Here is the 19th album from Overkill, the closest thing heavy metal has to an atomic clock. Every two years we get a new ten-tracker from the Jersey Boys, and while the albums are familiar to the point of comforting, they will never disappoint the true connoisseur of aggressive heavy metal.

There are no real surprises here, but one thing these guys always know how to do is lay out an album, mixing high-speed ragers with groovy anthems, moody tunes and even upbeat punk influenced stuff. You get all of that here and more. The addition of former Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner has really upped the energy quotient. The drumming here is as hard and frantic as these guys have had in over 30 years in the biz.

It’s no small thing to be this good on your 19th long-player. Looking forward to number 20 in 2021!

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 2. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

A throbbing electronic beat makes you think this is going to be some industrial metal along the lines of Fear Factory or Ministry, but the guitar riffs start to creep in, and then at the one minute mark, hell is unleashed. Holy Moses, this is one of the fastest Overkill songs ever! You can hear the extra power drummer Bittner brings to the game right away. It’s good to hear Bobby Blitz as sharp and vindictive on vocals as ever. He is one metal singer that can never be mistaken for anybody else. First tracks on Overkill albums are always pretty hot and heavy, but this is one of the most intense.

The pace drops just a hair here, but this is still a pretty fast and heavy scorcher, with a bit more emphasis on an anthemic chorus. There’s a great hammering mid-section with some gang vocals and pretty slamming guitar solos. This is a pure Overkill cruncher here!

Every Overkill album has its more moody number, and this fills the bill for The Wings of War. It starts in  semi-balladic style with a very nice guitar solo from Dave Linsk and then gradually picks up before going into another bluesy groove that’s still pretty heavy. I’m blown away by how much Blitz stretches himself vocally on this album, handling some very complex vocal lines and a lot of varying tones. This is a fairly long song by Overkill standards and very complex, with a lot of speeds and changes in time. This is not an easy tune at all!

 This is another one of the moodier and more atmospheric songs, driven by Verni’s bass. Most Overkill songs sounds like nothing but Overkill, but this one reminds me a bit of the more recent Metallica material. It’s not a ballad, but it never takes off, and some of the moaning vocal work on the chorus is pretty cheesy. This is the most average tune on the disc.