The Grinding Wheel

Rumour has it that the Overkill releases, if you line them all up one after the other, reach twice around the world. So it can happen that not every album gets your pulse racing. Which brings us directly to "The Grinding Wheel".

The album offers acceptable, slightly predictable, typical Overkill stuff and it is kicked off by “Mean, Green, Killing Machine”. I was too lazy to analyse its lyrics, but one thing is for sure: this opener is anything but a killing machine with its faceless chorus and the slack “ohoho” part. Sometimes it seems that Overkill are not aware of the fact that they reach their best form whenever they appear as a musical power station. This means on the other hand that non-furious sections should be banished from their cosmos. This would have shortened the album (its length of more than 64 minutes is a kind of mid-hard challenge), we would not have to go through pretty floppy pieces like the partly Maiden-like “The Long Road” (seven minutes concentrated mediocrity with a terribly weak chorus) and everything would leave a more coherent impression.

But “The Grinding Wheel” is no “I Hear Black 2.0” or something comparably bad. The fast-paced, energetic “Our Finest Hour” almost lives up to its name and, together with “Goddamn Trouble” on position two, it serves as compensation for the tired introduction to the work. Every now and then some ancient, old school affine ghosts hover through the compositions and want to make us believe that the return of the eighties is close at hand. But then they always piss off and we remain trapped in the here and now. Anyway, the best times of Overkill ended with “Horrorscope”, but this is not to say that they have become old, shaky and weak. It is not only Blitz who still spreads more or less juvenile, rebellious vibes. His comrades Verni, Linsk, Taylor and Lipnicki also contribute successfully to the powerful sections of the full-length. Well, Andy Sneap made it possible. Some dudes have problems with his approach, but I don’t think that his mix has resulted in a sterile package of the songs. Yes, it’s a very clean sound, but also a vigorous one where the guitars stand in the centre. Their aggressive yet simultaneously somehow supple tones are a cool detail.

But even the best sound doesn't turn snails into racehorses and I'm surprised that none of the five experienced musicians realised that a meaningless piece like "Let’s All Go to Hades" would have been better left in the rehearsal room. But now the good news, “The Grinding Wheel” is no album that surrenders to its fate without a fight. After the acceptable “Come Heavy”, Overkill unleash another fresh breeze. The old rule is still valid: if you don't have any good melodies, then at least double the tempo. Whereby the riffs, leads and lines of “Red, White and Blue” are by no means garbage. Well, once again the song could have benefitted from a more compact design, but its impulsive outbursts make doubtlessly a good time. In addition, even the strong title track is a minute too long, but the speedy and spontaneous “The Wheel” turns out to be a fine headbanger without a single gram of fat. Finally, the Thin Lizzy cover (I never liked this band, sorry) is no bonus, but exactly the opposite from my point of view.

All in all, “The Grinding Wheel” is more than just another Overkill album, because the unbroken passion of the band still shapes its performance. It is also no outstanding item in their back catalogue. But I do not know many formations whose 18th (!) studio album sounds better.

In the years since I first discovered Overkill they've come to be one of my favorite thrash bands of all time, not to mention one of the few I still give a shit about. However, my journey with Overkill has been somewhat of a bumpy ride. After Horrorscope made me a fan I quickly sought out the rest of their old 1980s classics. When that was done I ventured the opposite way by chronologically catching up to where they were at the time. While it wasn't a bad experience by any means, it certainly wasn't nearly as much fun listening to their groove metal era. Fast forward to 2010 and the release of Ironbound; their strongest album since 1991 and a proper return to form. The Electric Age followed suit in 2012, an album I declared AOTY in my review for it here back in 2012. But just like after 1991, the band simply couldn't follow up what I thought was one of their finest moments and they spiraled back into mediocrity once again.

By the time The Grinding Wheel hit in 2017 I hadn't listened to Overkill for a few years. My expectations were reserved after the last one. The good news was that Andy Sneap had been enlisted to produce, something which I welcomed since I always found Overkill's self-produced albums to be sonically lacking to certain extents. Andy Sneap's mixing style isn't for everyone but I personally never had any problems with it. Maybe it tends to be a bit plastic-sounding but it's always clean and perfectly balanced, as is the case here as well. Most of all I was hoping for some outside producer's input on the songwriting process, in order to steer the band back to what they do best. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The Grinding Wheel clocks in at just above an hour, divided over ten tracks. The result is a bulk of lengthy songs that tend to become plodding. The thrash is there alright, but it doesn't really ever get the songs going. "Mean, Green, Killing Machine" is a good choice for an opener here because it's pretty much the strongest and most fun of the bunch, but that's not saying a lot. "Goddamn Trouble" and "Our Finest Hour", both released as singles, fail to keep what little momentum they had going with the opener. "Shine On" does a tiny but brave attempt at catching my interest again but ultimately fails to hook me. After this point it's basically one plod-fest after another. The title-track has some decent ideas but its end result is simply bland, becoming a lacklustre closer to a rather insipid album.

Musically the band is tight as ever. Each member stand his ground and there's never any doubt they're competent musicians. Blitz's voice still sounds great after all these years. However, I'm missing the intensity of the older albums. The Motörhead vigor, if you will. Everything's super tight and it kind of hurts the already bland songs further. A looser and more intense (i.e. thrashier) performance energy might've been able to salvage some of the songs here, had they been performed in more of a live setting.

