If you were to ever describe a band that embodies longevity, consistency and quality, you’d be describing New Jersey thrashers Overkill. They live by the ethos of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and their landmark 20th record, Scorched, shows no signs of the machine breaking down.
Opening with the title track, ‘Scorched’ has a similar tone to most of the previous records; It’s fast, it’s melodic, it’s pissed off and it’s Thrash. There are very few deviations from the classic sound and little experimentation but after being together for almost 40 years, there’s no need for it. It would be incredibly jarring to hear Overkill do anything but 0 to 60 thrash like the Know her Name or the groovy Wicked Place.
Overkill have always been lauded for their production as some other bands in the Thrash scene have a habit of burying the bass in the mix (you know who I’m referring to) but DD Verni always has moments to shine, ‘The Surgeon’ and ‘Wicked Place’ prominently feature that infectious bed spring rattle he’s become renowned for.
Scorched has an especially moody tone, there’s a dark brooding atmosphere that permeates through the record and that adds a great sense of buildup and payoff at times, ‘Twist of the Wick’ has a folk tinge to it and ‘Fever’ starts out like a ballad with an Overkill twist, similar to what you might hear on ‘Years of Decay’.
Scorched closes with ‘Bag o Bones’ and this is sure to be an absolute rager live. It’s a “metal dance craze” song in the same vein as ‘Toxic Waltz’ by Exodus and the groove is so tight and Blitz still sounds like he’s spitting acid in the best way possible. Overkill have always had a great sense of groove in between the faster tracks and Scorched is no exception.
The majority of legacy Thrash acts have cracked the code and mastered their sound and Overkill is a prime example. if you’ve enjoyed anything from Overkill since 2008’s Ironbound then this is for you, it’s not a groundbreaking record and it doesn’t do much to change their formula but it’s already a damn good formula and that’s all they need.
Scorched is out now via Nuclear Blast.
