For over 3 and a half decades, OVERKILL‘s bottom-line crazy method of thrash has produced some of the most signature moments in the world of metal. You like ’em or not, but the guys have their identity and signature sound. Now in the latter half of their career, all the experience is showing face with their new labum “Scorched” as it somehow rings more mature, polished, and embellished with hints of more than just thrash metal.
If you told me back in the ’80s that New Jersey’s most pugnacious metal act, Overkill, would still be kicking and screaming in 2023, I would have thought your brain was rotten to the core. Yet here we are 38 years after their debut EP and along comes album number 20…
OVERKILL isn’t among our favorite bands, but “Scorched” finds the group going back to their roots with some nostalgic treats for long-time fans, and it even offers a few surprises as it curb stomps you into a bloody pulp in a seedy back alley. What more could you want from this seasoned wrecking crew this late in their career of thuggery?
You want an Overkill platter to open with a nasty sucker punch, and the title track accomplishes that handily. It’s classic stuff with all the broken glass and gutter trash you’ve come to expect and it’s got enough grit, testosterone, and bathtub gin to make you feel volatile. Riffs are jagged and Bobby Blitz sounds as bitter and obnoxious as ever. It’s the longest song here and the only one to cross the 6-minute mark, and though it could stand a wee bit of trimming, it’s good enough to take the weight and the guitar work on the backend is completely insane and different enough from the usual Overkilling to grab your attention.
There’s a collection of absolute bangers here, like “Goin Home” which sounds like it fell off the truck during the Under the Influence days and features some riffs that’ll take you back to the band’s 80s heyday. “The Surgeon” is just plain mean with vocal patterns that remind me of “It Ain’t My Fault” by The Brothers Osbourne, which makes it even cooler.
“Wicked Place” brings out the band’s bluesy swagger with a sweet Sabbathian groove, and that Sabbath worship returns on “Fever” where subtle bongo drum rolls accompany Bobby’s uncharacteristically “delicate” singing until the whiskey and Drano kick in. There’s a dark, doomy mood here that works wonders.
“Won’t Be Coming Back” is my personal favorite, with a great throwback feel delving into the band’s roots for just the right amount of pissed-off energy and drunken wisdom. Some of the riffs sound like a call back to “Overkill” from their Feel the Fire debut, and that warms the cockles of my metal heart.
“Know Her Name” is another first-rate stomper with big, meaty riffs riding roughshod over everything as Bobby has a vocal feeding frenzy and D.D. Verni thunders away with big bass rumbles. While there are no expired cuts present, “Harder They Fall” is pretty rote, by-the-numbers Overkill aggro, though it ends up enjoyable due to its sheer ugliness and brass knuckle sincerity.
With tighter, slicker writing, ”Scorched” feels way more spry and dangerous than the last few albums did and there are more legitimate hooks present. Even with a 51-minute runtime, it feels like a 40-minute album and it flies by in a flash of electro-violence. It also sounds great thanks to a bruising production by Colin Richardson, with the guitars sounding raw and in your face and Verni’s bass pummeling away relentlessly.
1. Scorched
2. Goin’ Home
3. The Surgeon
4. Twist of the Wick
5. Wicked Place
6. Won’t be Comin Back
7. Fever
8. Harder They Fall
9. Know Her Name
10. Bag o’ Bones