Overkill, the New Jersey veterans strike again and it seems that their wheel keeps on turning. Loyal to thrash metal but with groove components, they ‘ve created an album that can be compared with their golden years in the 90’s. Lets see the reasons that led them to such a quality result.
The riffs are heavy and sharp, influenced by many metal genres. The bass seems to have the best sound from any other band of this genre and it is more complex than ever. For the most part they sound aggressive and remind us of the 80’s but they also have nice relaxing moments. They generally seem to use more complex rhythms and structures though without taking a progressive turn. The “pissed off” vocals are efficient without losing any power over time. The vocals also contains musicality and choruses that are not found in other thrash bands.
The production is very good, making each instrument recognisable with much volume and the vocals being “on the front”. The guitar solos are not trying to impress but to fit nicely into the songs. The last track “The Grinding Wheel” takes a more doomy approach, before turning back to thrash while adding some Iron Maiden-like melodies and finally closing with the doom theme it started with. Personally I think this is one of the best. The cover for Thin Lizzy’s “Emerald” is good but I may like the Skyclad version more because of the violin.
Overkill is band that cannot speed down and they once again prove that. “The Grinding wheel” is a necessary purchase for someone who listens to thrash or someone who wants to discover it. (8,5)
Konstantinos Paizanos