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Overkill > W.F.O. > Reviews
Overkill - W.F.O.

In the sun the garbage stinking - 81%

Felix 1666, November 3rd, 2023
Written based on this version: 1994, CD, Atlantic Records (EU)

Oh D.D. Verni, we know that you can handle the bass guitar masterly. But does this alone justify your enormous ego? On “W.F.O.”, he plays his instrument with pride and due to the fact that the album was produced by Overkill, it comes as no surprise that the bass lines are omnipresent. I do not deny that Verni’s part adds an extra portion of heaviness. I just wonder about the extremely prominent place of the four strings in the mix. Anyway, the full-length boasts with an angry sound with sharp-edged guitars and Blitz is in very good form. I love it when he screams “I am a machine” at the end of the title track and generally speaking, his charisma enriches the material. Guess this is one of his best performances in 40 years of Overkill.

D.D. contributes a dark touch with his pumping lines, especially in highlights such as “The Wait – New Highs in Lows”. This sinister number with its desperate lyrics closes is part of the extremely strong beginning of “W.F.O.”. Overkill present all features that we want them to offer. The songs are full of energy, jagged riffs invite the listener to a headbanging session and the precise and mostly fast drumming delivers the driving momentum. “Where it Hurts” opens the curtain powerfully, “Fast Junkie” satisfies the speed metal community and the equally rapid “They Eat Their Young” is another fine piece of juicy meat. One can like these songs or not, but one cannot deny that they are pure metal and nothing else. This alone deserves respect, because we all know that 1994, the year of the album’s release, was no good time for our music. On the other hand: after the pretty disastrous experiments on “I Hear Black”, Overkill were well advised to flirt with true steel again.

“What’s Your Problem” is the name of the fifth track and I want to give the answer. It’s the part of the album which begins with this song. No, Overkill do not overwhelm the listener with fillers, but the aforementioned piece is definitely weaker than its predecessors. “Under One” reanimates the edgy element of the tracks at the beginning and holds crispy riffs, but the sick tone at the ending is questionable. “R.I.P. (Undone)” is a nice atmospheric guitar intermezzo, but the real thing begins again with “Bastard Nation”. This song with its sing-along chorus is maybe the most radio-friendly number here, but still a muscular creation. Finally, we get the excellent “Gasoline Dream”. It bundles the strengths of Overkill for the last time and I enjoy an ominous and vicious closer with a perfect balance between great melody lines and evil vibrations.

“W.F.O.” celebrates its 30th anniversary next year, but when I look at the average rating, I fear that this will be no party with a lot of friends. I do not really understand this, because the album is filled to the brim with typical stuff of the band and avoids lame doomy excursions. I know that all of you seem to worship “The Years of Decay”, but come on, is this really true? From my point of view, “W.F.O.” brought back the juvenile freshness that had made their first two albums that great. Okay, its artwork sucks, but I don’t care. The back cover looks great and did I already say that the bass guitar is a massive factor here?

Overkill: W.F.O. - 86%

MetalManiaCometh, January 1st, 2022

As the year comes to a close, I began to feel an itch to write another review as, clearly, I’m not the type of music reviewer who goes out of their way to produce a collection of reviews unless I’m in the mood (as I do do this for fun in between my amateur writing for film / television scripts, a graphic novel / comic series that I’ve been working on and planning for years, and my own work occupation). So to me, a special way to close out 2021 would be for me to review another Overkill record, seeing how it’s been well over a year since I reviewed the last one, “I Hear Black”. That means “W.F.O.” is the next one up then I believe.

So let me state the obvious, I know, you know, hell, anyone who has ears (no offense to my deaf friends, you know who you are) knows that “W.F.O.” has a mix issue, namely a bass issue. The bass is dominating the mix, literally. Some records you have bass that’s really nonexistent, some you can barely hear, some that’s audible but could be knocked up a couple of pegs, some that’s just right, and some that’s just a little too loud. “W.F.O.” is that last one but you double it. D.D.s bass is extremely loud and dominates over all the instruments and even Blitz’s vocals, pretty much acting like a third guitar. Clearly, it’s a flaw in the mixing department, no doubt about that but, BUT, I don’t necessarily believe it’s something that drags the whole record down that much. I remember how much trouble I had getting into this record because of that bass, as for some time I had to skip over it outside a few songs such as “Bastard Nation” or “Gasoline Dream”. But one day I pushed myself to really dig deep and listen to the whole record over and over. After doing this, I realized I listened to “W.F.O.” for over a week and never really got tired. Ever since, I’ve had a fair appreciation for the record, in spite of its blatant flaws and it’s pretty unique, at least in terms of sound and mixing.

