Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Overkill (US-NJ) - Scorched (2023)

The Wings of War way back in 2019 was a pleasant surprise for me. My four-star rating and copious amounts of praise for the energy levels were unexpected for me going into an album that I recognised was being made by guys in their 50’s and early 60’s who long should have seen their energy levels wane, yet somehow were showing that they could more than still kick it some 40 years after their inception.

Scorched then has a high bar to reach. I would argue that anything a band releases after such a long tenure in the thrash/groove/back to thrash again stakes should be listened to with the guard up. Although this stance proved incorrect with The Wings of War it proved a wiser move with Scorched. Now, let’s start by acknowledging that this does not sound like a band on the brink of retirement. Those energy levels, whilst nowhere near at the levels on the previous outing, are still at such a high level that if you did not know any better you would think that this was music made by a bunch of guys half the age of the actual band. That having been said though, Scorched is a less intense offering from Overkill. Slowing down is of course forgivable, some would argue inevitable, but this time around there is a loss of flow to tracks that breaks up the rhythm far too often.

Tracks such as The Surgeon are good examples of where the song starts off at breakneck speed only to be then tempered by a cumbersome chorus section that seems to trip over itself. Overall, Scorched lacks memorability, therefore. The anthems from 4 years ago such Last Man Standing, Head of a Pin and Welcome to the Garden State just are not here this time around. What is still here are the staple qualities of DD Verni’s plonking bass lines, Linsk’s superb solos and Bobby’s sneering vocals all sound as strong as ever. Bittner delivers again on the drums and Tailer continues to contribute solid rhythm guitar work after years of doing just backing vocals.

So, the ingredients are all there, it is just that the tasting notes are not quite right. Lacking spice and a little low on heat, Scorched comes across more than a tad blunted overall. The fire is most definitely still in their bellies but the stamina is starting to wane to these ears and there is more than a fair share of filler here as the album drifts through the final third. All good things must come to an end it seems.