Ironbound

I’ve been extremely excited to get to this review; especially this era of the band. When it comes to thrash in the 21st century, I have a ton of love for a lot of these albums both from the old guard and the new (and the new have been putting out excellent records sitting right behind the classics) during this time. There’s a lot of fantastic music yet, in discussion about thrash bands from the classic era putting out albums in the modern era, I have very few that hit that 10/10 sweet spot, the albums that really hit things out of the park, the ones that make me jump with glee with how excellent they are, and those that sit equally with the best in the genre, hell even rivaling and out pacing some. Out of that small handful, I have one record that sits on top of everything else on the palm of my hand and that’s Overkill's 15th release on their 30th anniversary, “Ironbound”. “Ironbound” was the second Overkill album I purchased after finding out they had more than just one album (I didn’t have internet at that time so how was I supposed to know) and even to this day this album has stuck with me for numerous reasons. Even when I push away my bias and love for the record to the side and view this album like I do everything else, the positives about this record scream out like a banshee out of hell with a insatiable appetite for heavy fucking metal. “Ironbound” kicks fucking ass and never asks for your name because it doesn’t need it, because the only name that matters is Overkill.

The past decade and a half of records was like a rollercoaster with ups and downs, with “Immortalis” being the lowest point the band ever got musically. But after 3 years and a well timed 30th anniversary, “Ironbound” not only raised the band back into the great graces of the metal gods but brought them back up right alongside them. “Ironbound” is not just the band fully getting back into their roots, it’s the band being revitalized and then also lending a helping hand in revitalizing the scene. It one ups everyone around them and shows the youngsters that this is how you fucking thrash so take your damn notes. It is not only strong, musicianship wise, but also sonically and compositionally. I can’t find any fault with this record. It is to me, a thrash metal masterpiece of the modern age. This is hands down their most technical album and is chock full of riffs since “Horrorscope”, “The Years Of Decay”, or anything from the 80s material. It is a literal feast for the ears.

“Ironbound” harkens back to the general feeling of what a debut thrash metal album felt like in the 80s but with a modern touch to it. “Bring Me The Night” takes a major influence from songs like “Hit The Lights” or the bands own “Hammerhead” while a song like “Endless War” and “The Green And Black” drips with that Iron Maiden-esque gallop. There’s something very 80s that Overkill was able to capture here, something none of the old guard has fully been able to perfect with a release, sorry Testament or Exodus or Artillery or Sodom or whatever older thrash band fans, it’s just a fucking fact. Speaking of “The Green And Black”; that track is hands down one of Overkill's best starting tracks and one of my all time favorites, sitting right up there with Overkill's best openers. It is absolutely the perfect way to open the album, beginning with the slow foreboding bass line being plucked as the guitars start trickling in and then the intensity raises as the drums kick in and doesn’t take long then for the band to go for a full thrashing gallop building up to a tempo change with a delicious slow head banging gallop that breaks into that shredding solo and then back to the main riff. It’s interesting, it’s technical, and absolutely catchy. There’s a lot of little things that can be gleaned from this song. And it sets up the whole feel of the album, it’s identity, it’s dna. It shows that this album is going to be a thrash fest that won’t stop. And it doesn't stop, because the next track, “Ironbound”, kind of acts like a part two of the opener, even referencing the previous track's name. The title track though, is hands down the best track from the album, with its infectious tempo changes, all the little riffs thrown about it, the absolute raging drums, Blitz with his commanding catchy voice, and that fucking solo. The whole buildup to the solo is excellent and smartly put together, as the song slows down to allow Dave to play one of his best solo sections in all of their career. It’s emotive, emotional, expressive, and melodious. Going from the slower melodic nature to the building of the shredding section matching the rest of the music as its ratcheting up the intensity sends shivers down my spine every time. Very few songs have that type of reaction to me, let alone a solo, and to me that makes it something special. “Ironbound” is a perfect thrash song, end of discussion.

The rest of the album doesn’t let down that intensity though as it still offers you, the listener, plenty of high speed thrash numbers such as “Bring Me The Night”, “Endless War”, “In Vain”, “Killing For A Living”, and the kickass closer “The SRC”. But the band does give the listener somewhat of a small breather, with 3 mid tempo tracks such as the heavy “The Goal Is Your Soul”, the somewhat funky and upbeat “Give A Little” and the darker “The Head And Heart”. But even then, the first two tracks mentioned still raises the tempo up at some point within the song's runtime, getting you back into the thrashing spirit. Relentless is an accurate word. And even with all the speedy riffs and solos, the drums hammering earthquakes every second, all the songs are distinct and identifiable from one another. In the future I’m going to touch upon people's perception of Overkill’s “formula” in this era of the band, but what I’d like to say for now is that the band has always been able to craft songs that were distinct from each other on the same record or distinct from other songs on their other records. Bands are prone to reuse ideas, intentionally or unintentionally, yet I think Overkill have been fantastic with crafting songs that don’t really sound like they retread on old shit they already wrote. Once in a while it happens, but that’s normally the rare outlier.

Outside the stellar playing of Dave and D.D. and the singing performance of Blitz, Ron Lipnicki in his second outing as the band's drummer is an absolute highlight and takes equal command over the music. Ron in his tenure with the band was the band's absolute best drummer right behind Sid. Sorry Rat and Tim, Ron is a fucking machine. When the band was going out supporting the album and doing their numerous interviews, Blitz and D.D. claimed Ron added another dynamic to the sound and re-energized them and they were exactly right. Ron is a maniac, utilizing break neck speed and his double bass pounding with more technically intricate flourishes on the cymbals and toms. He fits just like a glove about anywhere in the album, being able to bust out some really interesting playing in the more progressive “The Green And Black” while thrashing out in the more straightforward “Bring Me The Night” or rocking that “Maiden” gallop in “Endless War”. Ron is a stellar player and one I feel is more than just a “hired gun” but actually a pretty underrated musician and a fairly important player that helped the band regain a sense of energy that they really needed.

But what I really like about the drums on this record is the sound of them. As a whole, I love the production of “Ironbound”. “Ironbound” features a clear modern production yet it’s never overdone and sound artificial. It’s clear and heavy, and the drums carries this metallic edge that hits like a double barrel shotgun. Everything is so crystal clear and perfectly balanced between all the instruments and the vocals. No one gets hidden behind each other. To be frank, this is probably one of my favorite sounding albums from Overkill and I’d reckon it’s one of their best sounding albums out of their whole discography. I think there’s a clear “stigma” against the “modern sound” of newer metal albums and while I agree with many points the criticism warrants, people have unfairly lashed out negatively against any album that has a modern sounding production, even if it is a good type of modern production. If it’s not overly produced and has all the members sounding great and having equal presence, then there’s nothing to complain about. “Ironbound” is exactly the type of modern sound you WANT in a modern metal album.