Despite the bass loudness, I found the rest of the record's mix to be fairly serviceable with Merritt Gant and Rob Cannavinos crunchy metallic dual guitar attack being the second loudest thing in the room with Blitz and Tim Mallare’s energetic yet somewhat dry drumming just coming right behind it. Outside of the bass, which in all tense and purposes does sound good on its own, being mixed far too loud; the rest of the components I greatly enjoy the sounds of. It’s definitely a much different sound compared to anything the band has put out, forgoing the dark and slimy feel of “The Years Of Decay” and “Horrorscope” and the thin dry sound of “I Hear Black” with a much more biker thrash and inner city factory type feel brought on from the overly crunchy guitars and punchy (too punchy) bass. Sure, Blitz could be a little higher and same could be said for Tim’s drums, but if that bass was just lower in the mix, I think they’d be just fine where they’re at.

Blitz, D.D. and the gang still put out a great performance, returning to their more well known thrash style with an abundance of 90’s groove influences to boot, which is another reason as to why I found the music to have that tough as nails, biker vibe. Blitz still gives a mephitic performance, coming off angry and extra sneerful in songs such as “Where It Hurts” and “They Eat Their Young” while D.D.s over abundant grumbling bass helps move the rhythm section along, even if most would prefer if he did that just a little less loudly. I do really enjoy places in the album where it’s much more dilberate for D.D.s bass to take center stage like around the 1:55 mark in “Supersonic Hate”, the opening of “Bastard Nation” or throughout most of “Gasoline Dream”.

Gant and Cannavino are both still a great complement with each other, offering some real good riff and hook playoffs ranging from frantic speed in songs such as “Fast Junkie”, “They Eat Their Young”, and “Supersonic Hate”, mid tempo songs like “Where It Hurts” and “What’s Your Problem”, start and stop riffs in “Under One”, and some genuinely well timed and emotive solo work in the final two tracks while Tim beats the shit out of the drums with a fairly varied performance. I’d say most of Tim’s performance here is somewhat straightforward but he does bring much more technical finesse in “The Wait / A New High In Lows”, “Under One”, and “Up To Zero”, which I will say the same for Gant and Cannavino having a little more technical dexterity here as well.

Overall, the album is full of more groovier mid paced thrash songs with some having hooks, riffs, and solos with clear hard rock influences, a few faster paced songs thrown in for good measure, an anthemic song in the form of “Bastard Nation” which this type of song hasn’t really been done by the band since “In Union We Stand”, the fairly interesting closer “Gasoline Dream” with a cool mix of mid tempo, slow tempo and fast tempo all bundled up, and a nice and simple little acoustic number being a tribute to the fallen Criss Oliva. All of Overkill's trademark thrashy attitude is found here, even with a song pushing that punkier side to the forefront like the band loves to do with “What’s Your Problem”. But it’s clear that the band has really pushed to integrate that groove metal / rock sound here and I think they did it really well and gives us a much more balanced offering of this style compared to the next three records that leans much more into that experimental side. I genuinely find this record to be a great one. Maybe not an essential release, which is what you can say about 99% of any band's music so that’s not really a solid criticism or foot to stand anyway, and definitely not one without some blatant issues and flaws. As a whole though, the record is mostly solid and a huge step up from “I Hear Black”. “W.F.O.” (or should I just say Wide Fucking Open) does more good than it does wrong and to me, would be their last great record until after the next few.

Citizens Of A Bastard Nation - 60%

Sweetie, July 1st, 2021

While a pretty straightforward listen overall, W.F.O. is another one of those albums where the band wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. By now they were definitely looking to ditch the endless thrash riffs that brought them to the spotlight, but still seem to be just a bit too attached to them to cross into the new direction fully. The end product ends up being something caught directly in the middle. What’s interesting is that it somehow keeps that 50/50 aesthetic the whole way through, which is what makes it a straightforward listen despite being unsure of itself.

