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Music, Reviews

“Immortalis” by Overkill

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Artist: Overkill
Title: “Immortalis”
Label: Bodog Music”
Release Date: 10/9/2007
Genre: Thrash Metal
Rating: 3.5/5

Now some twenty seven years into their career the guys in Overkill have little to prove about their mastery of the Thrash Metal movement that is now mainly considered a vital segment of the hallowed Old School sound that many of us grew up on. Despite this, the legendary Thrashers return with “Immortalis”, their 14th studio effort, and it is here that we find the band returning more to their classic sound with just enough of the Metal fury of today. It also found the band reunited with Johnny and Marsha Zazula who helped initially launch the Overkill name into the Metal stratosphere. As an album it’s solid and definitely shows the world that they are not relics from the past who don’t know the scene that is around in Metal’s present day. One of the songs that prove this quite clearly is “Skull And Bones” which offers up a duet between Blitz and Randy Blythe from that band they call Lamb Of God (perhaps some of you have heard of them :). The two bands shared the stage at the second Gigantour and it was a great way for the Old School to meet the New. When compared to their last studio release “ReliXIV”, I have to admit that I liked this one a little bit more because on top of the thrashing there was a little more musical experimentation than I expected to find Overkill doing. Of course the band could always play, but this time they showed different skills in my opinion and the signs of their being elder statesman of the genre were a little more visible.
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Events, Reviews

Overkill @ B.B. King Blues Club (1/28/2007)

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The place is always insanity when Overkill comes a knocking and tonight would be no different as the band took to the stage at B.B. King Blues Club. This would be only my second show into the Metal Year 2007 and the exciting time found Joey Belladonna and Metal Church opening the show. Meliah Rage appeared as well but we sadly missed them. Photos and comments about what we did catch are easy to find, just click the logo below to be taken to our article on the main PiercingMetal.com site.

Logo - Overkill

Artist: Overkill
Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY)
Opener: Metal Church, Joey Belladonna, Meliah Rage, Red Red Hand
Date: 1/28/2007
Label: Spitfire Records

January was almost over in Metal Year 2007 and what an ending it would have with another great show at B.B. King Blues Club. Tonight would be an appearance by the legendary Overkill – a band that for over two decades have always known the formula for making the audience insane, causing intense neck strain from mass head banging and capable of making the blood to flow faster in ones Metal heart. Are you excited yet? Well, imagine how those members in the audience felt tonight because it would also find Meliah Rage, Joey Belladonna from Anthrax, and the mighty Metal Church as well as newcomers Red Red Hand performing. The very definition for the evening would be Metal, pure and simple. Accepting no substitutes, we adventured into our familiar stomping grounds and found Meliah Rage completing their set. Sadly, we missed this new band RRH and by the sound of the last couple from Meliah we knew we had missed some worthy introductory thunder. Oh well, lets hope they come back around soon so we can make up for this. Joey Belladonna would come up next and this performance was almost immediately following the breaking news that he would no longer be taking part in the reunited Anthrax. We had reviewed the appearance of them at Starland Ballroom and the last time we saw Joey solo he was on the drums. Tonight he would remain in front of the microphone and command a very energetic group of musicians. There was a long turnaround time in setting up and I feared a cut back set as result of this, but as soon as he hit the stage, I worried no more since JB was kicking some ass once again for a hungry Metal crowd. He had a limited amount of room to perform on and this allowed the audience to be very close to him during this set. He was continually reaching over the photo pit on a number of occasions and slapping the hands of the fans. His set was made up of original numbers and a couple of Anthrax classics, but the slow setting up time caused him to play about five out of the seven listed numbers. He was entertaining, and still has the pipes for these songs and was met with a large level of approval so here is to continued success Joey. Be you with Anthrax or not we are waiting with excitement for more material from you.
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Music, Reviews

“ReliXIV” by Overkill

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Artist: Overkill
Title: “ReliXIV”
Label: Spitfire Records
Release Date: 3/22/2005
Rating: 7.5/10

