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.