All of that aside, the elephant in the room is the God-awful mix on this. Everything may be produced alright on an individual level, but egads it could have been blended better! Blitz’s vocals are not only drowned out by the super bright guitars, but the bass as well. It almost acts as another lead guitar here. I guess it showcase’s D.D. Verni’s skills, but I liked that better when they mixed it properly and wrote bass fills the way it was done on The Killing Kind.

Once you can get yourself past that, the songs themselves also just feel the flattest they’ve been yet. There isn’t much in the way of hooks, a lot of the riffing feels recycled from what got left off of Horrorscope, and the gang chants are a tad too heavily relied on. Sure, there are some moments. W.F.O. bears the infamous “Bastard Nation,” which is a total earworm. That won’t keep it from fitting the rather bland description. The instrumental “R.I.P. (Undone)” is about the only real outlier, and I’m partial to anything that’s a tribute to Criss Oliva, but again; a bit of a safety net.

It hurts a bit knowing this is Bobby Blitz’s personal favorite release of theirs, because it easily falls on the back half of my rating. Obviously nothing criminally bad here; I can find some enjoyment alongside something else. Catchy choruses like “What’s Your Problem” and whatnot can keep it afloat. But the songwriting took a serious dip, and there’s no ignoring that awful mix. The band got where they were going just fine with the three releases following.

No time for thinking, a full out fast junkie. - 82%

6CORPSE6GRINDER6, March 21st, 2020

5 years after Bobby Gustafson’s departure from the band, the transition between the classic old school thrash metal sound from the early days to the modern speed-metallish, bass-driven machine Overkill was complete. More than complete, that script was beginning to wear out already. This record still kicks ass if you ask me, because I’m a hardcore fan of 80’s thrash and even if this isn’t an old school record it has the fire that new wave bands wouldn’t achieve even if they are born again, but I can see were the critics towards it come. Horroscope was different but just as good as their classic 4 albums but “I Hear Black” sounded considerably weaker with its almost artisanal and crude production. WFO features the same lineup from “I Hear Black” but the songwriting approach is more violent and less gothic and obscure, and the production is considerably better.

There’s still some groove in the riffing and the mix has lots of bass in general, so distinctive in modern late 90s thrash but WFO’s principal virtue is the spice of the double bass speed metal parts. Bastard Nation, Gasoline Dream and Fast Junkie are excellent live songs for example. That up beat tempo, insanely and unhealthy overstimulated is vicious and delicious. In fact, I found this record so aggressive that its more similar to what they are playing since Ironbound than the other groove records they pulled out in the 90s. The recording highlights the analog tube distortion from the amps and the clancky sound bass strings make when hit hard against the fretboard along with the double bass drum attack perfectly.

Bobby Blitz’s vocals are as vicious and raspy as always, excellent singer and live performer, never lets down. Lyrics dealing with street issues also fit the music proposal and the Motorhead influenced barfight rock and roll mayhem. This might not be thrash metal finest hour but it’s an enjoyable record with memorable moments.

Bassic thrash - 59%

gasmask_colostomy, May 9th, 2018

What happened to thrash metal in the '90s? Some people will point long, crooked fingers at grunge and Metallica, saying that commercialism killed the beast of the '80s. Others will say that the general interest in thrash waned and most of the original scenes lost steam. Still others will say that thrash didn't really die out, just hibernated underground until the season was more profitable for bands to play in the daylight. Overkill, on the other hand, never really stopped playing thrash throughout the '90s, though they certainly mutated into a different (some would say meaner) kind of thrash machine. Groove certainly beckoned on I Hear Black and this follow-up, though noticeable differences in the production played a part in transforming their sound to a heavier, less celeritous form of the same music they were writing earlier.

Here, the most instantly recognizable change is in the volume of DD Verni's bass and the tone of the guitars. The guitars are crunchy and capable of both speed and groove, though a dryish production doesn't make them too bouncy, sort of scudding along at the bottom of the mix in a muddy blur while the bass grumbles and chatters a gurgling path through the harshness of the landscape like a spring escaping from the side of a mountain and rushing downhill. As a result of the string sounds, the drums are not so prominent but the rhythms are strong anyway, giving Verni a sort of lead rhythm position that provides a lot of energy and dual focus to the album. It would be hard to say that W.F.O. contains the best material of Overkill's career, especially because creativity was not at an all-time high here, although the instrumental set-up does make this an interesting release that doesn't sound quite like any other.

