#5 Under the Influence (1988)
On their 3rd album, and the last in what I call the ‘Early Years’ era, Overkill was still finding their sound but were becoming more consistent in both performance and song-writing. “Under the Influence” is a more mature album and serves as the perfect segway that led to the band’s next album, “The Years of Decay”. This record shows off good song construction and the band performs with a sense of confidence and experience far above their previous albums. In addition, Bobby Ellsworth’s vocals have begun to mature and are a bit more controlled and grounded. This album is also the first to showcase Chaly on the album artwork – Overkill’s bat mascot, their equivalent of Iron Maiden’s Eddy. While this album is not perfect start to finish, and the production doesn’t quite hold up compared to the group’s later outings, there are several stand-outs on this album. That includes arguably the band’s most commercial hit “Hello From The Gutter”. Personally, this album holds a special place in my heart as the first Overkill album that I owned.
Highlights: “Shred”, “Never Say Never”, “Drunken Wisdom”, “End of the Line”.
#4 W.F.O. (1994)
Overkill’s second, and last record with Atlantic Records, has a lot going for it: it’s heavier than most other Overkill albums and really emphasizes the punk element of their music. That record also includes strong, and memorable lyrics – especially the song “Gasoline Dream”. The biggest problem this album has is the production quality. It’s muddy at times, and the instrument levels don’t seem to be set quite right. Some folks have complained that the bass is too prominent, but that doesn’t bother me. My issue is that the two guitars seem to drown one another out through the album. To me, it felt like Atlantic Records could not quite grasp how an Overkill album should sound. The evidence is in the huge swing in sound between “W.F.O.” and the previous album, “I Hear Black”. Go ahead and compare the sound of both albums – it hardly sounds like the same group. While this certainly hampers the album, it is one of the most consistent albums in Overkill’s discography and includes maybe Overkill’s greatest track, the aforementioned “Gasoline Dream”.
Highlights: “Where It Hurts”, “The Wait/A New High in Lows”, “Under One”, “Bastard Nation” and “Gasoline Dream”.
#3 Ironbound (2010)
The year was 2010 and Overkill had just released their 15th studio album. Coming off a decade of average albums, by Overkill standards, “Ironbound” quickly received widespread acclaim and album of the year nominations. The entire band sounds inspired on the record and the songs are crafted as though written by much younger versions of themselves. Bobby Ellsworth’s vocals on this album are also very strong compared to some of the recent albums. It even charted on the Billboard 200, which was a first in nearly 20 years. The album is punchy, angry, technically proficient, includes the best guitar solos of the Dave Linsk era and is above-all, entertaining. This may be the one Overkill album in the 21st century that truly opened the band up to a new group of fans. “Ironbound” slips to the #3 slot because the last third of the album has a bit of a drop in quality but is nonetheless one of the best metal albums released since 2000.
Highlights: “The Green and Black”, title-track “Ironbound”, and “Endless War”.
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