I could go on and on about “Ironbound” but I won’t bother you for much longer. All you need to know is that this albums is a serious beast of a record. Some have said the album needed stuff cut down for a shorter length yet the band never wastes a second. It is not overly repetitive, songs never feel like they overstayed their welcome, it has strong writing, it has strong performances, it absolutely has no reason to have anything cut from it. Not a second. There’s a reason why the title track and “Bring Me The Night” have remained a constant in the band's setlist; they are classic Overkill tracks and they’re killer. What I would give to have the band play “Endless War” or “Killing For A Living” with its sweet southern flare towards the latter half of the song or “The SRC” live. Usually when I start “Ironbound” up, I have to go from beginning to end, never skipping a track. I have a hard time believing people give this album anything lower than 90%. It’s catchy, it’s technical, its heavy, and it sounds great. It is absolutely a highly memorable record. I’d pose the question to anyone out there, do any of you think anything from guys like Exodus, or Destruction, or Sepultura, or Testament, or Kreator, or whoever actually have made something as good as “Ironbound”? The only albums that I could possibly rate as highly is “The Antichrist” or “The Evolution Of Chaos”. But other than that? I can’t think of anything that hits the highs as consistently as “Ironbound” does. “Ironbound” was the catalyst for Overkill's new era and the bands best era just behind the 80’s / early 90s and in my opinion one of the best runs of records from a classic thrash metal band in the past decade. “Ironbound” deserves the praise, and I’m bound to agree.

The mighty comeback for most, the return to solid foundation for me, and the signing to Nuclear Blast for Overkill! Pretty significant point in history all around. But the first thing I’ll point out about Ironbound is that it isn’t really their actual return to form. As much as Immortalis may have been a hot garbage fire (a conversation for another time), that was still their swing away from the groove drudgery that had burnt out by the early 2000s. It just wasn’t any good until we got to this monstrous album, and perfected on the next.

Alongside jumping on a bigger label and writing far better music, I do find this to be the point where the band began cleaning the production to such jarring degrees. That would explain why things became so hit-or-miss after a couple albums like this, giving me hopes for a swing in direction on whatever Blitz and Verni decide to do next. Naturally, this allows for the bass to shine through brighter than it had any right to prior. The solos now seem to truly capture you when they jump above the surface. Everything is refined to a new degree; you love to see it.

This brings us to the question, what is Ironbound missing that The Electric Age has? In my humblest of opinions, I say the sharp hooks. They’re here, but less prominent. In other words, there’s a bit more music here than what’s necessary. Opener “The Green And Black” is actually the perfect example. This is a banger of a song with a strong chorus and decent bridge-work, but I really think eight minutes was too much for what it was. Dialing that back just a bit would have made it wonderful. See “The Goal Is Your Soul,” a tune that captures this exact approach with far more precision. This isn’t a glaring problem, and none of the songs are criminally overblown, it’s just that the general amount of them coulda been trimmed even a minute or two. The only remotely short one is the speed metal induced “Bring Me The Night” and it fuckin’ rules!

I’ll give it this, though; the drumming here probably outdoes anything that followed it. Ron Lipnicki must have been on some serious shit here, because the title track absolutely crushes everything in its path, half the credit due to him (although the soft break there is nice too). There are also some pretty insane kicks on “In Vain,” though I feel like that one fell short just about everywhere else. Matter of fact, the first half of the album all but does nail everything save for a few spots. The back half is where I find most of the drawn out stuff to overstay its welcome. Even there though, it’s not unmanageable.

Without upsetting anyone, I do really enjoy this album. I think it’s hailed a bit higher than I’m willing to give it credit for, but this is a really solid and firm disc. Considering everything that came prior, I have to give it some sort of love. For the newcomers to this era, I say give this one and its follower a listen and decide if the rest is worth it from there.

What a reputation this veteran thrash band has, yet they continue to reassert themselves as a massive contender for the throne of thrash with 2010's Ironbound. With the somewhat lackluster performance of 2007's Immortalis, the world saw a new era of Overkill take center stage. As compared to the previous album, "Ironbound" features a more polished and professional sounding thrash oriented production job. Gone are the cheesy yelps and shouts from Blitz from the last album, instead, they have been replaced with intense ear piercing screams (see "Bring Me The Night" and ""Ironbound.") Ironbound features many improvements over its predecessors not limited to, better vocal performances, better guitar work, better production, overall it’s the best album they have released in the new millennium.

This juggernaut of a thrash album starts off with the slow and almost boring intro of "The Green and Black." However, once the listener gets past the 1:40 mark its all thrash from here till album's end. Blitz shows off his vocal prowess with his intense screams and unique vocal deliveries. For the past two albums I had been a major critic of Dave Linsk as I thought his playing never really sounded as it should with Overkill. However, my previous notion of this fantastic guitar player has changed on Ironbound. He has some very catchy riffs throughout this whole album. My favorite part of his work has to come from the end of the sixth track, "Endless War." The ending will remind the listener of Iron Maiden with the melody that Linsk squeezes out in the last 20 seconds of the song. "In Vain" also features some outstanding work as well. The track features some intricate guitar work coupled with D.D. Verni's ever present and heavy bass work. Like Linsk, Ron Lipnicki didn't impress me on the previous album Immortalis. However, all shadows of doubt are erased here on Ironbound. He punishes his kit on tracks like "Give A Little," "Killing for a Living," and "The SRC." These are just three examples but he is quite solid throughout the album as a whole and especially shows his talent in the next album in the Overkill assault of "The Electric Age."

The production also played a major role in the success or failure of this album. Thrash fans aren't usually too particular over production as some of the subgenre's classics like "Killing Is My Business", "War and Pain", or "Show No Mercy" have been labeled with raw and static like productions and have still worked themselves to be great debuts and cult classics. However, when modern production is added to thrash there is always the possibility the album will turn out like Metallica's "Death Magnetic" or Overkill's previous, "Immortalis." With over compression plaguing those albums and ultimately ruining many listeners' experiences Overkill's "Ironbound" features superb production and mixing. As always the bass is extremely audible and carries serious weight. Linsk's ability on the guitar isn't muffled like on the previous albums and actually paints him in a positive light for the first time since "Killbox 13."

Overall, "Ironbound" jumpstarts Overkill's ascension to claim the throne of thrash and proves they can play as good as, if not better than any of the Big Four in the modern day. With fourteen albums under their belt (Ironbound being the fifteenth at this time) Overkill's future looks incredibly bright. As we now wait for the release of "White Devil Armory" it’s obvious "Ironbound" was to determine the direction the band would go for the next two albums, and hopefully, many more.

While this is a huge improvement over the toothless Immortalis, Ironbound's surprising return to more familiar thrash ground has given it something of an overrated reputation. Don't kill me just yet, as this is still without a doubt their most consistent album since Killbox 13. The unbalanced production of Overkill's last two LPs has been altogether rectified, and the band breaks into more clinical thrashing on here than anything since W.F.O.. While most of these tracks really rip during certain sections, they also have the tendency to end up sounding very samey and faceless when you look at the big picture.

The band breaks convention right out of the gates with the eight-plus minute opener "The Green and Black" followed immediately by the very similar title track. These two cuts are virtually interchangeable in substance and style, immediately dropping the listener into the riff-furnace that is Ironbound. In the past I have always considered the Linsk/Tailer duo the weak link in Overkill's modern lineup. A lot of their past follies are made up for here, as this album might be packed with more riffs than even Time Does Not Heal. However, in doing this, they tend to cram too many ideas into some of the songs, rarely giving the listener enough time to enjoy a killer section when it finally does come along. The guitar tone has a decent bite to it, and has finally discarded the overuse of mid-range that plagued Immortalis. I wish that there was a bit more low-end thunder like on Horrorscope and From the Underground and Below, but Verni fills in the sonic gaps very well in this regard. His bass reminds me of W.F.O. in that it exhibits a very poppy and clangy timbre, but here it is forgiving as it adds a lot to the atmosphere and is mixed in a much more digestible way.

