The Wings of War

Overkill have been around for nearly 40 years now and they never stopped. Grunge, nu-metal? Unlike many '80s metal band, that fucking garbage didn't stop them. Their albums haven't all been that great, but even the weakest ones usually had some redeemable value.

The Wings of War showcases the band in top form. What makes Overkill Overkill is all in there. It's fast, basic, kind of dirty thrash and it's catchy as fuck. I wasn't expecting much since their albums in the past 15 years or so have been kind of hit or miss, but this is something else, like they had travelled back to the '80s and came back with something worthy of their early years. Blitz's signature vocals show no sign of wear, and the guitars and drums are just slaying everything in their path. Those guitars solos are just begging for you to break out the air guitar, the drums will make you headbang and tap your foot like a maniac, and the vocals just call for a singalong.

The Wings of War is pretty aggressive thrash but it's also accessible, something that Overkill have always been very good at. I rarely give a shout out to a song in my reviews, but "Welcome to the Garden State" is definitely the highlight for me here. Catchy, fun, good 'ol thrash that is just bound to be a crowd please at live shows. This is undoubtedly one of their best albums since the year 2000.