The Electric Age Dawns in Columbus

Venue: Screamin' Willies
Date: April 23, 2012

Thrash metal titans Overkill charged into Ohio’s capital city firing on all cylinders in support of their new opus “The Electric Age.” Overkill scorched an unrelenting 90 minute set full of some classics and some recent cookers to whet the appetites of those in attendance.

The set started with the first track from the new album in “Come and Get It” and the crowd responded favorably followed by “Bring Me the Night” which sounded fiercer in the live setting than it did in the studio. However, when the ‘Kill belted out “Elimination”; it whipped the crowed into a frenzy.

Even though his voice has been wrecking necks for nearly 30 years, vocalist Bobby Blitz still retains his whisky fueled pipes sounded great. He greeted the crowd by stating that we smelled bad, but we looked good. I must also add to that I liked that during the solos of the songs, he would crouch in the corner and then coming running back out when it was time to sing again.

The band ripped into “Electric Rattlesnake” which came off really well live and the middle part where the song slows down a bit was awesome. Guitarists Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer were tearing it up and were on target. They played “Save Yourself” from the new album as well and I thought that track was not that good, but found the extra intensity live more enjoyable.
 

The 90s catalogue was not left out either as they pulled out a couple groovier tracks in “Gasoline Dream” and “Necroshine.” I have never been that big fan of the latter or the album itself, but the way the stage lit up when Blitz did the short screams was awesome as the lights flashed quickly which it seem like Blitz was bursting out of the dark.

“Old School” received great crowd support and sing along opportunities and then “Wrecking Crew” almost turned into a wreck as Ron Lipnicki was bashing the drums like there was no tomorrow and he knocked over one of his cymbals.
 

Bassist D.D Verni may be greying around the edges a bit, but he still performs with the vigor and energy required at a thrash show. It was done successfully because someone was carried out of the club for reckless behavior. Overkill rounded out the performance with “Deny the Cross”, arguably their best song ever “Rotten to the Core” and the classy “Fuck You.”

One minor complaint I have is they did not play anything from “Horrorscope.” Other than that, it was a great show, full of energy and intensity. There is no room for fancy guitar solos, or elongated drum mashing as Overkill kicked ass from beginning until the end. After all these years, they still got it and will deliver a spark with “The Electric Age.”

The Age Has Begun

Overkill is back and they must have felt a jolt in their system. The New Jersey boys now have 17 albums under their belt and they sound better than ever. It was going to be tough to top their last output in “Ironbound”, but they have found a way to meet expectations.

The two main men, vocalist Bobby Blitz and bassist D.D Verni have cooked up ten monsters that doesn’t let up until after the last note is played. “Come and Get It” storms through with crushing riffs and a shredding solo from Dave Linsk. The first single in “Electric Rattlesnake” has some Black Sabbath moments and the ascending rhythm part with a slicing bass and pumping drums near the end combined with the final solo is memorable and drives a great song.

The production is again outstanding on this album. Overkill has, with a couple exceptions, always brought the best sound out of their instruments from “The Years of Decay” to “The Killing Kind” to “Ironbound.” The drums by Ron Lipnicki and the riffing by Derek Tailer are in your face just as they were on “Ironbound.” The top-notch production puts other heavyweights such as Slayer and Metallica to shame.

The thrashing continues with “Drop the Hammer Down” which would make the mighty Thor proud. It features a nice melodic solo and Blitz delivers an awesome chorus as if he’s about to bring the pain with his weapon. The verse also has a beautiful transition to that chorus and another one of the standouts. “All Over but The Shouting” has a title that wouldn’t look strange on a Cannibal Corpse album. The backing guitar theatrics with Blitz delivering the narrative is a nice touch.

However, there are a couple instances where the songwriting is not as strong. “Save Yourself” is a generic thrasher with not much going for it. The riff is bland and it fails to develop into something great. The other track that does not deliver is “Old Wounds, New Scars.” The song is homage to their New Jersey background, but the chorus is awkward and when it seems like the song is going to pick-up steam, it doesn’t.

With that being said, “The Electric Age” is a winner. Even though his voice has been through a lot, Blitz’s vocals are as charismatic as ever and Verni is still delivering bass lines that make him one of the best in the business. The fellas have really hit their stride after the disappointment that was “Immortalis” back in 2007. Blitz ends the proceedings in a fitting way uttering “Good night.” Thank you Blitz and the rest of the ‘Kill; I will have a good night’s rest after taking in the shock of “The Electric Age.”

Killer Covers

Overkill has always exuded the “take no prisoners” perspective in their music with back-breaking thrash and excellent vocals brought to you by Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth. It should be no surprise then when doing covers of some their favorite songs; they bring in the Overkill juice to spice up tracks some hold near and dear to them.

They perfectly capture the energy of the KISS track “Deuce” by letting the riff do the talking, but they sped up the tempo for a more thrash spirit. Blitz spits out the fury that Gene Simmons brought to one of KISS’s staples songs. I’m sure the Demon would be pleased with the quality put forth by the ‘Kill.

The same approach is done with “Space Truckin’.” The distorted guitars rattle off a thrashed up version of the Deep Purple classic. The drums were simplified because stick man Ian Paice is hard to match, but Tim Mallare lays a solid effort and makes it more in the Overkill style. It is also amusing hearing Blitz’s aggressive vocals go on about the wonders of space travel.

There is a host of Black Sabbath covers as they were an essential influence to Overkill, but then again, Black Sabbath is just about inspirational to every metal band. The best one is the amped up version of “Never Say Die” and guitarist Dave Linsk delivers the perfect solo as found in the original and a new energy is brought with a heavier mark on the guitars and drums. By far the most interesting and different is the cover of “Changes.” The ballad does not have quite have the somber tone, but Blitz’s clean vocals are striking and one of the best vocal performances he has registered. The last and least impressive is “Cornucopia” as the beauty of Tony Iommi’s guitar magic is blown up on this one as this Sabbath tune does not fit the Overkill style.

The cover that left the biggest impression was the Judas Priest cover of “Tyrant.” It sounds like a brand new song as Blitz delivers a gritty, aggressive vocal that accompanies bombast of instrumentation from the rest of the band. The only negative is that the production is muddled. However, the song is presented as if Overkill wrote it. If one wants the clean and high registers of Rob Halford, then opt for the Priest, but if one is in the mood for a raw energy and aggression, then go for the ‘Kill.

Overkill has also been influenced by a number of punk bands and those inspirations are brought to life with covers of some of those bands. I have a never been fan of The Ramones, Sex Pistols, or The Dead Boys, but I realize their importance and can appreciate what they have done. With that said, the attitude in the vocals and making tracks like “No Feelings”, “I’m Against it”, and “Ain’t Nothin’ to Do” thrash tracks are a fun listen. These songs show why they were huge for a developing band and how Overkill’s brand of thrash was influenced by them.

This is one of the better cover albums anyone is going to cross. Instead of doing faithful reinterpretations of classic songs; Overkill decided to do the songs as if they wrote them. The approach is rather successful and if do not sound as good; the effort can surely be appreciated. The vocal performance by Blitz is worth the listen alone. Be sure to check out “Deuce”, “Space Truckin’”, and “Tyrant” for solid doses and go on to “Changes” and “Never Say Die” if you crave for more. After giving this a listen, it is now known that Overkill definitely has all their bases…”covered.”