Ellsworth is a bit more of a mixed bag. He is still using the bluesy inflection that he picked up around RelixIV and it is beginning to grow tiring here. His gravely shouts fit the music well, but for some reason he is starting to enunciate some of the words very strangely. I'm not sure if this is a side effect of his aging voice or a stylistic decision, but it drives me nuts. Even more frustrating is that he proves that he can still bust out his operatic tone when needed. This is most evident near the end of "Give a Little", which ends up being one of the more enterprising songs here. Blitz, if you're reading this, I know you are recording vocals to the 2014 album this month, give us more of that!

There are exactly two great tracks here: "The SRC" and "Endless War". Or was it "War Without End"? The latter is a unique piece, featuring Ellsworth's manic shouts paired with his soaring cleans and even some Iron Maiden-esque lead playing that totally comes out of left field. "The SRC" has awesome lyrics and vocal patterns, giving way to some of the fastest riffs on Ironbound, so a great way to close things out. "The Goal is Your Soul" is the obligatory doomy, bass-driven number, but it fails to make much of an impact after the atmospheric intro fades out. Lipnicki is just all over this thing, and his foot dexterity is unreal. Triplet-bursts of the triggered bass drum lend a forceful backbone to the rhythm section that isn't often seen on thrash albums. His kit still sounds a bit too mechanical to these ears, but the performance makes up for it in this case.

Ironbound is a good album, but not great. There is a decent amount of variety here that wasn't present on it's successor The Electric Age, mainly manifesting itself as the final throes of the band's groovy, more deliberate riffing style of old. This definitely makes a strong case for the continued existence of Overkill, but it isn't like you needed me to tell you that.

Overkill are one of the longest running bands in the thrash metal genre, having been around since the very earliest part of the 1980s and have consistently pumped out spectacular releases. Even during the hard times for the metal world during the mid 1990's, Overkill still kept themselves and the thrash genre afloat with songs such as FUCT from albums like From The Underground And Below that showed that thrash was not dead as long as Overkill were around. Their efforts eventually proved not to be in vain with the thrash revival that came in the 2000's and Overkill eventually put their own stamp on this revival with perhaps the strongest album of their career, the mighty Ironbound.

This is straight up in your face thrash metal that gets the listener's head moving in ways that nonsense such as Death Magnetic could never hope to. Ironbound is not a particularly short affair but it whizzes by so fast that you barely have time to catch your breath. The epic length of songs such as Ironbound and The Green And Black would usually hinder a thrash metal band as thrash has always been about delivering a point in as little time as possible but these songs show that Overkill know exactly how to craft a lengthy song for maximum impact. The band did this so very well with some of their songs off of their early material such as The Years Of Decay album but on Ironbound they come into their own with longer songs.

The riff craft on Ironbound is among the best out there. Overkill are not a band that needs to cram as much technicality into their songs as possible to make them a good band and nor do they need a breakdown infested chug-fest to deliver a point. Instead they thrash along at full speed with some really enjoyable guitar work that covers a variety of tempos perfectly. The drumming is also very intense on this album and jumps between many speeds across the songs, usually changing the tempo within the same song three or four times and also retains a lot of variety instead of the monotonous drumming found on albums like Slayer's most recent album.

The instrumental work is complimented perfectly by a fantastic production that is not overproduced but is definitely clear and a joy to listen to. The riff that opens Ironbound is the best example of the in-your-face production that this band has used for Ironbound and it could not work to better effect. The production job on here makes the album heavy and aggressive and every instrument is very prominent in the mix. The icing on the cake for this album is Bobby Blitz's crazy vocal performance that is probably his strongest to date with some crazy high notes and the heavy New York accent that seeps through when he dives into his lower register. On this album he carries a snide, sarcastic tone and this really works when coupled with lyrics such as "if I'm staring at the table then I must be laying on the floor" whilst thundering along.

The songs themselves on this album are as close to perfection as thrash metal can get from the magnificent opener The Green And Black through the title track and the fast paced Bring Me The Night right through the the phenomenal The SRC. The songs are not for everyone and this is something that is best displayed by the multi part title track that begins heavy as hell and then moves into a clean section before building up to a marvelous closure. This is an album that has a lot of different styles but always feels very intense and as though the band are out for blood. This is really the sound of a band that are hungry for blood after a couple of slightly more lackluster releases in Relix IV and Immortalis and it seeps through with every song sounding full of pure, unadulterated rage.

Ironbound is a fantastic album and probably the best album the band has ever put out, and if this does not ring true then it is the best since The Years Of Decay. It showed that thrash is very much alive and that every song is an absolute masterpiece with Bring Me The Night and The SRC being two of the best and the first two songs being among the finest thrash metal songs of all time. Ironbound also showcases a shift into a more modernized production for Overkill that could not work better with this band's sound.

In 2010, Bobby and the gang released a damn good slab of modern thrash metal, known as Ironbound. In a time where many of the great thrash metal bands have been putting out less than mediocre thrash metal albums (Death Magnetic, World Painted Blood, I'm looking at you) Overkill still knows how to kick ass, even though sometimes they don't fully release those abilities (For example, this album's disappointing successor, which was released the same year in which this review was typed. *shudders*). Unlike The Electric Age, Ironbound feels powerful. Ironbound feels like the crew was truly putting their hearts into the music here. The album delivers their brand of kick-you-in-the-face thrash and blends in some interesting elements in there to keep it from getting too stale and one-dimensional. One last thing before I start talking about the songs: the production on this thing is fantastic. I love the way the bass sounds, and It makes the sound of the music feel pounding. I really feel like more of today's thrash outputs should pronounce the bass more like this one, because it really would add a new dynamic of heaviness to many records.

Ironbound begins with a really interesting clean guitar intro which serves as a fitting way to open the album. The moment the riffs start coming in and you hear that powerful bass accompanying the riffs, you know you're about to embark on quite a ride. The riffs throughout this album sound really well thought out, not tampering to much with the thrash formula, but also adding in some cool clean and melodic parts, which adds in a layer of creativity and diversity. Not only from the guitars do we hear some interesting stuff but the bass as well. There are some points where you hear the bass going off and doing its own thing, and it really is a nice change from the usual "Hey bassist, we made all the riffs. Here play along to the root notes of these power chords" type of feeling that many albums suffer from. The drums switch up the patterns during all the songs, which keeps the record from getting too stale. Now, Bobby Blitz's voice, man does he sound powerful here. This guy does not sound worn out in the least bit here, he sounds enthused, and he sounds like he just wants to tear shit up. His vocals still got that gritty, aggressive punch, which is impressive for a man his age. The vocals mix up styles every now and then blending in sung vocals, shouted vocals, and the occasional appearance of backing vocals. Overall, the music on this album feels crushing, multi-dimensional, and full of personality, some things I feel many thrash albums are lacking.

Ironbound is an album that does all the right things for a thrash metal album to achieve "greatness" and is well worthy of multiple listens. As disappointed as I was with Overkill's newest offering, The Electric Age, I really hope that they can deliver something as good as this one next time they hit the studio.

Overkill have become known as one of the most consistent and enduring bands in the world. This has more to do with their stubbornness in not really altering their style than actual consistent musicianship. Over the last 2 decades, Overkill albums were plagued with fillers and only a couple of very good tracks. They also inherited groove elements into their music in the early 90's which have remained ever since (a negative, imo). Horrorscope was their last brilliant album, but that was 20 years ago. Can a band really still have it after so long? Well, the simple fact is Overkill have delivered what will probably go down as a thrash classic. Every song is brilliant and although some are obviously better than others, none are bad.

