Evolution of Overkill Part 2

The ‘80s for Overkill are seen by many as their golden era, like that of thrash metal in general. The ‘90s saw a lot of changes in lineup and style but as most old-skool thrash bands faded away during the decade, Overkill were one of the few who remained. The ‘90s output of surviving thrash bands is questionable according to some reviews I’ve read. Now as I know very little of Overkill’s ‘90s LPs, I’m excited to return to the gutter and find out for myself how the band progressed through thrash’s dark decade.

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Horrorscope (1991)

Overkill’s first disc of the decade is the only one I’m really familiar with. Horrorscope saw the departure of long-term guitarist Bobby Gustafson and arrival of Merritt Gant and Rob Cannavino. The album marks a return to more simple songwriting, though some of that experimentation from The Years of Decay remains. Opener “Coma” is one of my favourite Overkill tunes, with it’s eerie intro and building tension. The almost cheesy creepy horror movie style piano intro to “Bare Bones” is another new idea that works well, building to some straight-up banging thrash.. Sonically Horrorscope maintains similar levels of crispness to its predecessor, though is a little rougher round the edges. Not a bad thing by any means in thrash, as the crunchy guitars and prominent bass remain. Blitz’ vocals are still killer, though seem a bit more controlled than in the early days with less all-out screams and more mid-range. There’s plenty of all out thrash with “Live Young, Die Free” and the aptly titled “Infectious” - it’s catchy riffs staying in your head with the “I’m a wartime killer…” line long after the disc stops spinning. The heavy doomy riffing returns in the title track, further proving Overkill can crush a slower number. The unmistakable effects-heavy bass intro from D.D. Verni is also a highlight. More bluesy rock ideas come in the awesome “Thanx For Nothin’”, which also foreshadows the band’s future style shift with it’s groovier rhythms. Overall, Horrorscope could be seen as a transitional record for Overkill, linking the all-out speed metal and progressive touches of the ‘80s with the groovy ideas to come. There’s a few classic bangers but about half of them album doesn’t seem to have the same impact as the previous material. The jamming cover of Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein” and the closing duo of “Nice Day...For a Funeral” and power ballad “Soulitude” are all solid listens but when the album ends I find only bits and pieces of the songs stick. Horrorscope in the end is a good album, listening from start to finish, but among the pantheon of classic Overkill tunes, some of the music just isn’t as strong as before. Critical Hits: “Coma”, “Infectious”, “Thanx For Nothin’”, “Bare Bones” and “Horrorscope”

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I Hear Black (1993)

By 1993 rock and metal was shifting. Most thrash bands of the previous decade had began to disappear. The big death metal bands of the time were peaking, Norwegian black metal was on the rise in the underground and grunge was on top, with nu metal’s time in the spotlight just around the corner. Overkill were one of few thrash bands who stuck around and like many of their peers, began a shift in style hinted at on the previous album. I Hear Black is considered the black sheep of the band’s back catalogue and it’s obvious something’s different even before listening - the lack of Chaly or even Overkill’s signature green on the cover is a telling sign. Listening to the album it’s not as bad as some might say however it’s definitely the weakest Overkill album so far. “Dreaming in Columbian” gets the head banging in the intro before the choppy grooves come in. It’s different but still a cool and catchy tune. The title track showcases more bluesy rock ideas and “World of Hurt” is another memorable track with it’s main triplet riff, filtered intro and chugging moments. From this point I Hear Black starts to lose some traction with mid-paced chugging grooves and rock riffs in “Feed My Head” and video-spawner “Spiritual Void”. The instrumental “Ghost Dance” feels like pretty pointless filler and the grungy “Shades of Grey” becomes tiresome after it’s slow burning chords. “Weight of the World” is the thrashiest tune of the album blending the blues riffing with straight-up punk and a shredding solo - a welcome return to speed after it’s predecessors. Sonically I Hear Black is decent, though it suffers from the click-y sound that can come with triggered kick drums at times (a slight knock to new drummer Tim Mallare’s otherwise tight performance), and Blitz’ vocals sound dry and lifeless - a touch more reverb could have made all the difference. The vocals themselves though solid, are rather subdued for the most part with little variance in range. There’s moments of vocal dynamic like in the penultimate “Undying”, which balances the comfortable mid-pitch with moments of highs and the most throat-shredding scream on the album. Another note is that a lot of the choruses have simple chords and vocal melodies that seem a little more (for want of a better phrase) mainstream. Overall I Hear Black is an OK album. Props to Overkill for trying something different that I’m sure they enjoyed at the time, and possibly still do. In the end however it’s a bit of a misstep and the band wouldn’t perfectly blend their punk, thrash, melodic and groovy elements until later releases. However there’s still some cool riffs to be found here and the album is worth a few spins every now and then. Critical Hits: “Dreaming in Columbian”, “I Hear Black”, “World of Hurt” and “Weight of the World”