Overkill is one of those Metal bands who have been able to withstand the tests of time as far as the music industry is concerned. Veterans to the Thrash Metal genre and Legends among their peers these NY/NJ natives have proven time and time again the level of quality and dedication that they have to their craft. For twenty years they have delivered a neck wrecking Thrashing to a legion of diehard Metal heads that show up in throngs to each and every performance. The new album of “ReliXIV” takes their 14th recording to a slightly different level. After so many years of straight ahead Thrash Metal adventures, this album leans more towards a grinding Heavy Metal vibe. Instead of blazing through it all the guys allow that a little slower head banging can be done as they mix their classic style elements into a more traditional Metal based album. Of all bands they deserve the right to experiment a little bit and after 14 albums loaded with influential songs it’s nice to see that they can change course and still deliver. Core members and founders Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth (vocals) and D.D. Verni (bass) still run the machine and drive the course of their brand without fail. Tim Mallare (drummer for some years) along with Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer (both on guitars) deliver a different level of shredding and thrashing for the fans to absorb. Songs like “Pound Of Flesh” and “The Mark” have the classic Overkill feel to them, but “Within Your Eyes” and “Love” are totally out of the normal expectation that the fans might have of their idols. The homage to their past shines on the closing track “Old School” which lines out the bands philosophy on their beginnings and also holds a little respect to their early Punk Rock roots. I really enjoyed the fun spirited nature of this track.
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Music, Reviews

“Acts Of Insanity” by Speed\Kill\Hate

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Artist: Speed\Kill\Hate
Title: “Acts Of Insanity”
Label: Escapi Music
Release Date: 6/6/2006
Genre: Thrash Metal
Rating: 7/10

Clearly the music scene today is missing some good old-fashioned Thrash Metal. Thanks to the members of Speed\Kill\Hate, fans of the genre that pretty much kicked off a wide variety of styles now have something with a classic sound and vibe to it. Fronted by lead singer Mario Frasca the band drives the point home from the very first track and across the whole record. If slam-dance moshing is up your alley there is definitely a lot of things you can pound your boots to on this one. The members who make up the albums core on the musician side certainly know something about giving the audience a good thrashing; you see they are also part of the band Overkill (a legend in the Metal world on their own). Dave Linsk, Derek Tailer and Tim Mallare handle the guitar, bass and drumming on the recording and their musicianship is pretty solid from top to bottom. Tailer does good on the bass, as in Overkill he is doing guitars to D.D.’s bassmanship. Mallare left Overkill last year while Linsk and Tailer are still recording and touring with the band. They maintain that Speed Kill Hate is not a project band at all yet very simply it is something else that they are involved in musically. At times I felt there was a little too much of the same vibe going on, but its been so long since a solid Thrash record has come along that I could be wrong. Fans who lean towards some aspects of later Pantera, Superjoint Ritual and perhaps Hatebreed will find some amount of pleasure within these tracks. Frasca has a lot of the Anselmo and Jasta qualities that make for a good Thrash lead man. During the listen I felt my head beginning to do the required banging that is sure to hit other listeners when they play this album.
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Reviews, Videos

“Wrecking Everything – An Evening In Asbury Park” [DVD] by Overkill

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Artist: Overkill
Title: “Wrecking Everything – Live In Asbury Park NJ”
Label: Spitfire Records
Release Date: 2002
Genre: Thrash Metal
Rating: 8/10

Withstanding the tests of time is Heavy Metal Thrash Icon “Overkill”. Committed to their cause and rocking harder than ever some 20 years after I first saw them back at L’Amour in Brooklyn. Yes, it has been that long and what a great testament to a bands career by putting a DVD like this one out. Starting off with a concert that is literally filled with every major track that the band had released is surely going to attrack the eager fan and those who enjoy a good metal concert DVD in the first place. The great part of this DVD is that they have given you not one but two fully packed DVD’s to enjoy. The first part is the full concert which runs a little over an hour and a half. It’s a straight concert shoot, but there are some killer angles and close-ups. You feel like you are at the show, but out of the danger of the Mosh pit. There is not much else one can say about the concert part, as I mentioned earlier it is full of their greatest numbers. Bobby Blitz and D.D. Verni (the groups only original members) do their very best to keep the metal pure that this band plays and it shows in not only their performance but their drive.
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