Blitz is as powerful as ever. He seems to get better with age and whereas people like James Hetfield (shame on you) are a shadow of their former selves, Blitz is awesome. D.D Verni provides a powerful bass backbone and new boy Ron Lipincki is phenomenal on the drums. His intensity is neck-breaking. Derek Tailer is decent on rhythm, but not anything special. Dave Linsk puts in his best lead performance thus far for Overkill and his solo in the soft part of the title track is fantastic. Overkill would really benefit from two leads where they could trade off one another. Al Pitrelli or Jeff Waters, maybe? Still even with that (imo) glaring weak point in the band, they have still put together a great album.

As a whole, the album has a very heavy sound and is very well-produced. Every instrument is easily audible and the vocals of Blitz cut straight through with his trademark rasp. The groove elements are mostly gone and this is mostly straight ahead thrash, the way Overkill should be.

I won't review every track, but simply mention my favorites. The title track is fantastic. The change of pace at about 3 minutes is nothing other than awe-inspiring and brilliant. Overkill should have done this more throughout their career. Dave's guitar solo is very good. In my opinion, it's the best that he has done since joining the band.

Bring Me the Night sounds like how I imagine God to be when he is angry. It's fast, aggressive, and I think Blitz has just found out his girlfriend is shagging the postman because he really lets loose here. The solos are appropriately fast and the drumming is intense to say the least. The chorus is my favorite lyrical passage on the album:

"Ready to fly; and I'm ready to die
Scare the angel, fly away
Let the devil have his way
Tie your tongue into a knot
Pray to God it never stops
Ready to fly; and I'm ready to die
Fuel me up, let me go
Shut your mouth, going to blow
Hold your ears and shield your eyes
Just a word to the wise."

Killing For a Living is just so cool because the vocals at times don't sound at all like Blitz. This bloke is a damn chameleon. Again great riffs, lyrics, and a solid performance overall.

The Goal is Your Soul has some nice eerie guitar picking and reminds me of the stuff they were writing back on their Years of Decay album. Again, this song has great tempo changes, varying riffs, and some great lyrics.

The G&B is the longest song here, but feels no longer than 5 minutes, which is a testament to how well-structured the song is. Yet another great opening track, something Overkill have always been good at on pretty much every album.

Choice cuts (although all are good):

Ironbound
Bring Me the Night
The Green and Black
The Goal is Your Soul

Definitely a strong contender for best album of 2010 and a must for any fan of thrash metal.

Overkill have released their 16th album and it is probably their best album in recent years. I won't bullshit you with telling you who these guys are or what they've released, because in all honesty, if you're on this site, you should know who the fuck these legends are.

The album starts off as the last 2 Overkill albums have, with about 30 seconds to a minute of slow buildup and then...BOOM! Say goodbye to your muthafuckin' teeth as they've just been kicked through the back of your puny skull. That is basically how the album kicks off and never really lets up the intensity from there. The first 3 tracks are basically a trilogy of awesomeness and a precursor of what is to follow.

The album has a good bit of variation, to a certain extent. I mean, it's all in the context of Overkill but they kinda explore everything the band has dipped their glorious fingers into over the course of their 25+ year career. You have the epic (The Green And Black, Ironbound), the thrash (Bring Me The Night, The SRC, Endless War), The heavy/doom (The Head And Heart), and the modern/groove (Give A Little, The Goal Is Your Soul etc) and even The Killing Kind-era hardcore-ish (In Vain). I mean, this album is an Overkill diehard's wet dream. It has everything.

And the production is fuckin' awesome. No other word can describe it. Every instrument is heard with crystal clear quality and precision. The guitars have an awesome, grinding tone. DD's bass work, together with Ron Lipnicki drumming create a thunderous, pummelling rhythm section and the star of the show, Mr Blitz Ellsworth, has never sound so good or ferocious. He truly lets rip on this one.

I couldn't big this album up anymore even if I wanted or tried too. I have spun this disk on regular rotation and can't see that stopping anytime in the near future. If your an Overkill fan, or a fan of metal in general, I highly recommend getting this album. You won't be disappointed.

For a while this question of “what colors comprise the heavy metal rainbow?” has been pestering me. Perhaps it’s a sign that I listen to too much Dio, or perhaps it could be chalked up to an occasional pondering of how Vikings would get from Earth to Odin, but regardless the question still remains. I’m confident that, based on my research into the lyrical pursuits of professor Ronnie James that this illusive rainbow only comes out in the dark, but beyond this his studies seemed only interested with the metaphorical applications of this phenomenon, as such is the labors of poets. But recently Overkill decided to take a more scientific approach to the question, and uncovered a threefold color scheme of green, black and red through their thrash metal microscope.

“Ironbound”, the colossal 16th opus of pure tempered steel out of this New York thrash mainstay, presents the illusive heavy metal rainbow on an iron canvass fit for its nature. The tableau is, in itself, somewhat inconsistent only in the sense that there are patches of rust amidst its luster, but manifesting not as an actual flaw but rather a much needed accent of older influences that have been largely absent on their past several offerings. Occasionally this comes in the form of obvious nods to old school Metallica and Megadeth, while at others things break more towards Overkill’s slightly groovier character, but always hitting upon the best elements of both worlds. This is an album that is literally chock full of enough riffs to hold its own against the more extreme examples of the late 80s Bay Area scene, but elects for a more orthodox song structure that is more befitting a pre-1987 adherent to the genre.

As to the specific colors of the rainbow, the dominant colors are the pitch black and deathly pale green that has often been displayed on their album covers. While lyrically this is largely a dual venture in singing the praises of the individual and his empowerment in relation to others within the metal scene when he finds his proper place, the music is pure necrotic filth, much in the same fashion as a zombie fresh out of the grave, but with the sprinting abilities more commonly attributed to wolves. There is no beating around the bush in this regard either, as this uncompromising fury of crunch, sleaze and aggression just leaps out at the listener from the very onslaught.

The first 3 songs essentially set the tone for the entire album, drawing heavily from the past and only a little bit from the post-1992 era of the style. The principle influence is that of “The Years Of Decay”, which this album essentially functions as a 21st anniversary to, albeit with even more speed and fury. “The Green And Black” bears some similarity to “Time To Kill”, complete with an extended intro and build up, though the song is a tiny bit creepier and bass heavy. In fact, D.D. has more presence as a bassist on here than any other Overkill album. “Ironbound” ups the ante in the speed department, as well as in catchiness, throwing in an unforgettable gang chorus to lead vocalist interchange that hits the ears with the fury of a thousand sledgehammers. Both of these songs are wide in scope and consist of extended breakdown sections, sometimes slowing down to a punishing groove stomp, while at others reverting to the creepy quietness heard on the softer parts heard on “The Years Of Decay”. The 3rd part of this wicked trilogy “Bring Me The Night” bucks the breakdown trend in favor of an all speed, all the time, rush of punishing brevity. Signature riffs that bear heavy similarities to “Hit The Lights” and “Disposable Heroes” mesh perfectly with Blitz’s wicked witch wails, resulting in a song that should be on any self-respecting thrash maniac’s play list.

