Post #2 - Overkill Enters The Electric Age

On March 27^th, long-running American thrash metal pioneers OVERKILL will once again set the metal world afire with the release of The Electric Age. The follow up their 2010 brick-breaking return to glory Ironbound, The Electric Age is a furious attack on the eardrums that encompasses the very essence of this band’s three decade career. Elements of their debut, Feel The Fire, the breakthrough Years of Decay (an album considered by many to be the epitome of 80’s thrash) and the untouchable mid-90’s W.F.O., smash skull first into the modern muscle the band flexed on recent efforts Immortalis and Ironbound for an end result that promises to blow speakers and break necks. 

Never known for showing restraint where sonic output is concerned, OVERKILL plays the bull in your china shop as they run rampant across the ten tracks that make up The Electric Age. Opener “Come And Get It” dares you to just that with an arsenal of crunch-laden riffs and metallic fury. The guitar duo of Dave Linsk and Derek Trailer combine malevolence and melody while cramming the likes “Drop The Hammer Down” (which boasts some of the most impressive lead work on any of OVERKILL’s sixteen albums), “Wish You Were Dead” and “Old Wounds, New Scars” down the throats of their hungry fanbase. Founding member, bassist and main songwriter, DD Verni reigns in this chaotic, yet catchy swirl with his patented rubbery and grumbling bass tone.

At the center of it all is the infamous and immediately recognizable snarl of frontman Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth. For a man that has recovered from a stroke, beaten cancer and belted out more enraged screams than anyone should, he can still deliver like nobody else. With his ability to turn a verse into an unforgettable mantra that will echo among the halls of Valhalla for an eternity, Blitz’s presence makes a good album great and a great album classic. The swarm of up and comers out there would be smart to study this singer.

With a title that serves as an homage to the brave new world that has sprung up around this old dog’s porch, OVERKILL, who’s first recorded output came in the form of hand-dubbed cassettes, continues to bulldoze their way through a music industry that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the one in which they started. Fearless and stronger than all, OVERKILL grabs The Electric Age by the jugular and refuses to let go.  

Post #1 - Why, Metallica, Why?

Metallica.

Mere mention of the band’s name is enough to elicit a whirlwind of conversation amongst metal fans of all generations. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Metallica knows how to get people talking, and that’s exactly what they did on February 7^th, 2012 when they announced the Orion Music + More Festival (the name taken from the song “Orion” off the band’s now classic “Master of Puppets album), set for June 23^rd & 24^th in Atlantic City, NJ. Looking back at the last handful of live dates the band announced – the “Big Four” shows with Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth and the quartet of 30^th Anniversary dates in San Fransisco late last year – a two day festival headlined by Metallica should be reason to celebrate. Then they announced the lineup…

Continuing the game of tug-o-war they started playing with the heatstrings of longtime fans with the release of the  overly-artsy “Lulu” collaboration with famed noise rocker Lou Reed, an album which couldn’t find appreciation from fans or critics, Metallica dug their claws even deeper into the flesh of the indie-rock scene by announcing a list of supporting acts that sent texts of “WTF” screaming across Verizon and Sprint’s collective networks. While the overfuzzed, stoner metal vibe of Texas’ The Sword (who once toured with Metallica), hipster black metal act Liturgy and the commercially-polished Avenged Sevenfold fall in line with Metallica’s “Metal Up Your Ass” motto, the inclusion of acts such as Modest Mouse, Cage The Elephant, Arctic Monkeys, Gary Clark Jr. and garage rock legend Roky Erickson left many among the metal community scratching their heads in disbelief. Not to take away from the talents of any of the aforementioned artists, but the announcement has many feeling that Metallica has once again turned their backs on loyal fans in an attempt to cash in on current trends and is eeriely reminicent of their descion to feature 2003’s flavor of the week bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park on the cash-grab that was the Summer Sanitarium tour. 

Objectively speaking, this festival could be seen as a way for Metallica to further spread their artistic wings and diversify the fanbases of all involved. Or it could be that a 30 year career has afforded the band the luxury of changing their game as they see fit. It could even be that Metallica is trying to cram a bit of culture down our throats. Whatever the case, the timing is horrible. The success the band enjoyed by returning to their roots should have been enough proof that their battle-tested thrash metal stylings remains close to the hearts of millions and has sank its hooks into multiple generations. The main question here is why abandon what their fans have been pining for yet again? I guess the answer can be found by looking back and remembering that this was a band that sued teenagers for millions in the Napster controversy and needed a therapist in the studio to complete an album. At least they’re keeping us all talking.