| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Scorched Goin' Home The Surgeon Twist Of The Wick Wicked Place Won't Be Coming Back Fever Harder They Fall Know Her Name Bag O Bones Release Date: April 14, 2023 Label: Nuclear Blast Records Website: wreckingcrew.com Facebook: OverkillWreckingCrew Instagram: @overkillofficial |  |
There's a first time for everything. Since 1985, everyone's favourite Jersey thrash uncles Overkill (sorry, Whiplash), have been super consistent with new album releases. They never took more than 3 years between releases. However for the first time ever, they got their first 4-year gap between records between their 2019 album Wings Of War, and their twentieth (yes, twentieth) studio album Scorched, and of course, a little part of that was at the hands of something called the Covid pandemic. In a big way, the longer gap seemed to work in their favour, because they're about to put out what I think is their best album since The Electric Age. I honestly felt that with White Devil Armory, The Grinding Wheel and Wings Of War, the songwriting was starting to get kind of stale with sporadic good moments. It felt like D.D. Verni was starting to take too much control in the songwriting, and felt that he should let Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer contribute ideas going forward.
Opening the record is something a bit different this time. The record says "Hello" with the title track, which starts with a melodic tapping guitar intro that feels like a cross between Iron Maiden and Van Halen. You also hear individual chimes ringing, courtesy of Jason Bittner. He definitely brings a bit of Neil Peart influence to his thrash playing, which is a really nice mix. Of course, you can't forget about the ageless wonder known as Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, who hasn't lost one bit of intensity of his voice. If the thrash doesn't knock you to the ground, the groove makes up for that by punching you in the face. For proof, look no further than "Goin' Home", with its potent mixture of thrashy hooks, groovy goodness, and quite a melodic chorus. The production is razor-sharp, and that alone is enough to blow Wings Of War right out of the water, especially with the mix being handled by the legendary Colin Richardson, and the mastering being handled by Maor Appelbaum. The intro to "Wicked Place" seems to pay tribute to Diamond Head's "Am I Evil" before heading into a shuffle-based groove.
While we're on the subject of highlights, "Twist Of The Wick" takes the Best Track On The Album award by a long shot, with a riff that hits harder than a punch from Mike Tyson in his prime, and a monk-chanting bridge (as Blitz calls it), with the chanting voices coming through a keyboard and played by Michael Romeo of Symphony X. I've been giving the "replay" button the beating of its life with this track in particular ever since my first listen to the album. "Fever" in particular is a standout track because it's definitely the most unexpected Overkill track we've gotten in a long time. Starting off with a smooth and light groovy bass line, we're then greeted with very Ozzy-esque vocals from Blitz. If you closed your eyes and weren't told it was an Overkill song, you would think that it was Ozzy singing.
Of course there are certain tracks that don't quite hit the mark as much as the others, but after the trifecta of some slight duds, the pandemic seemed to be a blessing in disguise for Overkill, because the extended time off seemed to breathe new life into the creative juices. Now, I'm a guy that is always championing bands to take chances and try some new things with their music, whether it's going in a different direction, or just adding in new elements while retaining your traditional sound. The point is that even if it doesn't work, at least you gave it a shot. While they may be considered the Motorhead of thrash, Overkill definitely took a chance and incorporated some new elements on this record, and you know what, they worked like a charm. Scorched most certainly lives up to its name because you will feel scorched after the serious headbanging session this album will give you.
Opening the record is something a bit different this time. The record says "Hello" with the title track, which starts with a melodic tapping guitar intro that feels like a cross between Iron Maiden and Van Halen. You also hear individual chimes ringing, courtesy of Jason Bittner. He definitely brings a bit of Neil Peart influence to his thrash playing, which is a really nice mix. Of course, you can't forget about the ageless wonder known as Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, who hasn't lost one bit of intensity of his voice. If the thrash doesn't knock you to the ground, the groove makes up for that by punching you in the face. For proof, look no further than "Goin' Home", with its potent mixture of thrashy hooks, groovy goodness, and quite a melodic chorus. The production is razor-sharp, and that alone is enough to blow Wings Of War right out of the water, especially with the mix being handled by the legendary Colin Richardson, and the mastering being handled by Maor Appelbaum. The intro to "Wicked Place" seems to pay tribute to Diamond Head's "Am I Evil" before heading into a shuffle-based groove.
While we're on the subject of highlights, "Twist Of The Wick" takes the Best Track On The Album award by a long shot, with a riff that hits harder than a punch from Mike Tyson in his prime, and a monk-chanting bridge (as Blitz calls it), with the chanting voices coming through a keyboard and played by Michael Romeo of Symphony X. I've been giving the "replay" button the beating of its life with this track in particular ever since my first listen to the album. "Fever" in particular is a standout track because it's definitely the most unexpected Overkill track we've gotten in a long time. Starting off with a smooth and light groovy bass line, we're then greeted with very Ozzy-esque vocals from Blitz. If you closed your eyes and weren't told it was an Overkill song, you would think that it was Ozzy singing.
Of course there are certain tracks that don't quite hit the mark as much as the others, but after the trifecta of some slight duds, the pandemic seemed to be a blessing in disguise for Overkill, because the extended time off seemed to breathe new life into the creative juices. Now, I'm a guy that is always championing bands to take chances and try some new things with their music, whether it's going in a different direction, or just adding in new elements while retaining your traditional sound. The point is that even if it doesn't work, at least you gave it a shot. While they may be considered the Motorhead of thrash, Overkill definitely took a chance and incorporated some new elements on this record, and you know what, they worked like a charm. Scorched most certainly lives up to its name because you will feel scorched after the serious headbanging session this album will give you.
FINAL RATING
| | |
RSS Feed