For the most part, the remaining songs tend to exhibit the frenzied character of the beginning 3. “Endless War” has more of a galloping tendency to it and a heavy amount of Dave Mustaine influences, but still puts speed and riffs ahead of groove. “Give A Little” is a bit more of a sing along number and a little bit slower, not to mention featuring a brief section where Blitz turns off the sleaze and almost sounds like a soft rock singer, but the aggression is still at the fore. But amongst a lot of the slower songs there is also an appearance of the red lining on the otherwise all green and black rainbow, manifesting musically as that groovier, “I’m gonna kick your face in” attitude more associated with Overkill’s late 90s material. “The Head And Heart” is the most noteworthy example of this, slamming down a minimalist set of power chords in a “Symphony Of Destruction” manner, and flowing like a standard structured song. One might chalk it up to an occasional reference to the bloodied corpse of the victim amidst an otherwise consistent tale of thrashing zombies and necrotic flesh.

It has been a long time coming, but the band that arguably first pioneered this style has solved the riddle of the heavy metal rainbow first prophesized by the almighty Dio, and along with it offered us yet another fit of sheer thrashing brilliance. There isn’t a single dull moment to be found, though many will find themselves repeating the first 3 songs over and over for their surprising level of comparability to the glory days of the 80s. It’s a dark ride, a fit of subterranean brilliance, and a wonderfully decrepit musical rendering of this band’s primary colors. It’s the sort of rainbow organization that can literally push its own sense of greatness and diversity, but without all the racism, gayness, or corporate shakedowns normally associated with some other rainbow push groups. In short, get this now, or prepare to be torn apart by a legion of green and black ghouls.

How many old school bands do you know who have released a good damn record in recent years? Maybe a few. How many old school bands do you know who have released a pants-shittingly awesome record in recent years? I know one, and that band is Overkill. Even if you ignore the circumstances of Ironbound's release, you still have a wonderful piece of mean, manly and magnificent old school thrash metal with a modern tinge. One of my favorite things about this album is that every song is easily distinguishable and they're all almost like separate personalities..."The Green and Black" is the epic one, "Bring Me the Night" is the rock 'n' roller, "Give A Little" is the song with dual vocals and so on. Basically, it's a very dynamic album, but still stays true to its roots.

The journey of awesome that is listening to this album begins with a quiet bass (some guitar) intro to "The Green and Black", which is a contender for "Best Song of 2010", in my opinion. I really want to focus on the opening track here, because this is an 8 minute song that not for one second feels like it's being dragged out or contrived, which is really an accomplishment. The song goes through many phases, starting with the aforementioned bass intro, then a epic-turning-evil electric guitar, followed by a kickass thrash phase (with unbelievably cool choruses, too) which wraps up the song, but is interspersed with cool interludes, solos and breaks. Following the first epic of the album is the second epic and title track "Ironbound". This is a great song as well, which is best described like this: it thrashes the fuck out of you at first, then beats and maims you to a pulp with a breakdown more brutal than any deathcore band has ever even dreamed of writing, then while you're lying on the ground in a bloody mess with a smile on your face, it heals you back to life with a soothing and really quite beautiful solo, but as soon as it's finished doing that, it's back to FUCKING MAYHEM! This part of the song is great, and I especially like the sound of the heavy guitar blast immediately followed by a barely audible ride hit, which is decimated by the guitar again a moment later (it sounds kind of like CHNG-ting!-CHNG-ting!, just believe me, it's awesome). I'm probably breaking the "no track-by-track review of an album" by this point, so I'll just finish up this portion of the review by saying that the rest of the album has mighty moments of metal mastery with catchy riffs and vocal pieces.

Aaaaand, speaking of riffs, this album is full of them. I shit you not, there is a riff every minute, and they ALL sound fucking godly. From "Bring Me the Night"'s Motorhead styled guitar playing to "Give A Little"'s almost mocking riffs (once again, I shit you not, they made the guitar actually sound like it was mocking you. HOW DO THEY DO THAT OMGWTFLOLWUT!?) to "Ironbound"'s mosh-inducing and energetic break and breakdown riffs, it's all great. Ron Lipnicki does an A+ drumming job -- fast, useful, tight and catchy. One thing lacking about the drums though is the heinously weak kick drum. I mean come on, it sounds like a god damn mouse click! This album wouldn't be the same if it lacked real heaviness, and although the thin kick drum sound takes away from that, D.D. Verni's never-ending bass lines (which are HUGE in the mix) make up for it, and make for it GOOD. Heavy, fast and skilled, the instrumentation on Ironbound is great in every way (except for the kick drum, but just try to ignore it)!

As for vocals? Well, what can I say, Bobby Blitz sings and screams as well as he ever did, except now they've got flawless production so he sounds a THOUSAND TIMES better. One interesting thing was how much of the "low talking" type of singing he did on here. Instead of singing in a higher range like he usually does (or so it seems to me), he laid low in a lower range when singing most stuff. Now, I'm not really complaining, because this gives off a pissed-off vibe...and well, this is speed metal, you need that! Another good thing that comes out of this low singing is that after you get used to it and you hear that motherfucker scream....damn! The contrast is so huge, it's like a loop on a rollercoaster; it comes out of nowhere and is exciting as hell.

Overkill has really stunned me and lots of others with Ironbound, and I think it's really garnered them a larger support from a newer generation. I'm not sure how many of them turn into wrecking motherfuckers, but I know for a fact that this is the album that turned me green and black, and I'm a huge fan of Overkill now! Wrecking crew for life!

Song highlights: EVERYTHING! But if you want to be extremely picky, "Green and Black", "Ironbound", "Bring Me the Night".

OVERKILL always seems to have been, in my eyes, on the very VERY edge of the radar in the thrash metal spectrum. Seemingly too monstrous for mainstream acceptance and too genuine to be completely forgotten, the OVERKILLERs prattled on, peddling their wares to any who would dare give these fools a listen or two. I can’t tell you whether this current thrash revival is having beneficial or adverse effects for the group as I’d yet to hear any news of the like, but I’d be lying if I’d say that a new career boost for them wouldn’t do little upward curly tricks to the ends of my mouth. Nevertheless, they’ve kept at it to this current time and day, and here we have a new album fresh off the cooker, ready and rarin’ to go.

So let’s see if time has been kind to this group of misfits…

For this new disc, “Ironbound”, things start out sorta slow but get into the swing of things in record time, giving the listener a lesson of old-school-ish thrash metal the likes of which only the legends of the scene could evoke. All that is barbaric and heavy is in full swing, taking a modernistic approach to a tried-and-true formula, but done so with a sort of mature class that comes from being part of a scene for as long as they. Shades of “Ride the Puppets”/“Master of Lightning”-era METALLICA couples with the nastiness of early-years EXODUS’ fabulous disasters, where tons of riffs, blinding speed/solos, jugular-severing guitars, face-crushing drums and that traditional OVERKILL rasp unleashes some of their more upbeat, melodic and energetic material, proving to the world that no matter which musical trends hold sway, there will always be plentiful stubborn types who will decry all that the kids these days view to the point of religious belief. Metalcore? Grunge? Fuck all that, so sayeth our old thrash gods! That sort of pissed-off-ness is set to full capacity with the likes of “Ironbound”, “Give a Little”, and “In Vain”, more than enough to quench the thirst for riffery. That’s all it takes to get through the day, in these schizophrenic times.

So all in all “Ironbound again proves the necessity for OVERKILL in this day and age. Here’s hoping that they’ll get swept up the tide during this current thrash revival, but I think that even if it doesn’t come to be, they’ll sprout up again when we least expect them. Horns!

