There aren’t many bands who have it made it to their eighteenth album, let alone a thrash act, but this 2014 release is just that. Okay, so only singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni have been there throughout, but they have kept the flag flying high, and the current five-man line-up came together in 2005, so it’s not surprising that they know what they are doing. Unlike some bands who broke through in the thrash scene (mentioning no names, but they used to have Dave Mustaine in their ranks), these guys have stayed true to their roots and haven’t moved musically a long way from their 1985 debut.
With Overkill, the listener always knows what they are going to get, and in many ways they are a load of fun, but to my ears this album is nothing more than that. It’s good, it’s solid, it’s strong and tight, but nothing more than that. There is nothing on here that really makes it stand out from any of their other albums, and there’s the issue. If you enjoy thrash metal, then you’ll enjoy it while it’s on, but is there anything essenial on here that will make you go back and play it again? That’s a very different question, and not one that I am sure I can answer.
