Overkill Album Review

Overkill - Ironbound

E1, 2010

7/10

Overkill is the Motorhead of thrash metal. Although they’ve never achieved major glory, they’ve managed to issue an impressive number of albums over nearly 30 years with remarkable consistency. Overkill’s had their share of ups and downs, but you can always count on them to deliver a decent record and Ironbound continues this tradition. Lead-off track “The Green And Black” opens the album with a solid, chugging line, and leads into the title track, a monster collection of heavy riffs. The album takes a bit of a dive with three weak tracks, including “Bring Me The Night” with its blatant reworking of the Diamond Head classic “Helpless”. “Endless War” picks up the pace, and “The Head And Heart” includes some great guitar solos among its mid-tempo beatings. The final trio of songs (“In Vain”, “Killing For A Living”, and “The SRC”) are among the best on the album and end the album on a high note. There’s much to enjoy here on Ironbound, and Overkill have succeeded in presenting an excellent album that continues their long-standing tradition of take-no-prisoners thrash metal. On the other hand, Ironbound is unlikely to rank amongst their best records such as Horrorscope and The Years Of Decay.

Overkill will be appearing at Station 4 in St. Paul on Sunday, April 11. Support will come from Vader, God Dethroned, Warbringer, Evile, and Woe Of Tyrants.