While I found some good moments in the last few Overkill albums, I have found them to be somewhat lesser additions to the band's discography and wondered how much time they had left as a group. I wasn't sure how this album would compare to the ones before it but figured that it'd end up being your "typical" Overkill album. To my surprise, my perceptions went through a complete overhaul as this release ended up being even stronger than I had anticipated.

As suggested by the appropriately metallic album art and a unique sounding mix courtesy of Hypocrisy bandleader Peter Tägtgren, "Ironbound" brings about a band that is heavier and more aggressive than the Overkill that many of us have gotten used to in recent years. Most of the songs on here go at an extremely fast pace with a few more complex structures coming into play on occasion. Of course, the album still has plenty of catchy moments with "Bring Me the Night" in particular serving as an excellent anthem and one of my personal favorite songs.

The band's performance also seems to have gotten more focused on this effort and the "new" line-up finally shows some chemistry that hasn't been seen in this group for quite a while. Guitarists Derek Tailer and Dave Linsk finally come into their own with some powerful riffs and solos that are sure to eliminate any brooding memories of past guitarists that are still in the fans' collective conscious. Vocalist Bobby Ellsworth also delivers another strong performance, generally sticking to his signature rasps and wails though showing some croons on "Give A Little" and borderline growls on "The Head And Heart." Unfortunately, DD Verni's bass playing doesn't stand out as much as usual though the backing vocals on this album may be some of his best to date.

While the somewhat dry production may give the album a somewhat distant feel in comparison to past efforts, I think this album's one flaw may be the derivative tendency that has popped up on past Overkill efforts. Many songs on here have moments that recall classic Metallica and Megadeth. While it may be my favorite song on the album, "Bring Me The Night" may be somewhat off-putting to some as it is more or less a rewrite of "The Prince" by Diamond Head. Fortunately, it doesn't get in the way too often and may reinforce the album's classic feel.

With the release of this album, it's safe to say that Overkill has made their version of "Tempo Of The Damned." All of the songs on here are powerfully constructed and the overall effort will be pretty damn hard to top as one of my 2010 favorites, let alone one of my favorites in the Overkill discography. Here's hoping they'll be able to keep this momentum going with their next one!

My Current Favorites:
"The Green And Black," "Ironbound," "Bring Me The Night," "Give A Little," and "The Head And Heart."

Surprise! 2-3 years have passed and guess what, it’s time for another Overkill album! One has to give credit to a band that is still regularly putting out albums this frequently. Unfortunately, these albums have been getting worse and worse until a career low-point with "Immortalis", which had zero good songs on it. Needless to say I was totally unprepared for the aural assault the greeted me with "The Green And The Black", but before I get into that, a little background first.

Some would argue that Overkill was the first Thrash band, being formed all the way back in 1980. I would disagree with that because I do not think that they actually played Thrash until 1985-1987 or so, before that they were more Speed Metal than anything else. Either way you look at it, they’ve been around for a while (and at one time had Anthrax’s Dan Spitz on guitar), and have been putting out albums and touring relentlessly for almost 30 years! Anyone that’s been to an Overkill live show will tell you that they definitely can bring it (and still can, go see them if you ever get the chance). Oh, and despite coming close with "I Hear Black" and "Immortalis", they’ve never really sold out and certainly have never put out anything as bad as "St. Anger", "Risk" or "Diabolus In Musica".

Anyone doubting whether Overkill can still deliver the goods or not need only listen to "The Green And The Black", perhaps the best song that they’ve released since "Coma" off of "Horrorscope". Excellent speedy, hard-hitting riffs and a menacing vocal performance by Blitz give way to a killer break that will surely have fans headbanging and moshing live. Top it off with some good soloing and this song is a winner. Some bands decide to write one good song and stick it at the beginning to fool fans, but not Overkill, in fact, the intensity never lets up throughout the album. Some other favorites of mine are the title track, "The Goal Is Your Soul" and "The SRC".

The riffs are stronger, more plentiful and more dynamic and there’s more soloing too, which is good because Dave Linsk can shred. The drums pack more of a punch too, which is a necessity for heavy music like this. Peter Tagtgren does an excellent job producing this album, giving it a much heavier feel than the punchless, low budget sounding work of the past few albums. This isn’t Killswitch Engage dammit! I want the music to be loud and in-my-face! Excellent work with the production.

The amusing thing about this is that Blitz doesn’t seem to realize there’s anything different about this album than any of the past few. In some interviews he makes it sound like it’s more of the same from Overkill, but in others he claims that this is a new chapter for the band. This may seem substantial, but he’s been saying similar shit before new album releases for years now. Regardless of whether he realizes it or not, this is one of the strongest albums in Overkill’s catalogue. I can’t wait to hear these songs performed live. Don’t let the past few albums fool you, "Ironbound" is a winner, buy it ASAP.

Originally published for www.metal-temple.com

Just about every review you read for a newer Overkill CD will begin with the bit where the writer tells you how they were the one classic U.S. thrash band that went the distance through the 90s without compromising their integrity. The thing is, it happens to be one worn-out old platitude that is undoubtedly true; while not everything they came up with after the seminal ‘Horrorscope’ back in 1991 is an essential piece of any metal fan’s collection, that Blitz, D.D. and their associated comrades continued to go their own way in the face of the most extreme adversity really does bear repeating.

My first experience of the band was actually a double pack of the mostly good ‘Necroshine’ and the mostly bad ‘From the underground and below’, with the former being all the proof you could ever need that groove metal can actually be done right if it is approached with the same level of care, dignity and honesty as you would expect any successful metal band to apply to their work.

2005’s ‘Relixiv’ though was a creative dead end – the songs had finally become slaves to the groove rather than the other way around, and it looked as though this once mighty thrash titan had finally succumbed. I understand that ‘Immortalis’ was supposed to be a something of an improvement, but such was my disillusionment with its predecessor I completely missed it out, but the pre-release hype surrounding ‘Ironbound’ was just too enticing to be ignored.

And thankfully, it has turned out to be fully justified. This is, without doubt, the best Overkill have sounded in close to 2 decades. And yes, it is thrash – pure, unadulterated, epic thrash, as though ‘Horrorscope’ happened only a couple of weeks ago.

Quite where D.D. Verni has pulled this multitude of astounding riffs from is just beyond me – with all the suddenness of a flicking switch he has jumped back into his youth and has Overkill thrashing likes there’s no tomorrow. ‘Ironbound’ shouldn’t be mistaken for some trip down memory lane though, as it is undoubtedly a modern piece of work. There are slowed down moments, breakdowns even, but classic thrash style is brought right up to date without sacrificing any of its qualities, and the more modern elements are used respectfully and incorporated carefully into one hulking, cohesive beast of a CD. “The green and black” opens proceedings in quite monstrous fashion, an 8-minute tour-de-force that leaves no doubt as to what is in store. Opening on a one of Verni’s trademark loping bass intros, it quickly sets the standard with a relentless barrage of old-school thrashing before sliding into a punishing midtempo midsection that twists and turns before exploding into life again at the climax.

Blitz sings out of his skin on this one, and is at the absolute top of his game throughout. One of the great underrated vocalists of our time, he spits and screeches like a man possessed and delivers his typically cryptic but nonetheless (and I use this term advisedly) badass lyrics with a relentless controlled power that defies his 50 years.

