Reviews list for Overkill (US-NJ) - Feel the Fire (1985)

It's hard to review Overkill's debut as being a thrash metal album.  Rumour has it some of this stuff was written as far back as 1981 (more the likely 1983 though) and so it falls more in the category of speed metal crossed with the more obvious heavy metal influences of the band at the time.  With no money and no record deal at the time of writing most of this, by the time Feel The Fire came out it was doomed it seems to be just a collection of songs released late and therefore paling in compariosn to the releases of their peers at the time.

What we got in 1985 was under-developed and incredibly simplistic in comparison to what was to come in subsequent years.  You'd almost forgive the band for not releasing this and going straight to Taking Over, with the session that made the debut being released some years later as a demo collection for die hard fans only.  However, since they obviously had little control over their own destiny Feel The Fire was the international metal community's introduction to Overkill.  The opening salvo from the band is a poorly produced and clumsily performed record that just had to rely on the superb vocals of Blitz to lead the energetic and promising charge, trying to stifle the thin guitar sound and cumbersome drumming as best he could with his demonic range.

Fact is Ellesworth saves this record in the main, his vocals and Verni's bass are perhaps the most consistent aspects to this album.  As mentioned they act as more of a distraction from what's wrong everywhere else on most tracks but still they deserve merit in their own right.  Rat Skate on the drums often has little (if any) control of the double bass at times and it is only when the band are in full swing that he appears settled and cohesive with his surroundings.  Otherwise his timing sends tracks off into catch-up mode all too soon when trying to build momentum.

Gustafson's guitar isn't exactly on fire either and I sense this isn't entirely due to production or mix issues (I have read that his amp blew and he had to "innovate").  As I said earlier though, when the band are hitting their stride it really works well and tracks like Hammerhead remain in your head for life after a couple of spins.  Similarily tracks like Kill At Command show real promise of the true potential of the band.  Sadly though there's no amount of glitter that can cover some turds sufficiently and for all the energy and sheer tenacity to try and record something the lack of ability and maturity at the time shows all too clearly.

Whilst Feel The Fire isn't a disaster, it enters the thrash metal arena and immediately finds itself chasing the competition with confused and slightly dated ideas that hinder the bands ability to stay in touch with the lead pack.  In so many ways they have never been able to make up that ground despite their long and significant career.

I must preface this review by admitting that I am no huge fan of Overkill, their longevity withstanding, I have always been underwhelmed by their recorded output. Having never seen them live, I am surmising that their live shows are the real source of their popularity. Anyway, the New Jersey thrasher's 1985 debut is a disappointing record in so many ways. The production isn't great and there's a muddiness to the sound that doesn't lend anything to thrash metal in general and this in particular. Secondly and more importantly, the band don't sound committed to the thrash ethos, large portions of the album sounding like Iron Maiden or Mercyful Fate demos. Now there's nothing wrong in sounding like either of those metal titans, but Overkill were always pushed as a THRASH band. When they do cut loose such as with Hammerhead, then they are pretty effective, despite the poor production. Thirdly, why end with a piss-poor cover of Dead Boys' Sonic Reducer, a classic US punk track? Sure they have stuck around for a long time, but weren't helped by this lacklustre debut, which is why they were never held in as high regard as some of their peers, being released as it was around the same time or after albums like Ride the Lighting, Spreading the Disease, Hell Awaits, Bonded by Blood, To Mega Therion and Seven Churches, against any of which it is a poor substitute.