Overkill - Ironbound review
| Band: | Overkill |
| Album: | Ironbound |
| Style: | Thrash metal |
| Release date: | January 2010 |
01. The Green And Black
02. Ironbound
03. Bring Me The Night
04. The Goal Is Your Soul
05. Give A Little
06. Endless War
07. The Head And Heart
08. In Vain
09. Killing For A Living
10. The SRC
The driving force behind keeping a band going for thirty years is commendable, let alone when Ironbound is both album fifteen and arguably the most solid album the band has put to their name.
That's right, Overkill make their return with a whole new sense of conviction and power. Ironbound oozes with a thrash pedigree and confidently outclasses much of the genre's other contributors, both new and old. You can not take Overkill for granted with this release, as the band finally appear to have a burning fire underneath them with the result being an album to genuinely get excited about.
By all means this is still Overkill. This is thrash metal that also delivers a smack of traditional heavy metal focusing on good riffs and tasteful, solid metal above mindless violence. Ironbound hits hard; the title track and the last third of the album especially displays Overkill on overdrive, almost as if momentum had taken them there. Outside of this blistering, unrelenting thrash metal, the band is more than welcome to show off their versatility, perhaps none more so than with the punchy, catchy little number "Give A Little" to mix things up a bit.
The iron heart of this ironclad album is set firmly in top draw thrash metal with both face-melting drums and guitar riffs, and a good deal of diversity. Bobby's engrossing singing sounds fantastic, and the bass guitar is also ever-present with its thundery undertones. Ironbound is a very efficient, perfectly crafted album with an immaculate production giving the listener a crystal clear recording of each instrument from the bass guitar and drums through the spectrum to the razor-like guitars and positive vocals.
Ironbound is pure class from start to finish, and offers a dense pool of thrash metal excellence. The closing combination of "In Vain", "Killing For A Living" and "The SRC" may however leave you with a bloodlust for more thrash, and listening back to the rest album just doesn't stand up to this final trio. The album sets the bar extremely high for the year, but in today's world of aggressive, in-your-face thrash, Ironbound might not be extreme enough to be appreciated by the younger audiences. The album emanates with experience from over the years, and is genuinely a breath of fresh air for thrash metal.
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Thrash metal
Nuclear Blast
U.S.A.
Length: 57:46
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 10 |
Rating:
9.4
9.4
|
Rating: 9.4 |
2010 was a magical year to Overkill as they launched one of the greatest albums of their legendary career. After years of underground industrial metal albums of variable quality, the band set a standard for what thrash metal should be nowadays. Ironbound is an amazing piece of heavy, thrash metal, bringing something new to the industry at the time where there aren't very many good albums released, even by great bands of this style. With this sick album the band brought up the best of themselves with amazing performances by every single one of the musicians. Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth gives a top class performance shifting from high pitched singing to a lower range with a great and unique voice. Even though I personally never considered him a particularly outstanding singer, I have to admit that with the performance on this album he deserves to be among the best thrash metal vocalists of the past 20 years. Both guitar players perform insane riffs and solos and both D.D. Verni and Ron Lipnicki give the album the consistency, power and intensity needed to light up Overkill's career and give them a place among the names on the metal walk of fame. Read more ›› |
Rating:
10
10
|
Rating: 10 |
I've always wanted to travel to the eighties and touch the peak of thrash metal, when giants in the underground world like Overkill of New Jersey shied away from the camera and only thought about producing true thrash. Although Overkill always tried to reconstruct that world for people like me, bands like them suffer from people criminally under-rating skilled thrash bands. The only thing I can say is that, after the release of each album, everyone's jaw always dropped in admiration for them. Read more ›› |
Comments
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Comments: 31
Visited by: 479 users
| BudDa Elite Posts: 887  |
I couldn't agree more. This, imo, set the tone for not just thrash releases this year but also other releases in the different metal sub-genres. The vocal performance too was a stand out for me. Its like Ironbound had 3 different vocalists and none of them sucked!!
---- Freeze! Step away from the hubris.
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| Mikyz Posts: 711  |
Sounds promising going to check them out, seems to be a contender for best thrash album of the year along with Heathen's The Evolution of Chaos, pretty amazing to have high quality albums from the get-go of 2010. Awesome review btw  I kinda get how the sounds going to be 
---- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
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| Jan Posts: 247  |
I was not even aware that Overkill had an album out. Sounds great, will check it out.
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| Dani5050 Posts: 76  |
Great review man, I love this album, and I liked it better that the slayer and megadeth one. 
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| Nosurper Stinky Lips Posts: 442  |
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| Uirapuru Liver Failure Posts: 2955  |
Wow... need this now more than ever
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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| nb Posts: 248  |
Sounds interesting, will check it out. I loved the early 90's stuff, let's see how this one sounds.
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| Raiden Down Under Staff Elite Posts: 8292  |
It's their sixteenth album isn't it? Fifteenth original material album though I guess yeah. Good review though, this is definitely an album I'll have to check out.
