Review: Overkill – Ironbound (2010)
The world of American Thrash Metal has a lot of influences, coming from all over the country. Bands come and go, but few have done what Overkill, hailing from New Jersey, has done over the years. Their sound has been shaking the speakers of listeners since 1980, and with the release of their latest album Ironbound, they certainly haven’t lost any of their Thrashing touch, and can show clear ties to their roots with this release!
With Overkill on the bill for Wacken 2010, Ironbound definitely has a lot to offer for both the older fan base, and the fans that are somewhat new to the scene that might be attending. On first listen of this release, I immediately knew that the album as a whole was done well. The production quality was right on a level that you would expect a band of this stature to have, especially at this point in their career. Bobby “Blitz” sounded great throughout the recording, with no apparent difficulty to stay on key. You can definitely tell that he’s coming along in the years, and that might have affected the sound for some. This production mixed much of their sound from albums such as The Years of Decay, keeping the up-beat pace and vocal tone that has made them popular and recognizable in comparison to other bands in the genre, but they have also thrown in some break-downs throughout all of the songs, with some entrances that have me thinking of mixes from other bands in the trade, such as Metallica, and Megadeth. Songs like “Killing For A Living” brings an entrance that reminds me of the intro from “Damage Inc.” from Master of Puppets, and song speed exchanges like in “Killing is my Business…And Business is Good!” By Megadeth. A few of the complaints I might have about the album as a whole, is that when you set the intro’s and breakdowns aside, many of the tracks on this album progress in the same way, and show a lack of variety. It also seemed that “Blitz” sounded slightly bored with the tracks. This could very well be attributed to Ellsworth’s extent of time in the scene, or it could also be a figment of my imagination, but I just didn’t feel the flair that I felt on some of the earlier albums.
Altogether, Ironbound definitely has a sound that would take any of the big followers right back to their albums from the early days, but even for any new listeners, this one would be a very good example of how Thrash bands can stay true to their sound, and still do amazing things, while keeping the fans entertained.
VERY GOOD
Similar Artists: Megadeth, Annihilator, Corrosion of Conformity, Kreator
1. The Green and Black
2. Ironbound
3. Bring Me the Night
4. The Goal Is Your Soul
5. Give a Little
6. Endless War
7. The Head and Heart
8. In Vain
9. Killing for a Living
10. The SRC
Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth – Lead Vocals
Dave Linsk – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Derek Tailer – Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
D.D. Verni – Bass, Backing Vocals
Ron Lipnicki – Drums
http://www.myspace.com/overkill
Review by TONY