The Grinding Wheel ultimately lives up to its name by showing a band whose gears are in need of some proper service. They're seemingly stuck in a rut without a clue where to take these songs. Most of them drag on for up to seven minutes without ever really going anywhere. The band could have used someone who knew when and where to trim some of all the excess off, because these songs are like cheap meat with far too much fat on it. It's not a bad album per se. At the end of the day it still does sound like Overkill after all. Just not in one of their finer hours.

This one has some "fire" here in its intensity! About 65 minutes of KING thrash. I'm not a huge Overkill fan, I guess Bobby "Blitz" kind of irritates me in excess. However, I do favor more modern Overkill especially this one! I like the "groove" on this definitely some cool riffs! Bobby isn't super annoying on here I thought that the music went well with the voice. Killer production, too! Some of the ratings on this, not many, but some are fully putrid! 40%?! No way, this album is a radical "B" to me. The whole album kicks some serious ass best to evaluate the whole release not just a few songs, if that!

I'm just really into the guitar riffs the most and I thought that there's wicked innovation on that front! These guys know how to make some killer licks and the overall music just slays. I think some of their other releases are pretty strong too like 'White Devil Armory' and 'The Winds of War' also I though they were hits! This one is about the same amount of praise that I'm giving it. There's diversity to it but mostly the guitars were definitely great spectacles. The leads were strong as well. But overall, the rhythms fit just right! As the album progresses, Bobby is less irritating especially keeping an open mind.

The production as I've mentioned is good, but not the best that Overkill's had. It's not like the somewhat "raw" sound of their classic 'The Years of Decay'. These guys have remained consistent over the years. And the guitars are just way fantastic. I cannot stress that enough. Just catchy songs and upbeat tempos. They did well too with the backup vocals as well! All in all, the music just ranked to a better 85% in a full evaluation! King guitars and the beats fit well with the guitars. These songs to me are classics. I'm surprised I didn't write about them a while back. It was just sitting on my CD rack.

In case you're new to Overkill, the 3 albums here are definitely monuments. You can opt to the older material, but the more recent I find suitable to my pallet. This album is a good one to start with. It's long, catchy and palatable. The guitars are wicked catchy! And the production quality is solid. Killer leads too! This album is streaming so yeah, you don't have to buy it unless you like or collect CD's like me! Worth a listen to, this album deserves praise! I cannot see how they (critics) loathe this one. It's so catchy and admirable. One of my favorites from the band absolutely! Check it out!

To start off, I'll admit that I'm not the most familiar with modern Overkill. I've listened to a few of their classics and absolutely fell in love. The Years of Decay in particular is one of my favorite thrash albums of all time. So at the time of The Grinding Wheel's releasing, I was very excited for the new Overkill record. The singles were pretty solid. "Our Finest Hour" was a great first single. Not my favorite song by Overkill, but a really good, promising start that excited me for the next songs to come. By the second single, "Mean, Green, Killing Machine," I was completely hooked. "Mean, Green, Killing Machine" was one of my favorite Overkill songs I've ever heard. Mind you, even today it's one of my favorite Overkill songs. By the time the record released, the band also dropped a music video for "Goddamn Trouble," another solid track, cementing it for me as a must-buy album.

However, what I bought certainly disappointed me, both then, and still today. The singles are still today the only tracks I really feel have any merit. There're moments here and there that catch me, specifically the first riff in "Come Heavy" (damn this riff is so good). Beyond that, however, there's just nothing. A big issue I find with this record is really just within the song length. There's too much packed into these songs that really feel like they should just hit and get out of the way. Many of the songs are over 5 minutes long, the shortest song actually being 4:51. The songs overstay their welcome, and thus the album as a whole tends to overstay itself.

The production isn't bad. I really didn't like the bass sound before but it has grown on me a bit. Fairly run-of-the-mill for modern thrash production, but it works. Overall, the album has moments and some really solid tracks, but it starts to wear on you quick. Stick to the singles, that's really all you'll need in my opinion. If you love Overkill, especially their modern output, this will be an album for you. But if you're coming from the angel of loving their old stuff and occasional new album or track, this won't be the next classic you're looking for.

As much as the metal world showers praise upon its most consistent acts, it is also quick to take note of when an artist's work becomes formulaic. Sometimes, though, long-running bands will be hit with a bit of both, especially when they owe their consistent output to a winning songwriting formula, as has been the case with New Jersey's Overkill. Granted, their newer material that returns to old-school thrash with a bit of groove came after a long period of experimentation, but albums like Ironbound, White Devil Armory, and perhaps most of all, The Grinding Wheel, show that Overkill have returned to relevance in the modern metal climate. I have a bit of a personal connection to the latter album from 2017, since it was my formal introduction to Overkill when it came out, but nonetheless, I do feel that it has the strongest tracklist of any Overkill album released since 2010, despite recycling a few riffs and ideas. The Grinding Wheel is a worthy introduction to a thrash institution like these guys and would be highly likely to garner new fans.

Musically, the band is focused on attitude as always, but the groove metal influence is more evident this time, especially in the main riffs of "Goddamn Trouble" and "Come Heavy." Some may criticize the latter songs for trying too hard to give off a "tough guy" or "badass" feel, but Overkill succeed to a greater extent than many thrash metal bands, since their music has always carried that sour NJ attitude, helped by Bobby Blitz's distinctively abrasive vocals. "Mean, Green, Killing Machine" and "The Long Road", however, build up to the aggressive side of things with admirable instrumental work, where DD Verni's grinding bass tone earns the album its name. On that point, the culminative title track nails the brooding, oppressive (almost thrash/doom) atmosphere that Overkill have flirted with before on tracks like "Playing With Spiders/Skullkrusher." For a longer album with many tracks between 5 and 7 minutes, it was wise to place the brooding and intense title track at the end.

