39 years into this and New Jersey thrash veterans Overkill are not sounding like they even want to slow down if their latest album “The Wings Of War” is anything to go by. Album number 19 sounds as heavy and fresh as any metal record out there which either says a lot about the younger bands or it simply means Overkill simply know how to get the job done.
Overkill have been on a bit of a winning streak this past 10 years which has seen the band consistently deliver albums on par with anything they had done back in the early days which many consider to be the golden age of thrash metal. I don’t necessarily subscribe to that whole “only the old shit is good” mentality and you hear that with regard to many of the old school bands like Metallica, Megadeth and their contemporaries. The way I see it, if it sounds good to my ears, I’m all in. That being said, I think it’s undisputed just how good Overkill actually are in what some might consider the twilight of their career. Sure they aren’t young bucks anymore and while there is a huge classic metal sound thematically running through the band’s trademark sound, especially on this latest release, there’s no denying how powerful they still come across. Catching their show down under last year was further proof that there was no tricks with this band, they are the real deal and with “The Wings Of War”, they deliver another uncompromising set of true metal songs.
Kicking off with a cinematic intro on “Last man Standing“, the electronic sounding elements was a bit of a throw off but once the guitars came in, there was no denying what was about to be unleashed. Thrash metal has always been Overkill’s game and on here they deliver that on all accounts as the lead track to the album. The fast paced groove of “Believe In The Fight” follows and features a killer riff mid-way that really flips the song around into almost an entirely different tune. It does come back around again but it’s foot stomping lead is definitely a highlight here.
The band’s previous album “The Grinding Wheel” had very much a Black Sabbath inspired theme running through that album with riffs clearly influenced by the great Iommi himself and here on “Head Of A Pin“, you hear that 70’s metal sound once again particularly in the intro section. The difference this time however is that pretty much stops here as the band incorporate a renenergized sound thanks in part to their new drummer Jason Bittner who makes his debut with the band on this album dong a fantastic job laying down some truly memorable drum tracks.
The title of “Bat Shit Crazy” sums up this frenetic piece very well as this song has a lot of working parts melded together. It’s also very old school sounding with some catchy as hell chorus sections. “Distortion” brings the groove back again while “A Mother’s Prayer” also has that classic heavy metal style thrown into the overall vibe. Overkill have always had that nostalgic sort of sound in their music, the blue-collared working class man’s music so to speak is their mantra and it shows without ever being apologetic about it in their music.
The homegrown “Welcome To The Garden State” will be familiar to New Jersey natives in it’s name but here we see some punk infused thrash rather than the traditional gamet of metal heard thus far. “Where Few Dare To Walk” continues the memorable song titles with another old school headbanger and “Out On The Road-Kill” is a full on tharsh-fest that is rounded out by a great classic rock solo from one Dave Linsk. Things end here with the fun “Holy In My Soul“, a song that captures the very essence of Overkill in all it;s vintage glory.
I’ll admit, “The Wings Of War” hasn’t quite grabbed me the same way as the last few albums but that is certainly not to say that it’s in any way sub-par, average or less fun to listen. It’s another great album by a great band who don’t know how to disappoint and this will still make our top lists for the year without a doubt.
TRACKLIST
Last Man Standing
Believe In The Fight
Head Of A Pin
Bat Shit Crazy
Distortion
A Mother’s Prayer
Welcome To The Garden State
Where Few Dare To Walk
Out On The Road-Kill
Hole In My Soul
