#10 The Electric Age (2012)
I will begin here by saying I disagree with the ranking of “The Electric Age”. To caveat, I don’t think it is a poor album. I simply believe there are some Overkill albums lower on this list that deserve to be above this one. The criteria is firm, however, and the numbers don’t lie. Fan and professional publications tended to really enjoy this album. The follow up to 2010’s critically acclaimed “Ironbound”, “The Electric Age” continues where the previous album left off. The sound and feel of this record is very similar to “Ironbound”, but has more variety in it’s songs – though most tracks aren’t quite as memorable.
With this album, Overkill is telling the community “this is what a proper thrash metal album is supposed to sound like.” The review on All Music even mentions that the new album “feels as if they’re giving the metal world a much needed lecture in thrash 101”. This release is yet another solid Overkill outing but lacks much innovation and isn’t going to win over any new fans. The exception is the dynamic, yet brutal, closing track “Good Night”, which exemplifies everything we love about Overkill.
Highlights: “Come and Get It”, “Drop the Hammer Down”, “Old Wounds, New Scars”, “Good Night”.
#9 I Hear Black (1993)
No Overkill album is as controversial as “I Hear Black”. The band released the album after signing a major record deal with Atlantic Records. This came on the heels of the “Horrorscope” album release and Atlantic was trying to jump on the band-wagon of the late 80’s/early 90’s metal popularity boom. However, company interference greatly impacted the sound of this album. Most songs are mid-tempo and lean heavily on the groove side of the metal spectrum – away from their thrash roots. The sound production of the album also gives it a different tone than other Overkill records – it’s more dense, cleaned up. This dynamic shift caught fans off guard at first and was initially met with disdain. However, if you can set aside your per-conceived notions about what Overkill “should” be, and listen to the album as it is, this record has some of the best work Overkill has ever created. Not to mention, Bobby Ellsworth’s vocal performance is a polished as ever.
Highlights: “I Hear Black”, “World of Hurt”, “Spiritual Void”.
#8 Taking Over (1987)
The band’s second album “Taking Over” comes complete with several tracks still in the concert rotation today and proved Overkill was an up-and-coming band in thrash metal. This album is ranked 8th, however, for a variety of small reasons. Least important is the album artwork, which does not fit in with any other Overkill album. The production (as with each of their first 3 albums) feels a bit dated in when listening in 2020. The guitar solos lack at times – almost as if made up on the spot and recorded in one or two takes. Finally, Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth was still finding his voice at this stage and it shows in the final product – a few of the songs are inconsistent vocally or slightly off key.
On the other hand, this album has some very strong song-writing credits and focuses more on technical musicianship than a heavy sound. This technicality allows the instrumental sections to really standout. As I stated, songs like “Deny the Cross”, “Wrecking Crew”, and “In Union We Stand” are still frequently in Overkill’s live set. On a personal note, my early favorite Overkill song (and the first I attempted to learn on guitar) is “Overkill II (The Nightmare Continues)”. The song is thematic, atmospheric, heavy, and has great riffs.
Highlights: “Deny the Cross”, “Fear His Name”, “Powersurge”, “Overkill II (The Nightmare Continues)”.
#7 The Grinding Wheel (2017)
The word diversity comes to mind with Overkill’s “The Grinding Wheel” album. As their 18th album, Overkill knows who they are and what their sound is. If you pick up this album it has very similar production and tone to their other outings in the 2010s. But what this album lacks in innovation, it makes up for in energy and variety between songs. We have classic Overkill in songs like “Mean, Green, Killing Machine” and “Red, White, and Blue”, punk attitude in “Goddamn Trouble” and “Let’s All Go to Hades”, tempo and riff complexity in “The Long Road” and “The Grinding Wheel” and even a touch of doom in “Come Heavy”. Overall, the song quality isn’t quite as strong across the board as the albums higher on this list, but it offers more variety than many Overkill albums and keeps the interest level strong from start to finish.
Highlights: “The Long Road”, “Red, White, and Blue”, “The Grinding Wheel”.
#6 Killbox 13 (2003)
As a lifelong Overkill fan, I believe most fans will agree with the Top 5 albums (even if the order could be argued). The #6 spot might scratch some heads. “Killbox 13” was released in 2003 and marked a return to the bands raw thrash style that had begun to disappear in the late ‘90s. The album is the first to feature Derek Tailer on rhythm guitar, joining Dave Linsk – a combo still with the band to this day. It was also recorded just months after singer Bobby Ellsworth suffered a stroke. Needless to say, many fans were worried about the future of the singer and of the band.
As Overkill has done numerous times throughout their long career, they proved we had nothing to worry about with “Killbox 13”. The album has such crisp and clean production that most newer albums don’t even sound this good (and no other Overkill album has quite sounded like this). It is especially surprising as it is the immediate follow-up to the “Bloodletting” album – which is probably Overkill’s worst production. The songs here are driving, interesting, dynamic, and sometimes even catchy. In addition, I argue that Killbox 13 is the 2nd best vocal performance ever recorded by Bobby ‘Blitz’. He is on point with his tone, range, and enthusiasm on each of the 10 tracks. Dare I say, it should be the standard by which modern thrash vocal performance’s should strive to match .
The only thing that holds the album back is a lack of truly ground-breaking songs. This album is further evidence of what Overkill does well, but it doesn’t change the landscape of metal music. Regardless this album is HIGHLY underrated and underappreciated.
Highlights: “Devil by the Tail”, “The One”, “Until I Die”, “I Rise”.
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