The Grinding Wheel takes full advantage of Bobby's mastery of thrash vocals, with virtually every song having a memorable vocal hook. The disadvantage of this, however, is that the band gets away with a few less than inspired riffs that may sound awesome to a first time listener, but would be something of a letdown for a more involved fan. The drumming, however, does redeem the compositions largely because it hits harder than the drums in a lot of other modern thrash, giving the band infallible momentum. The fills before the verse in the third song, "Our Finest Hour", for example, keep the intensity built by the first two tracks up and this makes for a better execution of a groove metal inspired breakdown than most could pull off.

Overkill have a formula and they stick to it, in order to make outstanding thrash albums like The Grinding Wheel over 3 and a half decades into their career. Overall, I would consider this to be one of the strongest thrash metal albums released in the 2010's, and a good starting point for new fans expecting some kick to their thrash metal.

Few bands that came raging out of the heyday of 80s thrash metal can boast the level of competency and consistency that has been on display by Overkill since they first took the scene by storm in the mid-80s. If one were to go solely by total record sales, they fall a bit short of the media concocted Big 4 elite, but in terms of quality and quantity of output, they leave all of them in the dust with maybe the exception of Megadeth. All that being considered, like any veteran outfit that has been slogging away at the fine art of neck-ruining mayhem, there have been periods of denouement and resurgence going on within their 40 year history. Whether it was in response to the explosion of retro-thrash that was going on at the time or just their version of a mid-life crisis, something lit a fire under this band's ass at the close of the 2000s and what was ushered in with 2010's beast of an LP Ironbound was a decade of vertebrae-splitting heaviness and speed that has been showing the younger crowd how it's done ever since. The next two albums were born of a similar spirit of high octane thrashing with a modern edge, even as the original wave of 80s-throwback thrash revivalists had been tapering off a bit and giving way to something a bit darker and punchier thanks to the ascent of Power Trip and a few others.

This context betrays a slight pivot in focus that lies at the heart of The Grinding Wheel, Overkill's 18th full length studio offering, during the early weeks of 2017. In many respects it is an album that sticks to its guns, with classic late-80s thrash metal riffing painting over much of the songwriting and that more expansive, long-winded songwriting approach that occupied much of the early 2010s material and was toned down a tad on White Devil Armory back on display. Then again, it's pretty hard not to notice that the wild, frenetic moments that typified such riveting anthems from Ironbound such as the title track and "Bring Me The Night" are a bit less prevalent here and a greater helping of the pummeling grooves that graced Bloodletting and Killbox 13 are along for the ride. The overall presentation just has more of a gradual sense of building up to a climactic explosion rather than an instant, full on berserker charge, featuring longer songs that stick in the memory with their catchy, fist-to-the-gut demeanor fairly easily but take their time in getting to the absolute chaos. In the midst of it all is Blitz Ellsworth, continually raising his jagged, banshee-like voice to the heavens like a crazed warlock who hasn't aged a day in the past 40 years, with a well-tuned barrage of highly refined heaviness following close behind.

True to its name, this album kicks things off with the metallic, mid-paced chugging of a steel factory working overtime to get the track for this runaway train laid. In the same spirit as "The Green And Black" and "Come And Get It", the pummeling opening number "Mean, Green, Killing Machine" is among the longer and more developed compositions to grace this album, but it has more of a cold, industrialized character to how the riffs and rhythm section strike the airwaves, while Blitz's vocals find themselves occasionally channeling his cleaner and mid-ranged persona to develop a sense of contrast with his dominant, raving madman schtick. Then again, once arriving at the guitar solo this songs hits the afterburners something fierce, paving the way for more concise and kinetic speeders such as "Our Finest Hour", "The Wheel" and "Red White And Blue", all high octane crushers that definitely revert back to the frenzied brilliance of a couple albums prior. But even when moving into more of a lazy, Sabbath-inspired romp on "Come Heavy" and a largely mid-tempo crunch with a few faster moments and a haunting ballad-like interlude in "Shine On", there's a pretty clear pattern of hitting a fever pitch during the guitar solos, and this is where Dave Linsk, Overkill's longest serving shredder since Gustafson left the fold, really steals the show in all of his Skolnick meets Hammett glory.

If there has been a weak link in the otherwise unbreakable chain that has been Overkill's streak of 2010s releases, this would be the album, but it's definitely among the superior works that they've unleashed over their extensive and highly prolific career. It doesn't fully bang the head of the opposition clean off the way the last three albums did, nor does it commit fully to the groove paradigm and deliver the same degree of infectious hooks heard on Bloodletting and Killbox 13, but it definitely adopts the stronger traits of both eras and presents them in a well-rounded, methodical fashion. Individual longer cuts such as "The Grinding Wheel", "Mean, Green, Killing Machine" and "Goddamn Trouble" definitely qualify as essential listening for those hungry for the classic Overkill sound, and there aren't really any overt slouches to speak of among the rest of songs that round out the album. Everybody pulls their weight well, and while D.D. Verni's bass work has a fairly modest showing in the technical department, the brilliant glassy tone and aggressive manner in which he supports the riffs and drums is what gives this album it's thick, modern edge. It's hard-hitting thrash for those who crave it, and yet one more impressive notch in the ever-expanding Killbox.

