Overkill - Relix IV
- Released: 2005
- Label: Spitfire Records
- Rating:
Y’know, I love Overkill. I love the groovy riffs, the catchy songs, the unique voice and I even love the word. Say it with me now…”Overkill”. I love Horrorscope, Necroshine and I really love Killbox 13, which are all releases from this monumental band. For some reason, I don’t particularly love this album. For a band that’s been around since the early 80’s and is one of the fathers of thrash, I guess it’s expected that Overkill would eventually spoil their golden record streak with something that’s less than average.
Let’s cut to the chase and stop beating around the bush here. Overkill are just plain out of ideas. That’s all there is to it and it’s plain to hear to even to the most uneducated music fan that this is flat. I could end the review right here but I won’t because that wouldn’t be very helpful now would it?
I must say, the album is half killer and half garbage. Seriously! The great songs are usually tainted with little things that make them a chore to listen to. Be it repetitiveness due to a six minute-plus track or just plain bad song-writing, it’s very clear the Overkill boys are running out of gas and I don’t blame them.
Overkill has never been popular. For the timespan that they’ve been around they at least deserve some recognition, and I feel kind of bad that the only album review I’ll ever do on them will be a negative one, but I have to write this. Relix IV just doesn’t do it for me. The tracks are unmemorable and boring. No shout-alongs, no great air guitar solos, no “that was an awesome drum-blast”, just…no.
Overkill has always been a fun thrash band. Take away the fun and what do you have? Just a thrash band. Now take away the thrash and what do you have? A band! Overkill has always had a certain groove to them. Listen to Kill Box 13 and you’ll know what I mean. Sure it wasn’t “true” thrash but I had a great time listening to it. Overkill has “Overkilled” their groove and put WAAAAY too much into it this time around. As a result, the album is significantly weaker than it should be. Let’s take the track “Love” for instance. I don’t find it really suits the album flow despite being only the second track. It really doesn’t feel “Overkilly” and is kind of “Ac/dc-eee” and that’s certainly not bad and it’s not a bad track, it just doesn’t have what i’m looking for. Not to mention its long running time forces me to skip it everytime. In fact, now that I think of it, NONE of the tracks are garbage but they’re just missing a certain something.
The riffing is cool but we’ve all heard much better. There’s a couple of cool ones found scattered about but nothing mind-blowing or stand-outish. The solos are overdone and boring. They are very basic and completely predictable, just like the songs. They all follow the same formula and I can literally guess what’s coming up next, what note will be played next, and I’m right most of the time. I don’t mind it, but it’s boring. Overkill HAS to change their formula. I guess they tried to change it this time around by putting more groove into it but it wasn’t enough. I’ve heard the Overkill groove before and all it did was drown their raw sound. After releasing album after album of same ol’ same ol’, you’ve GOTTA give me something new, PLEASE!!! Seriously, put on Killbox and this album at the same time and you won’t know what’s what.
Blitz’s vocals are much, MUCH weaker too. Maybe it was the production but Blizt’s patented “grandma” shrieks just aren’t cutting it anymore. I used to love this guy’s voice because it was so original, but now I find it very weak. I guess age has caught up to the poor bastard. His voice isn’t as raw as it should be, although there are a couple of parts that he shrieks that serve as eye-openers but that’s it. Overall, it’s a poor performance from “the man.”
I really dislike the production too. I can’t QUITE put my finger on it or explain it but I really hate it. I’ll try my best to explain why I dislike it but you probably won’t get it (Hell, I barely get it myself). It just sounds like they’re all playing very far away from each other. They sound like they’re on a football field and the vocals are all the way at the front, drums all the way at the back, guitar all the way to the left of it, and so forth. Do you get it? I dunno, it just feels like there’s a distance between them. Maybe they got into a fight over who got the leftover slice of pizza and they were like “I’m not standing next to HIM!”.
The album has PLENTY of redeeming factors thought. “Bats In The Belfry” is an awesome groovy rock thrasher that I LOVE!!! It’s got one catchy little riff, a cool vocal performance and a wicked chorus. “Loaded Rack” is another great track, especially for anyone that has a gun obsession or is an NRA supporter. The song will make you go nuts. “A Pound of Flesh” is pretty cool too, although you will probably forget about it in days to come. It’s got good vocals and a wicked chorus that just gets better and better, but it just doesn’t survive the test of time. The final track is a cool little track but totally doesn’t belong on the album. I forgive it because it’s a GREAT drinking track. It’s a very fun punk song that makes you proud to be a metalhead. Nice way to close, albeit slightly out of place.
Every other track is just…plain. Each is far from memorable and slightly boring. Die-hard Overkillers will probably enjoy it SLIGHTLY more but thrashers have much better things to buy than this, not to mention thirteen better Overkill albums. I say if their next album is like this, they should retire now and save their status as legends before they embarrass themselves.
Brent C. | 07/26/2006