On the other hand, that flatness of sound means that - unless you like listening to bass for 50 minutes at a stretch - the songs will blend together a bit, not least because there are fewer lead guitar moments than on Overkill's '80s work and Blitz doesn't sing with as much energy or character as he had shown elsewhere. That there are plenty of vaguely punky gang vocals and the lyrical themes seem to be about societal problems, personal problems, and fast cars doesn't exactly help regarding variety. Then again, Overkill trading in their thrash patches also resulted in predominantly mid-paced songs on W.F.O., so that’s another blow for variety. ‘Fast Junkie’ is certainly the most speed-inspired (both musically and lyrically) and instantly hooky song on offer, though perhaps ‘Where It Hurts’ and ‘Supersonic Hate’ will sate fans of Taking Over the most, especially the snotty attitude that accompanies the mosh riffing of the latter. Of the mid-paced songs, there are some decent riffs at times, but the mix is really unsuitable for groove metal, since the bass doesn’t gel with the guitars to thicken up the sound, instead just doing its own disconnected thing, when a song like ‘What’s Your Problem’ needs syncopation like I need to be drinking cold beer instead of writing Overkill reviews in the office.

In terms of finding interesting things to mention (as I guess I should do until I can locate refrigerated alcohol), ‘The Wait/New High in Lows’ tries something a little different with the smoothed out riffing in the second part that is interspersed with melodies, while the opening movie sample is memorable, though doesn’t quite have a riff dominant enough to follow the shout of, “Here comes the pain!” ‘Bastard Nation’ is a more involved heavy metal workout and ‘Up to Zero’ is also noteworthy for containing the most successful example of generic groove metal, which is catchy but not too deep. A few other songs probably would have stood out more were it not for the mix and also the rather excessive length, which sees five songs taken over five minutes without the content to advise it. In summary, W.F.O. is certainly not an album to get excited about, though it provides a few highlights and proves that thrash hadn’t totally rolled over and died by 1994. If you liked any other mid-‘90s post-thrash efforts, this will probably satisfy at least as much as those.

Why Fuckin’ Obey… - 83%

bayern, August 13th, 2017

“to the new groovy/aggro laws when they’re not a part of our blood stream (yet)? Why betray our ideals and lofty visions for freedom, independence and classic metal world domination when our hearts and souls are telling us otherwise!?”

Those were the thoughts circulating in the heads of Bobby Ellsworth and Co. after the release of “I Hear Black”, a controversial blend of their fascination with the early Black Sabbath heritage and the oncoming groovy fashion that brought them nothing but commercial and critical crucifixion. They survived it, but that came with a blast of valuable, albeit short-term illumination the result of which was the album reviewed here. This is the first chronicled, genuine return to the roots after a temptation to try other directions in the annals of metal, produced mere months after the temptation itself, and more respect to the guys for that, for having realized their mistake early enough.

The times were confusing, classic metal was quickly fading away, and many of the 80’s practitioners went head-over-heels into the groovy “jungle”, some of them never to return. Our friends here did come back, though, although they left their options wide fucking open for such potential deviations in the future. We’re not going to bother with them now cause we’re listening to this album's “Where It Hurts”, a retro thrash pleasure sounding as though the previous album never occurred; bouncy hard-hitting riffs, brisk pace and last but not least, Ellsworth’s inimitable high-strung vocals. “Fast Junkie” is expectedly a fast-paced shredder with a memorable chorus, piercing leads, and the plentiful headbanging opportunities the latter sunk in heavy, ship-sinking rhythms which “They Wait-New High in Lows” offers in abundance, a dark brooding mid-pacer its pessimistic aesthetics cancelled in their turn by the brisk speed/thrasher “They Eat Their Young”, a great reminder of the band’s heydays.