I'm usually first at the chopping block for Overkill reviews, but I really wanted to let this one sizzle a while. I intentionally avoided all of the pre-hype consternation and didn't even properly dip into The Grinding Wheel until it had already been out a while. I know that expectations are high here, but as always I have enough to say that I can just sort of just go off-the-cuff instead of pre-arranging talking points like normal. Of the four releases after Immortalis set new lows across the board, this album feels like the redheaded stepchild of the bunch. Ironbound wiped the slate clean with relentless vigour, The Electric Age stoked the speed fire with even better returns, and White Devil Armory slowed things down a smidge while focusing on more clinical thrash posturing. Where does this leave The Grinding Wheel? Well, I suppose that the band made a semi-conscious attempt at breaking the recent mold - the source of nearly all of the criticism levied against Overkill in the last seven years being the recent albums' transparent similarities on a surface level.

Proceedings start with "Mean Green Killing Machine," another protracted epic in the vein of "The Green and Black." There is a more lurching, groovy crunch to the riffs this time around, with many similarities to "Within Your Eyes," another spectacular opener and a personal favourite. Blitz is in fine form as well, his petulant sneer as virile as ever, and he even throws in some crooning cleaner tones similar to some of the experimentation on The Killing Kind. And from a certain point of view, the band seems to be giving a nod to their maligned late '90s material, with... mixed results. The biggest problem is that the songs are oftentimes too long to stay afloat with such a riffset. "Goddamn Trouble" opens with a cracking surge of bluesy, attitude-fueled groove similar to "Crystal Clear," but it sputters during the chorus. Speed isn't necessarily at a premium though, as Lipnicki (as usual) keeps the band from slowing down too much. Linsk carves out his typical chunk of lukewarm throwback thrash riffage with a pinch of moderate weighted slugging to bifurcate the oftentimes-samey feel many of the songs give off. Standouts include the aforementioned opener, the epic "The Long Road," the one-two punch of the eponymous track near the end and the late '90s castoff "Come Heavy," which just oozes that The Killing Kind style corpulence, which felt welcome in this context.

Regardless, many of these tracks are simply too long for their own good, a trend that the band picked up around Ironbound and refuses to let go. The lead single "Our Finest Hour" is actually the weakest song here, with sections that feel directly plagiarized from earlier material; copied verbatim. Squandered potential continues with the Thin Lizzy cover "Emerald," which could have been a fucking epic transfer of a true classic if Blitz resurrected his more operatic timbre from "Fear His Name" and "Death Rider." Sadly, the band plays it far too straight and it doesn't have much purpose. Bloated sequences mar at least half of the tracks here, and as usual Linsk fails to deliver truly memorable hooks, despite being a technically gifted player. The absence of the dual-lead Maiden-esque deviations that dotted the last three albums is another knock against The Grinding Wheel, so overall its a rather lukewarm affair compared to its forebears.

One final aspect of note is the sludgy, grimy attitude the album has. This is perhaps its greatest strength, and the band does indeed hit more than a few glorious strides throughout. As a defender of some of the band's controversial "groove" efforts like I Hear Black, I can't help but feel that the band slightly missed the mark here. The Grinding Wheel is certainly listenable - a surprisingly moody affair with multiple shades of green and black, but the band's current lineup doesn't necessarily excel in these confines. It feels like it had the deck stacked against it on paper, and was fighting an uphill battle for the entire duration. It's still Overkill, and it still shits on just about any other old guard thrash act still releasing new material, so I'll still take this.

Many of the successful thrash metal bands which rose to fame in the 1980’s chose different paths throughout the 1990’s. From the more commercial approach taken by Metallica and Megadeth, a change in vocalists with the likes of Anthrax and Exodus or a change to a more contemporary sound of the time such as Testament and Slayer. However, over the course of their 32-year professional career, Overkill have stuck firmly to their guns, writing good old fashioned style thrash metal without bowing or answering to anyone, if thrash metal wasn’t as en vogue in that year, so what? Who cares? Not Overkill certainly.

One thing you can say about Overkill is that they have been hugely consistent over the years, since 1985, Overkill have released a total of 18 studio albums and what makes Overkill stand out from their peers is that they never really released a poor album; granted some albums are better than others, but all in all, Overkill planted their flag in the ground and played by their rules.

Overkill are not in the game for suddenly changing their sound and their latest release, 'The Grinding Wheel' is textbook Overkill. 'The Grinding Wheel' picks up where the previous album, 'White Devil Armory' left off, although, 'The Grinding Wheel' contains more than its fair share of longer than average songs bringing the entire album to clock in at over an hour with many of the songs having elongated bridges or breakdowns. The opening track from the album, 'Mean, Green, Killing Machine' is a perfect example of this, pushing over the seven and a half minute mark and although it is full of the music, sounds and hallmarks are a just Overkill to the core, the record itself takes some getting used to.

This theme runs though 'The Grinding Wheel', at a superficial level and a first listen, the album isn’t breath taking. 'The Grinding Wheel' certainly takes a few listens to get into, it is certainly a grower and far from Overkill’s best work, but on the other hand, it is definitely nowhere near their worst. After a few plays, you will realise that there are some great riffing and beats from the band here, the guitar solo in 'Mean, Green, Killing Machine' is probably one of the best of their career. The song itself is coupled with a riff that at times is quite reminiscent of 'Master of Puppets' before descending into a Black Sabbath breakdown before coming back at full fury. This Black Sabbath bluesy-style riffing also makes an appearance at the middle of the album with 'Come Heavy'. 'Come Heavy' again takes a little bit of getting used to, it doesn’t feel like your typical Overkill song, but it works and once that clicks, you’ll realise that it is one of the more fun songs on the album.

