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Overkill-Killbox 13
I'll start off this review by saying that Overkill has been in my top 10 favorite all time bands since 1990 when I first heard them. They've never had a huge following, but are generally respected within the metal community. The fact that they are one of my favorite bands might make me a little biased with this review, but I have no problem admitting if a band I love puts out a bad record, even Overkill...
Luckily we do not have that problem here! In fact, now that I have listened to this new album countless times I have come to the conclusion that the only album that I personally like more by them would be 1991's Horrorscope. That album is a thrash classic which I'm sure I'll review another time!
The opening track, "Devil By The Tail" starts out with a snarling, distorted bassline and when the guitar and drums kick in you are instantly floored. Colin Richardson has done a fantastic job with the production on this album. Crisp and crunchy guitars, a downright nasty bass tone, pounding drums (Memo to Lars Ulrich: This is how the snare drum SHOULD sound, dumbass.) and Blitz's trademark snarling, pissed off vocals. The boys are back in town!
I have to admit to being a little dissappointed in the last couple Overkill albums ( Bloodletting, and Necroshine) because it felt to me like there was a bit too much filler, and they kind of gave me a "going through the motions" vibe. Sure, there were good songs on both albums, but Killbox 13 honestly doesn't have one weak track on the entire disc.
The second track, Damned, shows that they haven't lost any of the intensity they have been showing throughout their entire 18 year career. The chorus will stick in your head for days, and this one sounds like it's going to be fantastic live. Actually that's one of my favorite things about this album, it sounds as though every song will be very good live.
My favorite track on the album is "Unholy", which has quickly become one of my favorite Overkill songs of all time. I challenge anyone who likes thrash to sit still during this one. It is Overkill firing on all cylinders and has yet another memorable chorus on an album which is full of them. The groove riff from 3:03-3:16 gets me every time!
This one actually seems to get better as it goes along. Even though I like every song on the album, I think it really starts to pick up momentum starting at track #5, "Crystal Clear" and never lets up again! This one has kind of a Sabbath vibe going and should probably be released as a single. Nah, most of the radio stations are more interested in playing the same Nirvana song we've all heard a billion times, rather than giving a severely underrated metal band a chance to be heard by the masses...Maybe it's better that way though.
Track #8, "Struck Down" is probably my second favorite. Musically it's probably the strongest track on the entire album. It's nice to hear Blitz do an almost Maidenesque vocal around the middle of the song. That is something he did more in the earlier days of the band, so it's cool to hear him doing that again, if only for a little while. This one is definitely a keeper, and you can bet your ass I will be screaming for it when I see them live tomorrow night!
To sum it up, Overkill has released what I will easily consider to be my favorite metal album of the year. Great songwriting, excellent production, and more attitude than a snarling pit bull all add up to the finest metal release of this year... Yet another great album from this ridiculously underrated band!
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