Somewhere they may still be a Metal fan, old or young, who has not kept up with Overkill, but they are likely one of the few… and they are definitely missing out. Scorched, out April 14th through Nuclear Blast, continues the path the band has been on for the better part of thirty years.
Originally planned for a spring 2021 release – a plan that would have kept the band on their usual schedule of releasing a banger every two to three years – Overkill’s 20th album, Scorched, fell victim to COVID-19 disruptions, leaving fans to wait a total of four years for new material, the longest such delay for Overkill. Turning the worldwide situation to their advantage, the band adopted a remote recording plan, with each member recording their portions on their own before the finished product was mixed by Colin Richardson and Chris Clancy, with Johnny Rodd assisting on vocal production and Maor Appelbaum mastering the final result. Familiar artist Travis Smith crafted the cover art.
The helm may still be manned by Bobby Blitz (vocals) and D. D. Verni (bass, backing vocals), but Dave Linsk has been playing lead guitar since 1999’s Coverkill, and 2000’s Bloodletting, with Rhythm Guitarist Derek Tailer followed suit on the 2002 live album Wrecking Everything and 2003’s Killbox 13. This is while Jason Bittner (drums) is the relative newcomer, joining after the 2017 release of The Grinding Wheel and making his recording debut with 2019’s The Wings of War (both on Nuclear Blast Records).
In short, Scorched is a master class of a band completely comfortable in its skin, crafting face-melting thrash anthems that younger bands struggle to keep up to, but also continuing to the boundaries of thrash metal, the metal category general, and their own resume. The title track could fit anywhere between the 1980s to today, while a track like “Fever” manages to let each instrument take the spotlight separately before the ingredients swirl into a fierce storm that leaves the listener bruised and calmer-by-comparison battering “Harder They Fall” that follows.
Looking back further, “The Surgeon” was released as a single in late January as the warning shot no one needed: clanky bass from D. D. stapled to a rhythm pounded out by Bittner, over which Blitz, Tailer, and Linsk do what they do best: hit the long high notes – vocal, string, or otherwise – that give you nightmares. Two months later, “Wicked Place” was the next single, a slow grinder that leans back to “Head of a Pin” on The Wings of War. But rather than turn the chorus to 100mph, “Wicked Place” keeps a nearly sludgy pace before allowing the guitars to scream up (or down) to the heavens.
Furthermore, songs like “Twist of the Wick” and “Know Her Name” grab you by the throat and take them for fast-paced rides, car windows rolled down, tires hugging the rumble strips as things swerve back and forth, struggling to keep the riffs and progressions tucked within the accepted norm of a ten-track, fifty-minute album.
Which is not to say these ideas are not cogent, nor planned; instead, there is a method to the madness and the band again walks the careful line between polished, penned, and pandemonium, managing to give off all possible vibes to all variety of listeners. Finally, the rollocking tempo of “Bag O Bones” closes the proceedings, something like a chaser or “promise this is our last one” encore that everyone enjoys, but has everyone in the crowd and on the stage heading for a well-deserved respite.
Scorched is simultaneously exactly what fans would expect from Overkill based on their history, recent or comprehensive, but it still contains enough fresh material that fanatics and unbelievers alike will find something to enjoy.
All this said, the best way to experience the true Overkill is through their live show, but with Scorched, the band once again reminds fans that they also own the commute to work or late night spent with the stereo. Speaking of which, 2024 will find the New Jersey legends performing at Summer Breeze in São Paulo, Brazil on April 24th. Something to plan for, until then Cryptic Rock is pleased to give Scorched 4.5 out out 5 stars to Scorched.
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