There is a feeling on 'The Grinding Wheel' that Overkill are not truly happy with things in their home country at the moment, there are snide comments and social commentary during 'Red, White and Blue', 'Our Finest Hour', 'Shine On' and the title track itself. However, Overkill deserve an accolade for 'The Grinding Wheel' as 'Come Heavy' features the line ‘I took the cycle path’, a line that you wouldn’t expect to see on any album, let alone a heavy metal album.

Overall, 'The Grinding Wheel' is long, but a definite grower, it will not set the world on fire, but it will certainly not pass under the radar. Once more, Overkill have released another consistent record and since it clicked, 'The Grinding Wheel' hasn’t been off rotation.

They were asked to deliver, and they did not disappoint. The Grinding Wheel is an effort that offers everything that you would expect from Overkill, with definitive strong peaks as well as some drawbacks. A very clear glazing of production dominates every track on here, missing no spots which, allowing it to be absent of any messy solos or poor distortion. However, for being nearly overproduced, it could use some trimming of some songs completely for sure.

In Blitz's older age, the use of his traditional high pitched shrieks are damn near impossible to find in any records of the past fifteen years, and this one is no exception. Instead, we're slapped with raspier singing, yet maintaining the full use of falsetto in a way that triggers a feeling of anger and determination. This goes hand in hand with the riff style that is tackled. Many of the tracks utilize legato-like riffs and bridges, making it all run together smoothly. The best use of this, and easily the best track is "Goddamn Trouble", meshing the speed-metal with the lack of tapping to create a flat surface of racing guitar work. To back this, there is zero holding back with the bass work, as it adds an extra coating of thickness to the already killer guitar work. Extra bass-lines are also thrown in during guitar breaks to shuffle it up, and the two working as a duo guarantee many unforgettable hooks. "Our Finest Hour" and "Let's All Go To Hades" showcase some of the greatest moments of the two working together.

Certain things that are typical for Overkill are utilized, such as gang vocal and blasting drum kicks being present on and off throughout songs. Sometimes gang vocal works, other times it doesn't, and thankfully this record doesn't withhold any weak spots regarding that. "Red, White, And Blue" is an excellent example of this kicking ass the entire way through. Drums break through and take a prominent part all over this beast, shelling out blasts that keep up to speed, crashing all over the place. The only issue is that some parts get cymbal happy, and just drench the section with them, causing the rhythm and bass to drown out at times.

Besides that, "Mean, Green Killing Machine", despite it being released as a single and all of the attention it gets, could be removed without harming the value. It's cut out to be this breakthrough amazing track, yet there's nothing new with it, the main riff is rather skimpy, and the solos are way too drawn out and dry to fill seven minutes. The title track is also one that drags out. Being a slower song, everything is stretched out to the max, holding boring vocal output and less-than interesting guitar takes. Both tracks could easily be removed, and this record would rank right up with Gods Of Violence. Overall though, a strong effort, a slight step up from White Devil Armory, and easy to dig after a few listens.

New York wildmen Overkill have hit a late career stride that must be the envy of so many peers, with an endless reserve of energy that most younger bands seem unable to match, while keeping relatively loyal to the body of work they built up over the previous decades. To be truthful, you could trace a fairly straight path from their 1985 debut to this latest, 18th full-length album, and the only enormous differences would be the production and a few of the influences that crept into their songwriting, particularly in the 90s. Essentially, The Grinding Wheel serves as a paean to both their high-octane urban thrash and groove metal, proving they still have what it takes to write engaging, violent music that actually surpasses much of what they were putting out 20 years ago, even if it's not quite elevated to that benchmark set by beloved classics like Feel the Fire and Taking Over.

This is a band long driven by the restlessness and street wisdom of its front man, Blitz, and it's par for the course that his performance can make or break even a wholly average set of guitar riffs. And here he turns in an angry, confident, flailing effort right on the level of 2012's The Electric Age, with a lot of snarl and flexibility to his timbre that doesn't rely entirely on the higher range, and excels once the band hammers into some more anthemic, melodic chorus in a tune like "Our Finest Hour". I can't say there is anything here he hasn't hit on in the past, but he sounds great whether the band are meting out faster paced pavement justice or one of their fattened, predictable Sabbath grooves. The rhythm riffs, on the other hand, are really hit or miss, most seeming like they're just paraphrased from a grab bag of the band's prior ideas, and relying heavily on both the lyrical execution and the fat production, but once in awhile one or two will prove a little catchier and more unexpected than their surroundings, and that helps boost the structure and reliability of the songwriting, especially in some of the longer 6-7 minute cuts.

Drums and bass are bedrock here, especially D.D. Verni who's trademark, clean and huge tones are bouncing and twisting all over the mix. Leads have a very classic 70s rock feel to them, not only in the excellent bonus track cover of Thin Lizzy's "Emerald", but even in the original pieces. The range and the variation on the record is quite good, from pace pushers like "Goddamn Trouble" or "Red White and Blue" to leaden, bluesy groove like "Come Heavy" which recounts late 80s Trouble quite well, or the epic, measured mid-gait headbanging title track. The album dishes out just enough breakdowns to keep the tough guy crowds slamming while never becoming too trite or repetitious, and while the thrash here is more inspired by the band's 90s offerings than the clinical late 80s style, I think it's punishing enough to temporarily satisfy those who might have been seeking the latter. Even within Ellsworth's performance, he doesn't keep aping the same verbal patterns repeatedly, but offers seasons, explosive craftsmanship that makes every line seem like it's being taken dead seriously.