The rest of the band are right up there with him too, with the entire crew in blistering form. Verni of course is a rightly regarded bass legend, and hands in a display worthy of his reputation, either when taking the lead or harmonizing with the guitars, or when delivering a full-on rhythmic battering along with Ron Lipnicki. On his 2nd studio outing since replacing the long-serving Tim Mallare, the drummer is dressed to impress, and pounds the living hell out of his kit. His fills and footwork are incredible, filling any loose spaces and hammering the pedals together at all the most appropriate moments.

On the guitar front Dave Linsk really excels on lead, zigzagging in and out of the congested riffs and delivering solo after staggering solo on what must surely be a career-best performance. On the title track he even finds time to show a more melodic side as the song unexpectedly slows down in the middle, weaving a mesmerizing solo before kicking up it a gear as the songs explodes back into life. On “Endless war”, the harmonized leads at the conclusion (with Verni getting in on the act too) are breathtaking, blazing like Iron Maiden in their very prime. Derek Tailer, the quiet man of the band I suppose on rhythm guitar, is not someone you generally hear much about, but even if he remains in Linsk’s shadow, there is no shortage of complex rhythmic bombardments for him to sink his teeth into and the importance of him anchoring his axe partner’s extravagance should not be understated.

The biggest strength of ‘Ironbound’, all these magnificent performances aside, must be in its versatility. The songs each have a definitive identity of their own, and just about all of them could stand alone against virtually anything being thrown at them. After the pounding given out by the opening 2 songs, “Bring me the night” mixes things up a bit with the most old-school sound of the bunch. The upbeat main riff is something Diamond Head would have killed to come up with, and is complimented perfectly by a demented vocal performance by Blitz were he must spit out about a million words without missing a breath. Truly, truly superior stuff. “Give a little” is another song that simply breathes character, the trade-off vocals between Blitz and Verni in the chorus another little bit of innovation (it’s not rocket science, but someone still has to come up with it) that remind us they’re still just a pair of punks deep down. As the song slows down Blitz also shows off his best Elvis imitation in the CD’s strangest moment, but, like nearly everything else when they’re on this kind of form, it just clicks perfectly into place.

It is maybe true, having listened quite extensively to the CD now, that the 2nd half isn’t quite as strong as the first, but after the relentless opening salvo Overkill are definitely due a bit of slack – that it takes until 7 songs in to find something that isn’t completely outstanding tells its own story. “The head and heart”, despite an interesting attempt at growled vocals from Blitz, is a bit of a weak point, the only song where the non-thrash elements take centre stage and keep the song from reaching full flight, but it really would be nitpicking to get too down about what is ultimately still a pretty good song.

Further towards the end, the penultimate “Killing for a living” is the black sheep of the family. Partly made up of by-now-expected heads down thrashing, it’s more intriguing side is found in the dark sections where Blitz hovers above proceedings like a grim narrator, delivering menacing half-spoken vocals that paint a sweeping, nightmarish picture punctuated by the crushing thrash sections. A moment of genuine stand-out inspiration on a CD chock-full of the stuff, it keeps reminding (as if reminding was needed) that Overkill never were ones to do things by the book.

At the end of my first listen to ‘Ironbound’ I was pretty stunned, and that sensation hasn’t faded even now that I have given it a thorough mental dissection to get my thoughts down on paper. Overkill never looked like they were going to go quietly, but for them to hit out with something of this quality at this stage of their career – their 15th full-length in 25 relentless years (16th if you count 'Coverkill') – is nothing short of miraculous. I will definitely be astounded if my year-end list doesn’t have its number one position occupied already, before we even hit February. Believe the hype; Overkill rides again.

(Originally written for http://www.metalcdratings.com/)

Overkill enter a new decade after 3 decades of being arguably the most consistent and most respectable thrash metal band. Overkill have pretty much stayed the same through their career, This being no different. Ironbound is more of the same, Just a little inconsistent but still pretty solid release.

To be honest, I think this is a step-down from their previous release "Immortalis", There seems to be a lot of filler on this one, Bobby's vocals are still going pretty strong but they can't seem to hit the heights of his performances on albums such as "horrorscope". Some of the songs on this album feel a little too long, That wouldn't be such a problem if there was some good song-writing here but sadly they only occur in short spurts. The guitar duo are still as sharp as ever and deliver many crunching groove inspired thrash riffs which will please any kill fan who likes the previous 3 albums. The drums feel very "light" again, There is no shortage of technical/fast drumming but they just don't deliver the impact as in "bloodletting".

There are many songs on this one which just go in through one ear and go out the other. Making you wonder what the song is about, The themes and the lyrics aren't very clear. One other problem i have personally, is the ordering of the tracks, I'm not convinced by the starting track which clocks in at over 8 minutes long. There seems to plenty of re-hashed material which feels like they've been recycled from old overkill and exodus albums. There is still some fantastic solo-ing to be found on tracks like 'The green and black' and 'Give a little'.

My favorite track on this album is 'Give a little' which has a really catchy and addictive chorus featuring 'group-shoutings'. The riffs of this album can't help but give you the feeling "Where did i hear something like this before?". The production is pretty good, The bass is clearly audible, as in most kill albums. 'endless war' is pretty good, The track just about saves the whole album from going stale at the right time. This still features more 'talking' and less 'singing' like their previous 3 albums.

Ironbound is a good album, The biggest problem being the track ordering and the length of few of these songs. There is a lot of filler material on some of the tracks, Which aren't bad just a little annoying. This is a good move into the new decade for the old thrash-gods. You could do much worse than buy this album. Get this if you're a die-hard overkill fan as I'm pretty sure this is exactly what over-kill fans want or if you're looking for an album to kick-start 2010.

I have a lot of respect for Overkill, I really do, and I once wore my greens and blacks with pride through the 80s, which sadly remain the pinnacle of their career as far as recorded output. They're cool guys, they put on excellent live performances (even well beyond the 80s), and who the hell could deny that they are one of the most persistent bands in metal music. Most of the bigger names broke up, went through massive musical changes, got back together, or died of overdoses in the past 20-30 years, but not Overkill. They've been with us all along, thrashing out through the years with nary a difference in their stylistic delivery aside from occasional lapses into more modern, crushing grooves, or different studios and tones, but even then, they still maintained the core values that make them the most enduring thrash band of the NY/NJ area (sorry, Anthrax, maybe if you hadn't fallen through the cracks...)

With all this being said, Bobby Blitz and his wrecking crew have not delivered an album that knocked my socks off since 1987's Taking Over. There have been great efforts (Under the Influence), good efforts (The Years of Decay), and then a whole lot of just okay efforts...albums that usually feature 2-4 killer cuts and then a heap of filler which rarely, if ever makes it onto the bands live sets or into the long term memory of their fans. They're like a lichen growing across the surface of that 19th century bronze vase you've got out at the edge of your property: they give the world a little bit of extra class, but beyond that, pretty useless. Ironbound is the band's 16th album, and it's a pretty staggering accomplishment to even REACH that number of albums, especially when we're talking about full fledged studio efforts and not 2 kids in their bedroom using pro-tools to build a black metal legacy. Overkill is older, certainly, and probably wiser too, but one listen through Ironbound and you'll realize they have lost nothing of their youthful edge. Arguably, this is also the band's best work in many years, clinging proudly to the thrash and speed of their roots, and it's successful enough to have older fans banging their heads, and younger fans performing windmill kicks and walls of death to drain off their excess testosterone, but it's still not the great return to form I have always hoped the band would one day produce.