---- "Scream for me Melbourne!!!!" - Bruce Dickinson "I don't see any god up here" - Yuri Gagarin (while in orbit, 1961)
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| AnarChrist Posts: 253 |
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| Ag Fox Angel No More Elite Posts: 4774  |
You and Thryce got me sold. gonna check them out
---- loves 小巫
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| Dark Seraphim Posts: 70  |
Didn't even realise that Overkill had a new album out. Great review, away to order the album now!!
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| sbgmetal Posts: 820  |
Heard the cd and it is fuking awesome! they havent sounded this oldschool in a while
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| Murder Posts: 255  |
The Thrash Metal Fathers did it again, this album is fucking awesome, I was expecting for it since I knew about this new work... and I wasn't disappointed!!! I can't get enough since I got it... a true masterpiece, they keep the old school thrash in their veins... excellent review, definitely this album is one of their best without doubt... Overkill is my fav thrash band and I'm so glad that they're still going in the right way! Good job guys... Ironbound is fucking amazing...
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Murder on 01.02.2010 at 07:30 Now that is a bit far-fetched isn't it? Fathers?  Overkill were still playing punk and metal covers when Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax had already released their thrash debuts.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Gâsh Posts: 28  |
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| Enigma Posts: 44  |
Great album! After 30 years, they made, probably, their best release to date. At least, one of their best works.
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| elekctric Posts: 105  |
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| Infurnace Posts: 948  |
It's among their best albums. I can't say I like every single album Overkill has made, but Ironbound is one of the best so far. Really effective and strong riffing.
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| Infurnace Posts: 948 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.02.2010 at 16:23 That's not true. Overkill released their first demo "Power in Black" in '83.. the same year Metallica and Slayer released their debut albums. "Power in Black" doesn't sound like a collection of punk covers to me. Overkill, IMO, certainly is one of the fathers of Thrash.
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| troyez Posts: 3  |
Great review for a great album! I just saw them live in Chicago on April 09, and they shredded! Got to meet the guys after the show and asked Ron how they came up with this gem of an album, he said that D.D. and Blitz are amazing and that they put it together; D.D. was humble and credited Blitz. If you've not seen Overkill live, you MUST go see them, NOW!!! They put on the best show I've ever seen, and I've seen some of the best (Megadeth, Testament, Anthrax, Iron Maiden). GO SEE OVERKILL NOW!!!
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15250  |
Never got into them for whatever reason, but i really like this album. after a couple years of newcomer thrash re-hash, nice to see some of the oldies (Overkill, Exodus, Heathen) putting out some really good stuff to show 'em how it's done.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Valentin B Iconoclast Posts: 10084  |
All the hype aside, this album is fucking INTENSE. from probably one of the best thrash metal epics of recent years(second to "Deathamphetamine" by Exodus imo) as the intro track, this is a fucking relentless badass assault on the ear- and bassdrums. i especially like the megaphone-shouting reminiscent of their older track "Sonic Reducer" in "Give a Little" edit: i noticed that this album kinda sounds like an updated version of Iced Earth at times. Jon, take notes from your big brothers of thrash!
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| jimmy Posts: 42 |
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| Angelic Storm Melodious Posts: 6675  |
Written by Valentin B on 25.09.2010 at 21:33 The first two songs on the album are absolute thrash monsters and became instant classics when I first heard them. Definitely the Kill' at their best!
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| ovakilOZ Posts: 13  |
Totaly solid album from start to finish, there isnt a fill in track anywhere to be scene. Plus, if you havnt seen them live, you have to. There one of those bands that are great in the studio, but best scene where they started, LIVE!!! I saw 3 shows in 3 days in 3 states here in Australia. There first time here, and i tell you, i was totaly wrecked by the time they left. They give you more than just a show, it's like you have run a marathon every night.
----
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| John Shock Posts: 500 |
Written by ovakilOZ on 04.02.2011 at 08:10 Men you're a visionary, your words almost put me to cry, ya know?  Men, i have the DVD show they've done in Wacken in 2007 and it's awesome! Sadly they didn't release a new dvd with the Bring Me The Night and Ironbound songs, then i will really cry out!  Overkill rules 
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| ovakilOZ Posts: 13 |
Written by John Shock on 27.03.2011 at 21:53 hey mate, sorry it took so long for me to reply. The show here in Australia (Sydney to be exact) was recorded for a fututre DVD release. But i can see your keen as hell to hear the new stuff, so go grab yourself a cold beverage, smokes or munchies, sit down, and click this link...... Enjoy. http://www.moshcam.com/overkill/metro-theatre-820.aspx#/1-the-green-and-black
----
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| John Shock Posts: 500 |
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| Horus Posts: 43 |
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| Valentin B Iconoclast Posts: 10084 |
Written by Horus on 15.07.2011 at 01:07 I agree. haven't listened to the latest Megadeth's and Slayer's album, but at least this shits on Death Magnetic, Endgame and Worship Music all combined. How can Overkill still write absolutely crushing, frantic riff-filled thrash, with production even better than these albums? The only thing that takes points away from this album imo are the lyrics, which work some times but sound a bit too much like a metal James Brown (too much nonsense). But in all other ways this DESTROYS most other thrash that came out in the past few years.
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