No problems whatsoever at this stage, but comes “What’s Your Problem?”, and some groove sneaks in, innocently at first, but then more prominently before the guys take care of this unmitigated inconvenience with “Under One”, a livelier and more energetic speed/thrash proposition, offering more diversity later in the form of several moody doomy escapades. “Supersonic Hate” richly deserves its vociferous title the guys thrashing with so much vigour and enthusiasm that if one didn’t know them, he/she might think that they had just started their career. More slower deviations later on the jumpy, but thoroughly enjoyable “Up to Zero” which disguises its groovy infatuations underneath a wall of thick doomy reverberations; and on “Bastard Nation”, the most optimistic hymn here, a sing-alonger recalling the band’s first two instalments with the catchy chorus and the uplifting rhythmic-section. No such things on “Gasoline Dream”, though, a pounding thrasher with a shattering speedy mid-break, great lead sections, and a cool atmospheric balladic epitaph.

I have to admit I almost completely crossed Overkill off the list after “I Hear Black”, mostly based on the very positive impression “Horrorscope” produced on me to which I found the mentioned opus a most embarrassing sequel. Were the guys aiming at the fortune and glory achieved by Metallica hence the “black” connection in the title? I guess they were (who wasn’t?), but it was good that they realized before long that this might not be an option in their case, and returned to what they could do best, speed/thrash in the good old way that is. Excluding Slayer’s “Divine Intervention”, the album here was the most classic-sounding of the lot released the same year; Megadeth, Testament, Forbidden, and Annihilator were mixing things up, trying to sound relevant to the prevalent trends, and there were hardly any new heroes to look back at the past decade in defiance. Yes, the call of the groove was getting stronger, and Overkill felt tempted to give it one more go. This second go (“The Killing Kind”) was kind of more relevant and more successful prompting the band to stay the groovy/post-thrashy course, and it wasn’t until nearly ten years later that they decided to pay another tribute to their 80’s legacy with “Killbox 13”.

Again, this wasn’t the perfect retro thrash album having in mind what was going on around the field at the time, with the old school recapturing lost territories worldwide with ease. It took the wrecking Overkill crew a bit more time in order to establish themselves at the epicentre of this campaign with “Ironbound”, and nail three more sure classic thrash “nails” into the old school “façade”, the last one only a few months old. All good for now although one should always bear in mind the “why fuckin’ obey” stance acquired by the band in the not so distant past; one that may turn towards the ruling tendency at the time if taken now… why do I hear black coming from the distance in all its pitch-dark glory?

Quite hazardous if left wide fucking open. - 86%

hells_unicorn, August 22nd, 2013

The cliché fall to redemption story is one that can't help but continue being told, and there are few bands, and fewer great bands that can boast having this all take place within the brief span of 2 years. But Overkill has always counted itself amongst the few and proud, often times doing so simply by showing up, and while they were briefly AWOL in 1993, the very next year they were back at almost the same level of intensity that had been on display at the beginning of the 90s. As strange as it may seem, this longstanding New York/New Jersey thrashing cult of the flying skull accomplished something that was not really heard of in the mid 90s save in the case of Iced Earth, namely moving forward by taking a few steps back. But while definitely a full return to bona fide thrashing glory, it should be kept in perspective that "W.F.O." is very much a creature of the 90s, albeit one that does draw a fair bit from the 80s at times.

Spilling forth like a green, glowing, slimy sludge of toxic waste, this album listens like a byproduct of an entire district of mechanized factories, therein being a rather brilliant answer to the "groove" question. Indeed, when inspecting a number of songs on here such as "What's Your Problem", "Under One" and "Up To Zero" it becomes pretty clear that elements of Pantera's handiwork on "Cowboys From Hell" has intermingled with elements of "...And Justice For All". Truth be told, if taking this album as a whole, this album could well be qualified as being what "The Black Album" might of sounded like had Bob Rock not gotten his grubby hands on it. Lending probably the most credence to this analogy alongside the continuing mid-tempo tendencies of much of the album is a guitar sound that is heavily reminiscent of Metallica's signature punchy tone on their last 2 albums with the hair at full length, not to mention a drum sound bombastic enough to cut heads with the famed self-titled Metallica venture in all its over-polished glory. The only thing that's kind of out of place in the Pantera/Metallica comparison is the massive bass presence of D.D. Verni, whose abrasive and tinny tone definitely brings this thing a bit closer to Manowar territory.