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W.F.O (1994)

After the change of direction in it’s predecessor, W.F.O marks a return to a more upbeat style for Overkill. Opener “Where It Hurts” sets the tone with it’s constant pace and punky vibe and follow-up “Fast Junkie” injects a bit of thrashing speed sorely missed since Horrorscope. The group shout-along chorus and ending shouts of the album title (the biker term “Wide Fuckin’ Open”) gives an almost party vibe - a sense of fun that’s never a bad thing in thrash metal. In terms of production the album sounds a lot more up-to-date for the time, with a generally more crisp sound and each element of the band standing out in the mix. Continuing through W.F.O, the simple punk-thrash ideas come in headbanging numbers like “They Eat Their Young”, “Supersonic Hate” and “Under One”. The latter featuring some bluesy groove ideas that work better in moderation in the Overkill canon as opposed to the majority on I Hear Black. The band perform tight and well on the album, sounding energetic and more in the realm of what fans would want from them. A lot of the songs incorporate a more gruff, almost growling vocal from D.D. Verni and group vocals alongside Bobby Blitz’ distinct style. His range is still mostly within the mid on W.F.O however there’s some more dynamic than before, with Blitz even adding some more grit to his lows. The group shout-alongs give a good live feel to the songs, especially in the anthemic “Bastard Nation”. The experimental side to Overkill appears in closer “Gasoline Dream” which mixes lots of different ideas from dual vocals, chugging guitars and lead bass building up to the final blasts of thrash and the melodic ending. Overall W.F.O is a pretty solid album with plenty of catchy moments and cool ideas both new and old. The return to more thrashing tempos and punk attitude is a welcome one, though in the end the material doesn’t quite have the staying power of the ‘80s classics. Still, I’m glad I’ve got round to finally giving W.F.O a proper listen since it got my head banging and is definitely worth adding to my CD collection. Critical Hits: “Where It Hurts”, “Fast Junkie”, “They Eat Their Young”, “Supersonic Hate”, and “Bastard Nation”

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The Killing Kind (1996)

The next lineup change in Overkill came with The Killing Kind. Out were guitarists Merritt Gant and Rob Cannavino and in came Joe Comeau and Sebastian Marino. The album seems to split opinion with mixed reviews across the board, understandably as this is the first time the band have truly tried to blend all their different styles. Opener “Battle” sets the tone with its simple yet “chugga chugga” palm-mutes crossed with the power chord chorus. The sample of “It’s not like you can just kill me” from the film Batman Returns works well, and despite the layered vocals and “Yeahs” being a little grating at first, the song has grown on me. The star of The Killing Kind by far is “God-Like”. This is the kind of thrash Overkill fans must have been desperate for since Horrorscope. The song has a more modern style but is still classic Overkill at its core, bringing all the best bits of their sound together. Speaking of modernity, for 1996 at least, the album has a good punchy sound and much crunchier guitars than before. The uptempo energy continues in the punky “Certifiable”, only stopping in brief moments of heavy guitar stabs. The album shifts down-tempo to the moody “Burn You Down/To Ashes” with its mix of sombre acoustic melody and doom-laden heavy metal. The first 4 tracks give a good impression of the album and what’s to come, especially with the vocals. Bobby Blitz is arguably the most dynamic he’s ever been at this point, ranging from low growls to high screams, rapid spitting lines and melodic clean singing. D.D. Verni adds his own growls and shouts along with Joe Comeau which in places is effective but becomes messy in others. “Let Me Shut That For You” is an ironic prime example of when the vocal layering becomes a bit too much. The lyrics on The Killing Kind are an issue many seem to have. Overkill have never been a band to bullshit with their street, “what you see is what you get” attitude, and they have always delivered that without resorting to dropping excessive “fuck”s and “muthafucka”s, and over-using “hey”s, “whoa”s and “yeah”s. However this seems to be in abundance here and it comes across a little juvenile at times. Although at other times I feel it, so personally I’m a little divided though more skewed to my former opinion. On the other hand I keep coming back for the riffs and vocals so it’s certainly a memorable song. Another instrumental makes its way into the Overkill in the Verni standout “Feeding Frenzy”, followed by the grooviest track on the album “The Cleansing”. The piano-driven “The Mourning After/Private Bleeding” is the most left-field track to come from the band so far. The experiment is interesting, though the synth layers sound dated and cheesy - I like some cheesy keys in metal but here I don’t think it works as well as a real string section would. Overall The Killing Kind does quite well in blending the grooves with the punk and thrash that Overkill are known for, however most of the songs just don’t stick as well. The album has its moments and should be given a good few listens to make up your own mind. Critical Hits: “Battle”, “God-Like”, “Certifiable”, and “Let Me Shut That For You”

