Overkill
Scorched

4.0
excellent

Review

by PsychicChris USER (554 Reviews)
April 26th, 2023 | 20 replies

Release Date: 04/14/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: A welcome shot in the arm

As easy as it’s been to brush off every modern Overkill album as sounding the same, their twentieth installment manages to shake up the formula with a couple tricks they haven’t used in a while. The band seems to have remembered their Iron Maiden inspiration in particular as songs like the title track, ”Twist of the Wick,” and “Won’t Be Comin’ Back” are packed with more melodic widdly-woo guitars while the bass has a pronounced Steve Harris-esque flair in spots. There’s even room for some effectively uncharacteristic orchestrations, displaying an almost epic sense of scope that hasn’t been seen since 2010’s Ironbound.

It’s also pretty cool to see the band’s tap into their groovy side more than they have for quite some time. “Wicked Place” and “Bag O’ Bones” boast some hearty ass-shaking riffs to go with those swing rhythms, the latter ending things on an especially catchy note. “Fever” is the most dynamic track of the lot, starting off with a murky tug o’ war between subdued and heavy textures before giving way to a more Sabbath-rooted shuffle. It may not be out there as The Killing Kind or Necroshine, but I can pick up in a similarly adventurous spirit.

Of course, there’s still plenty of the band’s signature Jersey thrash to go around, even if it feels almost vanilla compared to everything else going on. While the business as usual streaks of “The Surgeon” and “Know Her Name” don’t quite grab me, “Harder They Fall” pairs its intensity with some appropriately punky shouts during its chorus. It’s also nice to see the musicians playing as unwavering as ever and Blitz’s cartoony screeches will always be the grand unifier.

While Scorched doesn’t quite shatter the ceiling of modern classic status, this is easily the most inspired that Overkill has sounded since 2012’s The Electric Age. The band has admitted that the pandemic caused them to spend more time with the material and you can hear that extra attention to detail in the more substantial arrangements and varied elements at play. I have my doubts about this being the start of some new phase in their long-running career, but anybody who got worn out on the seemingly interchangeable nature of their last couple albums can consider this a welcome shot in the arm.

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