REVIEW
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Overkill – The Grinding Wheel
We've all got those albums we feel compelled to play to all who'll take the time to listen ... and even one's who won't. It's a sort of heavy metal evangelism.
Being a proud member of the clergy I introduce you here to the latest scripture from the gospel according to Overkill, The Grinding Wheel ... a thrashing, heavy as (insert appropriate expletive here) sermon delivered in ten glorious parts.
Take heed brothers and sisters, for the word is good!
On this, their 18th studio release, Blitz, D.D. and the lads bring to the table all of the tricks they've acquired since they rose from New Jersey some 37 years ago.
Differing from 2014's White Devil Armory and other more recent efforts (The Electric Age and Ironbound), which tended to be full tilt thrash slabs, The Grinding Wheel also showcases Overkill's bent on classic metal riffery and hardcore punk aesthetics.
The combination of elements, likewise the brilliance of each individual player, really makes this a sum of all of the parts that have made the Overkill machine a vital scene stayer.
In a promo spot for the album the lads cited their ability to devise album openers with relative ease. Mean Green Killing Machine is proof of the fact.
Talk about hook in mouth. From the initial pounding call to arms of drummer Ron Lipnicki to the bastard groove and dazzling fretwork of Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer, it's clear, the game is on.
Goddamn Trouble continues the onslaught, with another slick mid-paced groove of epic proportions. Frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth - who is on fire throughout - soars perfectly about the heavy instrumental base, which peaks, flows, jabs and jolts in electric fashion.
Next up is one of the finest Overkill moments to greet my ears for quite some time. Our Finest Hour is vintage. Impossible to ignore and with a huge set of brass nuts … it is audio crack!
It is futile resisting the temptation to scream along: "Can't you see, you're a lot like me" ... I should add it's also futile trying to remain under the speed limit if you're driving while this one's cranked. Nods to the old school while fresh as nan's oven-baked scones doused in full fat cream.
At this point I have to stress the quality of the production itself, of which the band can take credit (along with alum mixer Andy Sneap). Every instrument is allowed its own space to shine.
Sadly, I often overlook the brilliance of a finely played bass guitar, due to it constantly being lost in the mix. D.D. Verni, a hard-slapping four-string slinger is given the room to move and shows just how important his craft mastery is throughout ... together with Dan, he provides Overkill's chrome encrusted backbone.
On track The Long Road, the band conjures some serious nods to classic Maiden, with a riffing passage which took me back to The Number of the Beast. The thing with this is, while the vibe may be familiar, it's clearly given a 2017 Overkill-stained punch.
Let's All Go To Hades deserves special mention, due to its seemingly flippant tongue-in-cheek lyrical attack and all-round upbeat vibe. All good fun here.
As with many such releases, selecting a stand-out is a difficult feat. If pushed I'd have to go with the, at times, Sabbathesque Come Heavy.
I've always been a fan of not only Overkill's but of Blitz as a vocalist/lyricist, and here he once again gives me reason to rejoice. Sold on word play, what's not to love about a line like: "You chose the higher road, I took the psycho path"?
The previously alluded hardcore sensibilities are shown on passages throughout the release - definitely on Red White and Blue - but on a deeper level, its the energy and present-nature of the style that is evident on The Grinding Wheel. At all times, you know you are listening to a band that walks its talk and is not about to apologize for its confident swagger.
The bottom line: if you're metal glass is needing a little champagne, this drop's top shelf.
Forget the big four, thrash with the working man's true titans.
The Grinding Wheel will be released on February 10.