Will this stand out against the band's stacked backlog? Hard to say, since it lacks the insanely memorable choruses and riffs of the band's youth, or even that cross-generation appeal of 2010's Ironbound, which was a pivotal release that cemented their legacy as perhaps the U.S.A's hardest working band in the genre, whilst in the midst of the pizza thrashing craze of younglings who were getting into the stuff for the first time. I didn't like that disc quite as much as the rest of the crowd, but its sense of newfound inspiration has seemingly abated over these following three records, all of which have been varying shades of green, and varying shades of good. The Grinding Wheel is no exception, and it is not short on enthusiasm, spirit or craft. After a couple lukewarm listens, it's grown a little in my estimation so that I'd rank it firmly between its two predecessors.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Remaining true to the old-school, New Jersey thrash legends Overkill have been at the helm of the scene since the early 80s without ever receiving the credit due for keeping the genre as big as it is as they’ve amassed a back-catalog that rivals anyone in the genre from start to finish. With a line-up firing at the top of their game, their celebrated nineteenth album was originally released February 10, 2017 on Nuclear Blast Records.

It should come as to no surprise what the band has been doing in their latest resurgence during the past decade, and for the most part that remains true of their latest release. An overwhelmingly vast amount of the material here comes off with a great sense reflection on their past employing their trademark swirling thrash riffing and pounding rhythms that once again displays their penchant for dynamic tempo shifts that makes the music far more interesting than most suspect. Elsewhere on the album, the band continues to explore their long-standing infusion of groove into their sound that keeps their straightforward sections as biting and intense as ever. Capable of carrying their swirling patterns and clanking rhythms into intense sections without relying on their raging speed-drenched paces that are a staple of their sound, it’s all quite familiar in the best way possible by carrying on a traditional feel of their own past rather than looking at anything else in the genre which makes the fiery, explosive material sound rich, dynamic and full of energy that thrashes and rages with the most explosive. Just to nitpick, the album doesn’t really feature the greatest production with the guitars sounding far too clean and lacking the bite that usually comes from their sound. However, this is again nitpicking as the album contains everyone necessary to be enjoyable.

A nearly-flawless release that has so much to really like about it, this might not be as important or influential as the bands’ past history might be but it is so good at what it does that it stands up as an upper-tier inclusion in their style and makes for another worthy piece to their collection or just metal fans in general.

New Jersey's Overkill, aside from being one of my favourite bands of all time, might possibly be metal's most unstoppable act. 37 years into their career, their eighteenth album may be the most appropriately titled - because the inexorable wheel of Overkill keeps grinding on. Since 2010, their ultra-energetic thrash resurgence has been one of the most consistent success-stories in the metal community. Sure, they have their naysayers, but my favourite Overkill albums are in their 90s groove phase, so you're in safe hands here. Which is how we feel about each new release from the New Jersey veterans; we're always in safe hands.

In an interview, Bobby Blitz insinuated that The Grinding Wheel would have a more 'epic' feel. He is both right and wrong. The album has its moments of experimentation, and dynamic contrast (thank god!), but musically this picks up where White Devil Armory left off. No complaints here, but anyone hoping for a second "Skullkrusher" will be disappointed (as I was at first). The experimentation comes in sections, rather than whole songs - though they still find time for the obligatory swinging groove number, "Come Heavy". Featuring hefty chugs, and a damn fine melodic performance from Blitz, it's one of the highlights.

Overkill have never shied away from their groove influences, and it's refreshing to hear them inserted into the thrash monsters here. The mid-section of the opening track is the perfect example, with its crooning backing vocals and bluesy riffs. "The Wheel" also contains the best of that mid-paced stomping. A big talking point among fans thus far has been the closing moments of the finale - the title-track. The Grinding Wheel finally encapsulates that 'epic' feel Blitz was talking about; as bells toll over a doom-laden riff and gothic choral vocals - it's a memorable ending to say the least.

There are a few grips here and there. Fifth track "The Long Road" takes a whole 2 minutes to get going, making its title slightly ironic. Also, even though I love how Overkill don't hide their punk influences, the crude "Let's All Go To Hades", with its layered juvenile chorus, can get a little grating. That being said, it's this punk-esque attitude that makes the rest of the album so addictive. With track-titles like "Mean Green Killing Machine" and "Goddamn Trouble" - and lyrics like 'Here come the mean green motherfucker blazin' cross the sky!' - it's a masterclass in balls-to-the-wall, east coast, fuck you attitude.

The now-veteran, stable line up is strengthening with every release. Dave and Derek's riffs are abrasive at their best (as in the explosive "Red, White & Blue"); Ron's performance behind the kit is wild, but solid and reliable; D.D. Verni's bass is always imressively prominent - creating a layer most thrash bands neglect; and the indomitable, inimitable Bobby Blitz is on top form. For a man approaching 60, hearing him belt out screams like in "Shine On" is almost an honour.

From the hammering opening of "Mean Green Killing Machine" (which bears eerie resemblance to Anthrax's "Time") to the grandiose climax of the title-track, The Grinding Wheel is yet another notch in Overkill's shining discography. I always make a point about how Metallica spent the last 9 years floundering in creative limbo, whilst the cruelly underrated thrash acts churn out album after album of impressive material. Well, now that the metal titans have finally released a decent record, it lies on the shoulders of bands like this to put them back in their place. And that they have. Keep grinding on, Overkill - you are indestructible.

