All killer stuff. I wish I had got into them sooner. The Years of Decay is still my personal favorite. Just a perfect record.

1. THE KILLING KIND (1996)
2. FROM THE UNDERGROUND AND BELOW (1997)
3. KILLBOX 13 (2003)

I'm pretty much a fan of most of Overkill's albums, but I don't think the band even started hit their apex until the early 90s with HORRORSCOPE; and then just got better from there, highlighted by the above three albums. Cuts like "The Cleansing" from THE KILLING KIND are stunning, not to mention boldly original.

"The Cleansing" is actually not a bad song but no, Horrorscope was the peak.

My vote goes for The Years of Decay. Horrorscope didn't have any mis-steps and is one of the finest examples of that form of thrash, but it lacked the ambition of Years of Decay. Years of Decay aimed for the fences and hit it out of the park. They tried so many different things, over the course of the album and within the course of many songs, and the amazing thing is how it all worked. Not many bands accomplish that to such a degree.

Funny, I actually enjoyed this one more than the last two *because* I thought it was something different. I've always thought Overkill were at their best when they mixed it up, instead of being straight thrash/speed or straight groove.

I don't think it all worked. I mean, the title track only starts picking up right near the end, and "Skullkrusher" really drags in spots. Conversely, "Who Tends the Fire" is one of their better longer cuts. So while I can appreciate the ambition, I can't say that it is enough for the #1 spot. I mean we are talking OVERKILL here...

Maybe it’s because TYOD was my first exposure, but while you’ll hear no argument from me about Horrorscope being a top tier thrash album, TYOD is a top tenner for me, or pretty darn close.

I think where we differ is that I adore slow-burn atmospheric Overkill as much as I do the bouncing off the soft white walls crazy Overkill.

For me, one of the more defining features of “The Years of Decay” is all those quirky, brief little stops and starts and breaks spread out through most of the songs on the album. It’s tough for me to describe but you’ll know them when you hear them. They began on “Under the Influence” and were more fully integrated into the songwriting afterwards. I don’t know if that’s a result of Bobby G, but it’s an aspect I don’t think they ever incorporated on any album since that I can recall.

I know what you are talking about with the sudden stops, I've heard that mentioned by at least one other person before.

But Horrorscope has atmosphere - I mean, "Soulitude" might be the best moody track they've ever done, and the title track has that Type O Negative-esque intro. It has variety, and a half dozen absolute classics (at least): "Coma," "Infectious," "Horrorscope," "Live Young, Die Free," "Nice Day... for a Funeral," "New Machine..." I mean where does it end? Sid is at his best, and the drums sound dry as fuck. Love that production. The Years of Decay has that pluggy late '80s thrash production that I'm not as fond of.

I’m not taking anything away from “Horrorscope.” It’s still my favorite of theirs and if I didn’t mention that in this specific thread, I know I have at some point around here in some topic. It’s just banger after banger, the complete convergence of a band reinvigorated by a lineup and identity shift combined with inspired songwriting and production that suited their style, strolling balls first into a decade where they knew they had to strike with a focused effort that showed their fans and those on the fence they meant business. It’s a personal top 5 thrash album, for what that’s worth.

The guitar tone on the previous album could’ve been a bit clearer and sharper and overall less muffled, which is probably what might’ve helped it age better in that regard.

Did you know the label almost dropped them because of Horrorscope? They weren't liking what they were hearing and made the band play the entire album live before some record executives. I'm sure the band was pissed and wanted to make a lasting impression.

I got into Overkill with Feel the Fire, the song itself is incredible, I love the whole album. Taking Over, Under the Influence and Years of Decay were also good, just not as good as FTF, I wasn't sold on Horrorscope which was new at the time, it has grown on me over the years like Kreator's Renewal did. I Hear Black drove me away from Overkill, sans good old FTF and a little bit of the following 4 albums here and there, but FTF has always been in rotation. I still managed to keep tabs on them casually, sampling each release with no avail. I finally gave up even checking on them during the late 90's, it just wasn't what I wanted from Overkill and lost all hopes for a back to form release.

