Overkill
The Electric Age

It's here. On March 27, the sixteenth studio album by one of the most important bands in the entire thrash metal movement was released. "The Electric Age" comes to light two years after "Ironbound," a good example of how class combines with experience. The goal for the band led by the immortal Bobby Ellsworth was to reaffirm what had been well done with the last CD, knowing that pulling out another "The Years of Decay" or another "Horrorscope" is more of a utopia than a reality.

The work in question is yet another incredibly intense burst of Overkill-branded thrash metal: guitars sharper than ever, supported by the splendid bass work of D.D. Verni (never celebrated enough) and the drums of Ron Lipnicki. Towering over all this is the voice of "Blitz" Ellsworth, one of the most underrated singers in the entire thrash scene. A tone that's almost irreverent, always balancing between anger and irony. These are all characteristics that Overkill have demonstrated since their debut and continue to show today, after 30 years of career. However, as often happens, it's not all roses in Overkill's garden: despite a rock-crushing and still decidedly old style attitude, there is a lack of a bit of variety in the latest episode from the New York band, some spark capable of making a good platter actually complete, but it often gets lost in itself.

The opening couldn't have been better: two tracks like "Come and Get It" and "Electric Rattlesnake" are the epitome of how modern thrash should present itself. Power, perfect rhythmic section, equally spot-on vocal lines: guaranteed headbanging thanks to quality, an element that is increasingly less frequent. The problem is realizing that all 10 tracks of the CD move on these coordinates: not that this is entirely negative given the high-quality level, but perhaps from a purely compositional and "writing" standpoint Verni & Co. could have done better. There's no hit, the big track capable of thrilling right from the start, but overall "The Electric Age" maintains a full and deserved passing grade. To stay with the recent past, the latest full-length release branded Overkill is decidedly better than the other three works by equally well-known thrash circle realities: I'm talking about "Lulu" by Metallica (although it's good not to consider it a true album of theirs), "Worship Music" by Anthrax, and "Th1rt3en" by Megadeth.

Overkill have shown themselves to still be a well-oiled war machine, prolific and capable more than others of maintaining high levels of efficiency and respectability. The mistake is always there: expecting masterpieces of the past from realities that helped to codify a genre. Some succeed, others less so, some exceptions are found, but every single work is tied to the historical moment and the conditions in which it is conceived. For this reason, "The Electric Age" will not be remembered as one of their best releases, but it remains a well-made CD, which can certainly fit into Overkill's long discography.

Three stars that are actually three and a half.

1. "Come And Get It" (6:17)
2. "Electric Rattlesnake" (6:19)
3. "Wish You Were Dead" (4:20)
4. "Black Daze" (3:55)
5. "Save Yourself" (3:43)
6. "Drop The Hammer Down" (6:25)
7. "21st Century Man" (4:12)
8. "Old Wounds, New Scars" (4:11)
9. "All Over But The Shouting" (5:30)
10. "Good Night" (5:37)