As much as I've generally shied away from comparing this band to Metallica given that between the vocal work and the radically different evolutionary path both bands took the comparison becomes quite tenuous, this album proves to be ripe territory for pointing out commonalities. When things sort of cruise around at mid-tempo as in the case of "Bastard Nation, which also contains a massive bass intro reminiscent of a variation on the idea put forth on the title song of Metallica's famed and bass-lite 4th LP, the moderately fast character definitely points to said band a bit more than the Exodus comparisons that would have applied more on albums past. Likewise, when this album cooks and lays out the galloping chug riffs at full intensity as on "Where It Hurts" and "Supersonic Hate", it reaches back a bit more to the sort of high-octane "Master Of Puppets" worship that is regularly heard out of the likes of Evile at present. But the most absolutely insane, neck-wrecking thrash fest to be found on here is "They Eat Their Young", which manages to completely blast itself through the space-time continuum and predict the sound heard on their old school comeback album "Ironbound", albeit with a far more mechanical sound that also shows how Pantera might have turned out had Phil Anselmo kept on expanding his high range and Dimebag had spent a little more time constructing thrash riffs instead of coasting along for a sequel to "Walk".

For 1994, this album is not merely good, it's a rather blatant aberration that has little in common with where the music scene was heading at this time. Sure, it's an album that a newcomer to thrash might mistakenly lump in with Pantera because of the similarly mechanical sounding guitar distortion and the generally gruff-driven vocals, though Blitz's version of gruff sounds a lot closer to a pissed off 2nd place runner up to an AC/DC vocalist audition than James Hetfield's version of the style, not to mention one of the few singers that didn't go around trying to sound like Layne Staley simply because everyone else did by this point. The only thing that really falls into the same league as this, though still being quite different in overall style, is Iced Earth's "Burnt Offerings", yet another exception to a growing rule of band's stripping down their sound to play to a younger and admittedly dumber audience that eventually went for mallcore. Many like to point to this as a failed attempt at making up for the experimental mess that was its predecessor "I Hear Black", but one listen to it will more likely reveal a mutant offshoot of said chemistry set nightmare coming back to reap havoc upon the masses, in a very good way.

Let's cut out the heart to see if it bleeds. - 65%

Diamhea, August 13th, 2013

After I Hear Black failed both critically and with the fans, Overkill faced what was perhaps their most daunting challenge since their inception: Whether to continue with the Sabbath-worship present on the previous LP, try to reinvent themselves again, or continue with the thrash formula which garnered them most of their success. In a fascinating twist, the band drew inspiration from all of these avenues, resulting in the enigmatic W.F.O.

The infamous production is without a doubt what most people remember about this release, even more than the music. Yes, the bass is ridiculously loud in the mix. This would have been a more effective approach if the bass itself didn't sound so gutted. It really doesn't rumble your bones like you would expect. It pops and clangs at a much higher timbre than expected, essentially clashing with the average guitar sound, resulting in aural conflict that never lets up.

This would all be forgiven if the songs were kick-ass. The album does feature some impressive cuts that wouldn't sound out of place on Horrorscope. "Where It Hurts", "Fast Junkie", and "They Eat Their Young" all scratch the thrash itch to a decent extent. In fact, at first blush the album sounds like an impressive return to form after the lackluster I Hear Black. However the middle of the album seriously drags, and a lot of these tracks are complete throwaways. "Under One" is a functional enough mid-paced number, but the subsequent section all the way up to "Bastard Nation" is completely vapid. The pointless instrumental "R.I.P. (Undone)" is completely ineffective. "Bastard Nation", however, redeems many of those follies, turning out to be the best track here. It could do without the overlong acoustic intro, but the shout-along chorus is extremely memorable.

The individual performances are hit and miss here. DD Verni can't be ignored, no matter how hard you try to filter the bass out of your mind. Blitz is his usual venomous self here, and he breaks out his cleaner "singing" voice on more than one occasion, a treat rarely observed after the Taking Over days. His prime inflection is a gravely approach that hearkens back to Horrorscope, which isn't unwelcome. Gant and Cannavino's swansong performance is pretty average, honestly. The riffs are quite thrashy, with more of a hard-rock essence at their core. For some reason most people group W.F.O. with Overkill's groove period, but the band honestly doesn't slow down enough here to get in any sort of significant groove; the only exception being the closer "Gasoline Dream". Tim Mallere improves upon his debut with the group, but honestly doesn't have much to work with here.

