Old School from Overkill
Overkill have been around for 20 years with a variety of line ups & RELIXIV is their 14th studio album.
The first couple of tracks 'Within Your Eyes' & 'Love' sound like they could be from any of the preceding albums, but you can't really hold that against them, it's a distinctive sound.
Back in the heyday of metal Overkill would be described as thrash metal but they're a bit better than the expectations that the title 'thrash metal' would conjure in this day & age. The music is fast but not breakneck & it's always crisp in sound, the usual elements are all in place with manic guitar solos, double bass drum & wailing vocals, there's no denying that Overkill are metal!
On first listen there's nothing too exciting about RELIXIV, it's solid enough & drives along at a steady pace but doesn't really excite. Twenty years on there are parts of this album that belong back in the 80's, not least the title of track four 'Bats in the Belfry', title aside though this is the first stand out track that has a few nice twists & from here on in things do pick up quite nicely.
Track five 'A Pound of Flesh' is a faster, harder song that really goes at it & one can imagine is quite impressive seen live.
The longer this album goes on the more impressed you find yourself with the consistency of the musicianship. 'Keeper' continues the theme of hard, relentless, stop start crunching riffs that is continued through the rest of the album, it's accessible but not entirely memorable. There are a few songs on here that won't stick in your mind so perhaps it's part killer, part filler.
Special mention must be given to the final track 'Old School', a nod to their past it can't fail to raise a smile. More punk & a little self parody contribute to an amusing ditty that you could argue sums up Overkill nicely.
There is nothing very new in terms of the sound, but that merely begs the argument if it aint broke why fix it? RELIXIV is a good hard album that has enough about it to appeal to first time Overkill listeners & carries some good tunes, something that many newer metal acts could learn a thing or two from.