Over 35 years in the business and thrash legends Overkill show absolutely no signs of wear and tear with the fittingly titled “The Grinding Wheel” referencing the longevity of Overkill. In a world where trends come and go and the past slips further away from the originators of thrash metal, this album shows why those pioneers are still the blue prints for everything right in heavy music today.
In typical Overkill fashion, there is plenty of old school thrashing to be had on “The Grinding Wheel” but what really stands out on a lot of songs is the little references to their very own influences that give the songs a bit of flair. The album has a certain punk quality to it not just in it’s attitude but in the musical riffs that are spread around the tracks, “Goddamn Trouble” is a great example of that New York punk vibe but it’s also a hell of a groove stomper and enough meat on the bones to satisfy any metal head. Black Sabbath riffs are abundant here too, from the opening track with it’s mid-tempo groove and harmonies to songs like “Shine On” and the aptly titled “Come Heavy” which is not surprsingly one of the heavier tracks on offer. Throw in a little New Wave Of British Heavy Metal as found in “The Long Road” or even a song like “Our Finest Hour” (Killing Time anyone?) and what you have is a retrospective metal album and wears it’s infuences proud and gloriously.
That’s not to say Overkill have simply copied and pasted all these influenced riffs and created songs around them, not in the least. The album still has Overkill stamped all over it and while it’s not blistering speedy all the way through, it’s catchy and hooky as hell with those thrashy moments sprinkled around evenly. The singature sound is still there of course and if you are looking for the real thrashy stuff, look no further than the tail end of the album with tracks like “Red White And Blue” with it’s catchy chorus lines fed brilliantly by some cool backing vocals that has gotta be a live song in the making.
Singer Bobby Blitz still sounds amazing after all these years, I don’t know how he does it (Actually I do a little after asking him a few years ago in an interview) but even with all the vocal techniques and training, it still blows my mind how strong his vocals are and how they have held up over the years. Part of that singature sound of Overkill is Bobby’s voice and it’s good to see it retained and used so effectively in these songs. Overkill also consistently deliver quality sounding albums too and “The Grinding Wheel” is no different in that department, the drums have punch, the guitars are crunchy and there’s plenty of bass moments from D.D. Verni to appease those that love the 4 string sounds. Once again Overkill have put out another killer album and over 35 years later they still show that the old dogs of the 80’s can still compete with any of the young guns out there today.