It's a shame so many of these tracks are so unmemorable, because the aforementioned impressive cuts are quite searing and powerful. Not a complete waste, and definitely a step in the right direction. Don't let W.F.O.'s reputation as a groove album turn you off. Worth a spin or two.

Motorcycle thrash for the mid-90s leather-thug - 57%

autothrall, July 12th, 2012

Gods know acronyms were never in short supply in the thrash metal scene, but the motorcycling term W.F.O. (for 'Wide Fuckin' Open') seems wildly appropriately for the tension and release Overkill had expressed in their best years. Naturally, with the title and songs like "Fast Junkie" on the track list, I had some anticipation that the band would be returning to the no-nonsense, infectious thrashing present on their formative displays of power, but the best I can really say for this record is that the band had gone 'green' again, whipped up a pretty sweet icon for Chaly which would look good spray-painted on any vehicle or guitar case, and taken I Hear Black out to the back alley and put it out of its misery. A proper mercy killing.

In spirit, W.F.O. definitely falls in line with earlier records like Taking Over and Under the Influence, but the music is unfortunately not up to snuff with earlier compositions. This is often considered another album in their 'groove metal' phase, but for the most part that just manifests in similar, rock-fueled riffs delivered at a meaty, thrashing pace. It's definitely pretty 'street' and tough guy, and one still draws the impression that the band were beefing themselves up to perform in a world alongside dominant 90s groove and nu-thrash staples like Machine Head or Pantera, but I'd hardly consider this as lame or offensive as Sepultura's Roots or similar tripe. W.F.O. consists primarily of straight thrashing tracks redolent of 1988-mid 90s' Anthrax, with a few hints of Metallica's percussive riffing circa Master of Puppets or ...And Justice For All. The riffs are admittedly quite simplistic throughout the track list, but in all honesty there are moments which, in retrospect, deliver all the charm and power of more modern, popular 'comeback' albums like Ironbound.

This was the second full-length with this particular lineup, and you could feel the confidence grow over the rather timid and uninspired I Hear Black. The riffs punch harder, with some more surgical riffing cutting through the rhythm guitars in cuts like "They Eat Their Young" or "Bastard Nation", and a bit of the band's punk influence is recaptured with the driving "Supersonic Hate". D.D. Verni's tone is officious in this mix, so puerile and prominent that it often distracts from the guitar with its very Anthrax-like pacing, and there is more than one point on this recording where I felt like I had been catapulted into State of Euphoria, with the often enthusiastic impetus in the note progressions. The drums feel polished but a little dry, there isn't much depth created through the fills and the kick and snare really needed some more power or reverb. As for Blitz, he's pretty charming here as usual, that beady, arsonist gleam in his eye translating to each scream and chorus, but I wouldn't say this is one of his more memorable performances. Explosive, not enduring.

I was somewhat worried that Overkill were going to just go all out bluesy-metal here and continue to draw heavily upon the Sabbath influence they've expressed in the past, so I was happily surprised that this was for the most part pretty upbeat. There are some slower grooves, often created by Verni's bobbing brickwork rhythms, but they almost always pick up the pace to better reflect the album's title. Thrash was quite the dead scene in 1994, a few stalwarts pressing on but the rest having transformed for the current market, so I can hardly fault the New Jersey/Yorkers for keeping it real. The problem is that this music feels like a sheet of bubble wrap. Fun to pop for 5-10 minutes, but the attention is quickly drawn elsewhere. None of the immortal craftsmanship of Under the Influence of Taking Over. No standout riffs or leads, just blue collar, functional bruising. At the same time, none of the tracks are exactly shit either: I could live without the banal acoustic interlude "R.I.P. (Undone)" or the 'hidden' cover jam at the end, but the core selection of songs stick with the program, though this program hardly reaps in a higher Nielsen rating.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Thrashin' and Groovin' - 75%

MEGANICK89, March 31st, 2009

The dawn of the 90s brought an end to the glory of thrash. Some bands changed styles to appeal to a wider audience while others became more death based or groove based. Overkill would fall into the groove category and "W.F.O" is definitly groove metal, but it also has some killer pure thrash songs to satisfy the long time listener.