Thankfully, it's fast and fun thrash metal which doesn't often give you an opening to ponder just why you don't care for it. "The Green and Black" is a nice tribute to both the band's history and especially the fans that have kept fueling it over the years, but I have to question why it needs to be 8 minutes long. This could have been snipped to 3-4 minutes and had the same effect. By the slower breakdowns later in the track, I was mighty bored. Not really the case for title track "Ironbound", which truly thrashes out like it was Under the Influence all over again, and it carries the 6+ minutes pretty well, with Blitz' undeniable vocal charisma howling and screaming through the night. Speaking of which, "Bring Me the Night" is another smoker, with a total old school speed metal vibe that alternates into the chugging vocal verse. "The Goal is Your Soul" is another cautionary thrash tale, at a strong mid tempo, but not too memorable. "Give a Little" and "Endless War" both have their moments, solid beatings but with maybe 2-3 catchy riffs among them.

"The Head and the Heart" recalls some of the band's more moody, atmospheric tunes from past years, in particular the "Overkill" series of songs that they penned for the first few albums. A simple clean, chorused guitar breaks into a slow-paced rhythm reminiscent of Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction", and Blitz dips into a little of his late 70s/80s hard rock edge before the thrash fist returns. "In Vain" loses nothing of the energy of the first half of the record, but doesn't quite stand out, while "Killing for a Living" is a concrete blast of urban brutality with a string of mighty riffs and interesting variations through the vocals, from a kind of narrative style in the verse to the more aggressive bridge and chorus. "The SRC" has some cruel grooves and steady pounding drums, another good if not great refresher on the old school sounds they used to churn out in the 80s, with a breakdown assured to get the kids flailing about and the wife to pull out her hair.

Ironbound sounds great, with punchy guitar riffs and one of the more charismatic frontmen in the genre. Blitz still knows how to use his voice as a weapon, it is both sadistic and unforgettable which is more than I can say for like 99% of the retro thrash bands currently clogging up the drainpipe, waiting for the flush. I can't help but think that a little more time to brew, and a scrapping a few of the more average tracks here, could have produced their best album since The Years of Decay, but true Overkill diehards will probably be very satisfied with the headbanging catalysts found within. Here's to another 16 albums, old friends. Don't let us down.

Highlights: Ironbound, Bring Me the Night, Killing for a Living

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

The truth is out there for good. Overkill may damn well be the best thrash metal band ever, without a doubt and this latest offering speaks for itself. “Ironbound” is probably their most consistent output since Horrorscope and that aint saying much. Albums like Bloodletting and Killbox 13 were definitely good but this release simply proves that Overkill have actually outdone themselves. I feel a certain level of pity for Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer, as their recent products don’t stand a chance whatsoever in front of this monster but hey, its Overkill we’re talking about right? Arguably the first thrash metal band to come into existence. Only Heathen’s yet to be released “The Evolution Of Chaos” would in all likelihood be a worthy contender to compete with this.

The biggest surprise to be found in here is the removal of most of the groove element that had become an ingredient in the band’s sound after Horrorscope. Here the music owes a lot to their eighties stuff with enough fresh ideas to making the listening experience all the more enjoyable. Blitz sounds as nasty as always and his high pitched shrieks sound as spine chilling as they have always been over the years. And what can be said about the guitar duo of Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer? These guys are simply outstanding. Their guitarwork is pure killer as their riffs and solos are basically a combination of breakneck thrash and solid traditional harmonies. They are by far the best replacements for Gant and Cannavino who themselves shone on Horroscope. D.D Verni once again proves why he’s one of the best metal bassists around. The skin pounder is yet again the veteran and former Hades drummer Ron Lipnicki and his drumwork on this album is likely to draw a lot of attention as this is some of the finest thrash metal drumming I’ve heard in a very long time.

I’m not going to spoil all the fun by reviewing each track in much detail as there are basically no fillers to be found here. Most of the songs are really fast and I am not exaggerating. This is by far the fastest the band has ever gone. The starter “The Green And Black”, the title track and also “In Vain” are absolute moshing essentials, especially the latter in which the drumwork is almost as frenzied as old school Holy Terror and Dark Angel. “Bring Me The Night” brings back some of the magical riffs from the NWOBHM scene whereas “The Head And The Heart” carries a certain vibe of the track “Overkill III” off the “Under The Influence” album in the starting riff section alongside that eerie death metal growl that kicks in when the main song starts. The starting riff of “The SRC” is quite possibly one of Overkill’s best especially with the part when the lead guitar comes in.

The most interesting aspect of this album is the mid sections of some of the songs that its almost hard to believe that this is the very same band that had almost drifted into near groove metal territory during most of their 90s career, though it would be unfair to say that they had sold out. On the other hand the guitar solos too are very stylishly done with all the dual guitar harmonies and usage of both blues and mohameddan scales. Even the groovier sections of some songs sound extremely catchy without sounding Panteraish whatsoever.

So let this be a lesson to all the newbies striving to thrash hard and rekindling the 80s thrash flame. This is how thrash should sound like. Being in existence for almost 30 years, this outfit from New Jersey continues to wave the flag of pure unadulterated thrash metal with their sheer enthusiasm, energy and the willingness to churn out quality stuff. It would be a huge shame if this album goes unnoticed in the year 2010 or thereafter, because for my money this is definitely up there on my list for “album of the year”. Overkill continues to shred!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After a couple of weak releases compared to the rocking "Killbox 13" I decided to give this one a shot. The problem with the two discs in the middle were mainly that they were too light and hard rock influenced. Here Overkill seem to have realized their faults, and the aim is extremes within their own classic sound.

The disc starts off with the eight minute thrasher "The Green & Black". I expected something epic and perhaps atmospheric here, but they delivered something even better. The whole song is just pure intense classic Overkill, complete with awesome catchy riffs, the mandatory headbang breakdown and Blitz's patented insane vocals. Since the riff quality and hooks exceeds all expectations the song doesn't feel longer than four-five minutes and opens the album perfectly.

"Ironbound" and "Bring Me The Night" continues down the same awesome road. The riffing is truly fantastic, being just as punishing as is infectious. "Bring Me The Night" is the single and it's not hard to understand why. It's full of classic metal hooks in the middle of the speedy chaos. The rest of the album is, while not as awesome as the first three songs, fairly even in quality with "Give A Little" and "Killing For A Living" as slight standouts.

Speaking about standout stuff, the production is another thing that makes "Ironbound" a winner. Peter Tägtgren gave them a full on metal sound, focusing on making the guitars and drums crunchy as hell. It fits perfectly and amplifies the already blasting music to new heights. Another change is that they've added way more guitar solos. This also works out well since they come in at just the right times in almost every song. Both in "Ironbound" and "Bring Me The Night" they serve as cool crescendos and just make it sound outright metal. Oh, and one thing that hasn't been tampered with; Blitz's vocals. They're as awesome as ever. Intense, crazy and he even goes for clean vocals, similar to awesome part in "Bleed Me" in "Give A Little" with great success.

While the album's intensity slows down a bit towards the end it's still a great listen all through. They've managed to create an album with modern production values that's undeniably and totally thrash. It's got a vast amount of memorable riffs, crazy vocal hooks and oldschool breakdowns. Exactly what I want from Overkill.

Standouts: First three tracks and "Give A Little"