Artist: Overkill
Label: Atlantic
Release Date: 1989
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Title: Years of Decay Artist: Overkill Label: Atlantic Release Date: 1989
Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Hel's Review:
The first time I heard Overkill, I had just finally escaped from the awful land-of-no-metal to live under the airwaves of WSOU (a metal-devoted college radio station, for those who may not know). In the land-of-no-metal, there was no Overkill, so I never had the pleasure. Years of Decay had just been released, and 'SOU was giving multiple tracks heavy airplay.It's hard to remember now, over ten years later, but I think they may have become my favorite band almost instantly. I'm sure that their position as my favorite band become cemented when I first saw them live, but I'm certain that they were already well on their way to favorite band status by the time I listened to this album once.
By far, I'm sure this album has the highest percentage of all-time great Overkill songs. And I'm not just saying that because "I Hate" is my favorite song and it's on here. Each and every song on this release has, at least for a time, been a staple in their live set. In fact, most of them are still in regular rotation, with the exception of my favorite (which I think is bullshit).
It's been my experience that people either love Overkill or they hate them, and most of the time, if they hate them, the person cites Blitz's voice. I realize that Bobby's voice has a quality to it that is outside of the norm, but those of us who love it do because of its unique qualities. Again, it is my opinion, but I think this album is the benchmark for Blitz's vocals. This is the point at which his voice gained maturity and Blitz gained full control of his range. If he squeaked on "Elimination", it's because he meant to, not because he couldn't really hit the note.
One of the funniest things I recall when reminiscing about this album is that, the first time I met Death, he had a very difficult time believing I was a metalhead and that my favorite album was Years of Decay - I actually had to pull it out of my collection to prove it to him. But that has nothing to do with the record, and since I'm straying I better just provide you with the obvious conclusion to this review. I give this one 5 skulls.
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