Before I start going into detail about the tunes, the first aspect noticeable about this album is the obnoxious sound of the bass. Now D.D Verni can play a mean bass, but it overtakes the guitar riffage as it engulfs the sound of the songs on here. It is too hard to ignore or overlook it as it is quite annoying.

Now with that settled, I shall proceed. Overkill has always had a knack for having great openers and they continue that with "Where It Hurts." It is fast, pure thrash. What could anyone else ask for? "Fast Junkie" continues the thrashing and has breakneck speed that recalls "Deny the Cross" from their second album. Then there is this angry ending with Blitz shouting "Wide Fuckin' Open" to spew the madness on this tune. "They Eat Their Young" is also a good, solid thrash song with a haunting chorus that will chill the bone.

Along with these great thrash tracks is the onslaught of Bobby Blitz's vocals. Comparing to past albums, Blitz sounds like he is out for vengeance displaying anger and ferocity in his vocals and is overall a big plus. His distinctive voice adds character to these songs he knows how to fuel a fire within a record. His fierce growl in the chorus "Under One" shows just what I am talking about.

With the talent that Blitz has though, Overkill starts this new trend of gang shouts into their songs and is no good. "Fast Junkie" incorporates this as well as "They Eat Their Young" and it boggles my mind as to why they would do this. It sounds like dogs barking for food or something to that effect. It is useless and very frustrating to listen to.

On top of that, Overkill manages to write a song that I can only describe as an utter embarassment. The first thing I thought of when I heard this song was Pantera. Especially the song "Walk" minus the annoying chorus. Speaking of the chorus, it tries to be powerful and anthemic, but it falls flat on its face. It does not fit at all with the rest of the numbers on here.

Thankfully, the listener can enjoy "The Wait-New High in Lows" which features a wicked lead into Blitz blasting the vocal line and the tempo pick up at the end makes this one a keeper. The closer "Gasoline Dream" has an opening vocal linecomparable to the ones used on the Overkill II and III songs, but it maintains a doomy atmosphere throughout. The tempo continually goes from slow to mid-paced and is a good closer.

This record came out in 1994 and for what this album features, it is very impressive. With the pure thrash songs and Blitz's awesome vocal performance, this is something most people can enjoy, but the bass sound might turn people off. Songs to check out are definitly "Where It Hurts", "Fast Junkie" and "The Wait-New High in Lows." Also, do not miss out if you find this W.F.O.

For 1994, this album rules! - 87%

IWP, July 24th, 2007

As the 90s progressed, thrash was basically dead. Most bands were either disbanded, or changed their style to meet the mainstream's standards. However, for the most part, Overkill stuck to their guns as a thrash band, and managed to release another great thrash record. This album was quiet the shocker. Considering that just a year before, they were experimenting with groove metal, but this album is almost a return to sound for this band. The only other band that managed to put out a half decent thrash album during this time was Slayer, but this album is certainly better than Divine Intervention.

Where It Hurts, Fast Junkie, and Bastard Nation are my favorite songs on this album. Fast Junkie is an awesome thrasher, with a monster riff that if you don't approach with caution, will rip your head off. Fast Junkie and Bastard Nation have a bit of a punkish vibe to it. Especially Bastard Nation, that chorus has a very punkish feel to it. The singing and shouting of Ellsworth and Verni is a major reason for this, it's quiet enjoyable. Other good songs on here would be Supersonic Hate and What's Your Problem. R.I.P. (Undone) is a miunte in a half acoustic session. Some like it, and others don't. I happen to be one of those that do like it.

About the only songs on here that I'm not into are Up To Zero and Under One. Both feel rushed an uninspiring. Yeah, and there's already been alot of talk about the loud bass tone. Some people think it's pretty annoying, and I too admit that it took some time to get used to, but once I did, I thought it was pretty cool and original, especially for thrash.

Conclusion: It's not quiet as good as their classic albums, but W.F.O. is an essiantial for any thrash metal fan. It's also the last greta Overkill record until Blooletting. If you find this album, get it!