Forward to Electric Age, it really blew me away, so revitalized, so intense and explosive, so energetic and aggressive! This release really did it, more so "Electric Rattlesnake", it just hooked me and took me back to those youthful mad thrasher days that I'm so fond of. Then I started to look at what I miss for the last 15 years...meh, there are some moments here and there but nothing solid until Ironbound. It is a complete album that you don't feel skipping songs to, I enjoyed it, I'll listen to it more to really get into it 'cause there is some real good stuff there.

I just got through the Grinding Wheel, not bad, might grow on me a bit more, not sure yet. I found White Devil Armory just more in par with the Overkill I like, just not as good as Electric Age, same for Ironbound, a great comeback though, nothing between Horrorscope and Ironbound captured my attention. All 4 latest albums are very good, but looking at it from albums that will be kept on circulation for future years, I see Electric Age doing the job real well, more so than the others.

Nothing unreasonable about this. They had just fired their main songwriter and replaced him with an unknown and a guy who played in Faith or Fear! I'm sure their retelling of this is slanted to make it sound like the record company was just being mean.

The Electric Age is the best of the recent crop, I agree. Faster, more direct and pissed off. Ironbound had more variety I guess, but once you get to "The S.R.C." you wonder where that speed was for much of the remainder.

Absolutely agree, I also agree with your view of The Years of Decay. Horrorscope grew on me eventually but it took a while. I just never truly cared for slow tempo Overkill, I just like the crazy stuff. Although End of the Line (UTI) was a cool song and I felt it was pretty slow, so there is merit to their slow style, I just don't like all of it, just some slim pickings.

Yep, they can pull the slower stuff off, but the super-long songs really test my patience more than anything. I mean, "Nice Day... for a Funeral" is digestible but a lot of these recent songs are longer than they need to me. "Thunderhead" and "Necroshine" are another two that come to mind from the late-mid period. There isn't enough going on to warrant it. Openers like "Mean, Green Killing Machine" and "The Green and Black" seem to work, but I don't like the tone it set on Ironbound, opening with another longer track right after it with the title cut. One of my pet peeves about that record.

Overkill is AC-DC

they do no wrong

These guys have had an amazing resurrection with ironbound and going forward. A truly unique phenomenon for a band this old, I thought they were done with immortalis (a very average album) and the BAM ironbound was released.

Pretty much. Immortalis was easily their worst album. Absolutely no argument otherwise.

nah I argue... Immortalis was fucking fine. their worst was Under the Influence, Necroshine, Electric Age... and none of those are actually BAD. kinda shows how consistent they are, aye?

> eViLbOrIs

a man after my own school?

--- passable Boris (he who shits on Master of Puppets)

the Killing Kind isn't by any stretch their best album but it's the first one I listened to front to back in 96 so it has a place in my heart. I have no rational reason to fucking love it, but dang I fucking love it.

The first two I can sort of understand, but what's wrong the The Electric Age? It stands out sorely in that grouping...

Hey folk, just picked up Under the Influence from my local CEX today. Not too familiar with the band's output outside of Years of Decay, so I figured now would be a good time to listen to some more of them. What's the consensus on the album? Worth the £3 I payed? I've yet to listen to it sadly as I picked it up alongside a whole bunch of Megadeth and Motorhead albums but I'll report back with my findings tomorrow evening if anyone wants a newb's take on it.

Yes definitely worth that. It's just the weakest of their first five, albeit the other four are definite classics. I like the first three tracks the best, but the second half fades bigtime. Rushed vocal melodies, uncharacteristically "happy" sounding sections as I believe Bobby G. called them (Gustafson said this was the first album he tried writing using some of DD's ideas and it didn't gel very well). Blitz also considers this one of their worst albums.

Yea Under the Influence just isn't very good. Also Electric Age is fantastic. Easily the best of their "comeback" period.

Oh man, I've been listening to Under the Influence a lot lately, and I think it's fantastic. It's a little eclectic in that the first half is more thrash metal, with some punk influences in "Hello From the Gutter," and then a little more heavy metal/doom metal on Side 2. But I think it works. I'm liking everything on there. Maybe not as great as The Years of Decay, but it's still a strong album. And definitely has the signature Overkill feel to it.