"I come heavy from my head to toes,
I come heavy like a wrecking ball.
I come heavy not to be outdone.
I come heavy, or don't come at all!"

Written First For The Grungy Land Blog

If you’re looking for an unbiased review of Overkill material, you have come to the wrong place.

However, “biased” is not the same thing as “stupid”. I love Overkill to death, but even I had second thoughts about this album when the singles for this LP started dropping. “Our Finest Hour” was painfully mediocre, but “Mean Green Killing Machine” just made me scared. Like the majority of listeners, I enjoyed Ironbound and The Electric Age immensely, but what people tend to forget is just how overly long and bloated those albums truly are. Hell, The Electric Age might just be overdue for an “Overrated Album Review”. But putting all that aside, it’s time to delve deep into Overkill’s Grinding Wheel.

Overkill have long been the black sheep of the thrash genre and I often wonder why. Maybe it’s because the group is so open to experimenting with other metal genres and see what works and what doesn’t that they scare off many metal purists. As such, The Grinding Wheel reflects some of the groove metal work that Overkill did in the 90s, following the path that their previous work White Devil Armory laid out. While it follows a similar path to White Devil Armory, The Grinding Wheel takes some risks that make it a much more interesting album.

First off the CD are the singles, “Mean Green Killing Machine”, “Goddamn Trouble”, and “Our Finest Hour”, all of which make the early parts of this album a bit of a chore. They represent the worst parts of Overkill’s recent discography, that is to say, bloated thrash tracks that reply on repetition rather than talent. While “Goddamn Trouble” is easily the best of the 3, with it being a more punk influenced, fast and loose track, the album easily has one of the hardest opening humps to get over.

Once that hump is cleared however, Overkill sorts out what they actually want to do with this album, then grab you by the balls (or other genitals) and do not let up for a second. “Shine On” and “The Long Road” both contain riffs and patterns that so easily could have fit on the groove albums that you wonder why they weren’t there in the first place. Then there’s “Let’s Go To Hades” and “Come Heavy” the latter of which has such a heavy and atmospheric presence, that it feels like a long lost Ghost or Sabbath track. The album’s title track is a monster of a closer, with a hefty, catchy marching riff and another atmospheric bridge that demonstrates that “Come Heavy” wasn’t just a fluke. It’s this diversity in the tracks that make The Grinding Wheel far more interesting than White Devil Armory, or any of Overkill’s recent work.

All that being said, when the album isn’t being a mish-mash of Overkill’s talents, it’s being a damn fine thrash album. The speed and intensity of “The Wheel” and “Red, White & Blue” feel very reminiscent of that Ironbound/Electric Age return to proper thrash form. However, while I ended up liking these tracks, I was far more interested in seeing how Overkill would experiment and change up their sound with every track.

As for the actual talent of the band, it’s kind of hard to say. Overkill, like Testament or any other thrash band not part of The Big 4 continues to both not get any better but also not any worse. As such, Blitz’s vocals are still top notch, and Verni’s bass is just as thick and complex as ever. The overall production is also very reminiscent of White Devil Armory; very thick bass and very crunchy guitars with Blitz’s vocals at the front of the chaos.

While I was almost asleep as the album opened, The Grinding Wheel proved to me that Overkill has more life left in them than anyone (including myself) gave them credit for. This album is a representation of just how far a band can come with a little bit of experimentation and talent. It’s a welcome breath of fresh air in the current thrash scene.

As legendary as earlier OverKill albums like ‘Horrorscope’, ‘The Years Of Decay’ and debut album ‘Feel The Fire’ have become, it’s a fact that even in the 21st century, New Jersey’s finest has released some quality material. That’s why a new OverKill album is always something to look forward to. In fact, recent albums like ‘White Devil Armory’ and especially 2010’s incredible ‘Ironbound’ have increased the thrashing intensity, which in combination with their punkish vigor and relentless grooves account for excellent contemporary thrash metal. And while ‘The Grinding Wheel’ doesn’t quite reach that level, it’s another worthy addition to the band’s discography.

Initially, I was a bit underwhelmed by the first tracks that surfaced. While I really like the chorus of first single ‘Our Finest Hour’, the verse riff was lifted note for note from the superior ‘Electric Rattlesnake’ and opening track ‘Mean, Green, Killing Machine’ had an interesting middle section with Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth’s cleanest vocal performance in years – something he repeats in a few other tunes on the album – but also felt a bit like OverKill going through the motions. While neither are among my favorites, they admittedly make a little more sense within the context of the album.

Especially the second half of the record contains a few gems. ‘Red White And Blue’ for instance, a ripping, hardcore-infused thrasher in the same vein as ‘Pig’ on the previous record. The closing title track is an epic work of art comparable in style and atmosphere to ‘In The Name’ and the classic ‘Gasoline Dream’. That gothic doom-like outro is unlike anything OverKill has ever done before. ‘The Wheel’ is another masterpiece; it goes through several distinct movements – with especially that brooding verse riff being beyond amazing – without ever feeling disjointed. Three tracks that end the album on a great note.