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From the Underground and Below (1997)

By 1997 nu metal was gaining serious traction. Simple groove rhythms, samples and effects, and rap style vocals were key for the most popular bands of the day, while the extreme bands were well and truly consigned to the underground. Overkill’s aptly titled From the Underground and Below continues the trend of better production and has the most punch yet, with huge-sounding guitars and booming bass. Opener “It Lives” demonstrates with thundering precision as the slamming grooves hit. The riffs are arguably simpler than ever, but effective here with the driving beat. The trend continues in “Save Me” with its repeating “you’re a miracle man” sample over the catchy groove and dance-y drumbeat giving an almost industrial vibe, which sounds pretty cool in Overkill’s hands. From this point, From the Underground and Below starts to dip into average territory. Video spawner “Long Time Dyin’” has a cool groove with it’s rock ideas and the dynamic between punky chords, and chugging in “Genocya”, “Half Past Dead” (Verni’s bass solo at the climax of this one is pretty sweet), and “I’m Alright” is passable. It’s not to say Overkill don’t perform well - they’re tight and heavy, and Blitz’s vocals are still killer - it’s just that the riffs can be rather derivative and uninteresting at times. The opening duo still get head banging and the body moving with their energy, it’s just that the overall mid-pace starts to become tiresome. There’s some reprieve in “F.U.C.T” (“First Underground Commission on Termination”) with it’s return to straight-up crossover thrash. The rock ‘n’ roll riffs return in “The Rip n’ Tear” though the song has a more fun party feel that’s never a bad thing. The closing couple of cheesy pop-metal ballad “Promises” (which is OK in itself, just not really what you would want from Overkill) and mid-paced cruncher “Little Bit O’ Murder” retain the average riffing. Overall the band don’t sound like they’ve ran out of steam at this point, but are possibly victims of absorbing the popular groove metal of the time. There’s lots of riffs that are just kinda boring but From the Underground and Below has its moments. Still, Overkill prove they can pull off a catchy groove metal song better than some of the bands known for the genre, just only in moderation. The perfect balance of classic Overkill with more modern sensibilities is still to come, though FtUaB is worth checking out. Critical Hits: “It Lives”, “Save Me”, “F.U.C.T” and “The Rip n’ Tear”

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Necroshine (1999)

Overkill ended the decade with their 10th album, Necroshine. By the turn of the millennium thrash was out of style as nu metal bands ruled the airwaves. Chaly returns to the album cover after a break on the previous release. The computer graphics might have been cutting edge at the time but have dated since, though the cover is still pretty cool - making regular appearances on Overkill shirts at gigs. Necroshine begins with the title tune, opening with some eerie delayed guitar sounds condensing into a sequenced percussive sound. The chugging underneath leads to a super simple yet banging groove juxtaposed with some insane screams from Blitz that I personally live for. It’s a catchy and fun opener that I can attest is a belter live. From there the album goes somewhat downhill. There’s some cool snippets of ideas like the catchy vocal melody of “My December” or the swaggering heavy rock of “Stone Cold Jesus”, but the overall abundance of “chugga chugga” and mid-paced groove riffs get quite boring fast. The only other standout track to me besides the title is the speedier “Black Line”, which has a more old-skool vibe with its melodic sing-along chorus (and cheesy whistling moment). That’s not to say that Necroshine is a terrible album. The music isn’t bad, just really lacklustre in comparison to previous efforts. Overkill are far from burnt out judging by their energetic performance, but the overuse use of grooves doesn’t suit them. The thrashing excitement the Overkill we know and love would gradually make a return over the coming few records. The balance of thrash, punk, power and grooves would be perfected in due course, but at the time the more current groove metal sound prevailed. Critical Hits: “Necroshine” and “Black Line”

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What do you think of Overkill’s 90’s output? Besides Horrorscope and the title track to Necroshine, everything else was pretty new to me. I discovered a fair few awesome tunes, even on the more polarising releases, but overall nothing quite compares to the classics. However that’s just my opinion so feel free to comment and discuss the six 90’s Overkill albums, and look out for Part 3 (the 2000’s albums) soon!