The Years of Decay

I do NOT hate this album, however... only today did I realise how much I really truly fucking love the Hell out of it. I've had it since approximately the summer or fall of 1996, when I got it on tape - it was my absolute favourite album in the world for a while, then kinda settled back a notch, but then I realised it has never, ever left the "constant listening" rotation. At least once a month I spin this one, if not at least once a week. It's perfect for the ride to work - coming in in the morning, blasting "I HATE" on 11, seeing what the director of marketing has to say to that.

This is one of Overkill's more varied albums - all of their works have had straight-up three minute thrashers combined with longer, more epic numbers ("Feel the Fire", "Overkill II", "End of the Line" come to mind from the first three... also "The Answer" from the EP and "Nice Day for a Funeral/Soulitude" from the next one.) On here, we really have two long epic numbers: the "lame" title track (but they play it live anyway) and the doomy, extremely appropriately titled Skullkrusher.

Skullkrusher is an experience - it takes what The Answer began, and puts it to a new standard of pain - I'm really not sure which song I like *better*, because both do the slow-fast-slow thing so fucking well, as Black Sabbath have taught us how, but nonetheless, a complete winner. The Years of Decay is not quite as long, and starts off quite balladic, not crushing any skulls at all, before busting out in a very simple but insanely effective midpaced riff. It somehow goes on for eight minutes without becoming boring.

Then of course, there are the face-ripping fucktracks, because this is Overkill, and if they did not fuck you and rip your face, they would not be. I HATE!! ELIMINATION!! EVIL NEVER DIES!!! NOTHING TO DIE FOR!! Fuck yes, these are just monsters of the highest order - each clocking in around three and a half minutes (okay, E.N.D. is really about five, but that includes the bass intro). I Hate is just the perfect blast of Jersey lowlife punk fury - "tryin' to get out, trapped like a dog! No, I don't like pumping gas!" combined with monstrous thrash riffs, and even a schweet somewhat melodic solo.

There are three slightly longer balls-out thrashers as well: the opener, Time to Kill, is pretty textbook, with the New York style middle break... The Birth of Tension is another fucking ripper - "did ya kick the dog, were you beat with a strap... were you really abused, were ya faking all that... TOO TENSE!!!" - seriously, this is not a song to which you can drive slower than 75 miles an hour to.

The only slight lowlight of this album is the beginning of Who Tends the Fire, which just doesn't compare to EVIL!!! NEVER DIES!! or ELIMINATE THE WEAK!! ELIMINATE THE STRONG!! It's the tiniest bit plodding, but then gets pretty fucking good though, when it kicks into maximum overdrive - YOU DON'T KNOW THAT YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!!

The way the album's set up works surprisingly well too - the Darkness-Descends-like noise intro turning into blasting thrash riffs, that scream at full fucking speed through E! Limination, SICK AND TIRED OF NUMBER TWO, and the slightly off-kilter (damn, I can never sing along to this one) OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER, TOO DEAD TO CHANGE...

then, almost a second intro, here comes Skullkrusher, blaring in with noise, pounds you upside the head approximately 85 billion times with a brick approximately as large and ugly as Detroit, then two more blasts of slightly longer thrash... akin to Feel the Fire (the title track)... finally, Years of Decay riffs on for eight minutes, then the little intro (which totally rips off Damage Inc, haha) and finally OVERKILL PART FOUR... (Don't believe me? Listen to the third chorus. "EVIL!" [riff] "NEVER DIES!" That riff is the intro riff to Overkill part I. Full circle, the story ends.) MONEY HUNGRY POWER THIRSTY PENNY PINCHING DOUBLE CROSSING BACK STABBING......

IS IT DONE? WILL IT EVER DIE!?

Eight years later... EVIL NEVER DIES!