But there’s more. ‘The Long Road’ is classic OverKill meets Iron Maiden’s triumphant twin guitar melodies with Dave Linsk – who truly outdoes himself on the entire record – soloing wildly over it. The groovy ‘Come Heavy’ shows the band’s Black Sabbath influences even more obviously than their tendency to switch to something completely different halfway through the songs. Out of the songs with more subdued tempos, ‘Shine On’ takes the cake. Partially because the thrashiness of the riff contrasts wonderfully with the relatively laid-back rhythm. ‘Let’s All Go To Hades’ is the most punky song of the bunch and while I generally prefer the band’s more metal material, the dual lead vocal harmony is excellent.

Some bands are just impossible to slow down. OverKill is one of them. Where many bands that started around the same time – they’ve been around since 1980 – exist solely on nostalgia, OverKill still manages to push themselves to some spirited performances and a few excellent tracks. And even more amazing is the fact that Ellsworth’s voice never manages to lose any of its vicious power. While ‘The Grinding Wheel’ isn’t the latter day masterpiece that ‘Killbox 13’ or ‘Ironbound’ was, it grew on me after a few spins, by which point it was impossible to sit still. Especially to that triple threat at the end of the record.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Grinding Wheel’, ‘Red White And Blue’, ‘The Wheel’

Originally written for my Kevy Metal weblog

With the release of The Grinding Wheel, Overkill extends its streak of high-quality thrash metal records to four. Even though this album is slightly inferior to its predecessors, it's an early year highlight for genre fans. If compared to other American thrash metal bands, Overkill's new album might not be as spectacular as some other recent genre releases but the quintet from New York has established itself as the most consistent genre band since the beginning of the decade.

Still, there are a few differences between this output and the previous one. First of all, the tracks on here are a little bit longer than usual. This doesn't mean that the tunes have become more progressive. The instrumental sections have been extended and the lyrics have gotten some more content. Secondly, the drum sound has become slightly better and sounds more organic than on the direct predecessor that had a rather dry production. Thirdly, the record has a few less impressive guitar solos than usual and rather works with transitions from up-tempo passages to either groovier breaks or some early doom metal influences.

The rest is business as usual on a constantly high level. Overkill still is one of the thrash metal bands with the most charismatic and dominant bass guitar sound and the instrument also has its shining moments on this output. The riffs are still heavy and sharp and take influences from genres such as hard rock and doom metal of the seventies as well as heavy and thrash metal of the eighties. The vocals sound as energizing and juvenile as ever. The Grinding Wheel has the same vivid spirit as Overkill's first five studio outputs.

Among the outstanding songs, one has to mention the rebellious anthem ''Goddamn Trouble'' that represents the angry spirit of thrash metal best on this album. The lyrics and the video clip are spot on while the thunderous rhythm section, the aggressive riffs and the pissed vocals are highly efficient. Along with the new band anthem ''Our Finest Hour'', Overkill delivers two memorable tunes that have the potential to become classics and should find their righteous spots in the set lists for years to come. Another track that sticks out is ''Red, White and Blue'' because it might be the most aggressive and fast track on the entire album while the middle passage convinces with a mean groove and rebellious gang shouts you won't get out of your mind. This is the perfect track to give you a jolt in the morning to see whether you're really awake or not. If you don't feel like banging your head, raising your fists and shouting along to this track, you're either deaf or thrash metal just isn't your cup of tea. The final highlight is the rhythmic closing title song ''The Grinding Wheel'' with an almost epic length of eight minutes that ends with some majestic symphonic elements and sinister choirs to end a ferocious release on a more atmospheric coda. It's probably the most creative and unusual song on the album with the most diversified vocal performance but it's still one hundred percent Overkill alright. The title song is my personal highlight on this record.

In the end, The Grinding Wheel is a mandatory purchase for anyone who loves thrash metal or wants to discover this genre. Die-hard fans should get their hands on the Japanese edition that features two strong cover songs honoring Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy as well as a bonus DVD with eight excerpts from a festival performance recorded two years ago. Who in his right mind needs the eighties back if a band like Overkill has been on such an impressive roll over the past seven years and counting?

I was stoked for this album at first because it looked like it was gonna come out on my birthday (November 9); needless to say, I was decidedly de-stoked when they delayed it until February. However, I'm a big Overkill fan, so I was still looking forward to it. And, y'know, they delivered. Not "and did they deliver OR WHAT," just "they delivered." It's not really a surprise when a 37-year-old band doesn't exactly evolve all that much on their new album, especially when they had their comeback 2/3 of a decade ago. Besides, I like what they've been doing, so I can't complain that they kept doing it. However, I think we all would've appreciated it if they had experimented a little more.

See, even though they didn't change much, they didn't stay completely the same like you might expect. I can't really quantify it (which is kinda my job), but they sound more aggressive on certain tracks than they have over the past three albums, and one track even came close to being a proper ballad, something which I wish was more common in modern thrash. However, aside from the first three tracks, "Red White and Blue," and the titular finale, nothing is really all that memorable. Horrorscope had the same problem, actually.

With regards to specifics, I'd say that this album continues the rise in aggression initiated on White Devil Armory, and I'd say that if they keep this trend their next album will be as angry as the 80s. They also seem to be using some slightly more complex rhythms and structures, though that might just be me. The production is fine as always, and I'm glad that Bobby doesn't seem to be layering his voice as much; see him live and it's clear that he doesn't need studio tricks to seem louder. DD's bass also seems to have more of a presence, though not annoyingly so like on the controversial WFO. My biggest problem with this album is that it's too long; I think that they could've gotten all of these ideas through in only 45 minutes. Other than that though, it's great, and once you've bought that new Kreator album, I'd highly recommend this one.