White Devil Armory

Seriously, what can you really say about a band like Overkill. These guys are truly pure masters of true thrash metal, and the perfect definition of what a true thrash metal band should be I might add. I just can't praise them enough. No one can even deny the fact that they just keep on getting more consistent, heavier, and better like a fine wine with each album that they crank out time after time, and their seventeenth full length offering, 2014's "White Devil Armory" is a fine example of that statement. This album just straight up dominates from start to finish, and it delivers everything that makes Overkill awesome, from blistering, ripping, trail-blazing thrash ("Armorist", "Where There's Smoke...", "Pig", and "Freedom Rings"), to awesomely heavy, crunching groove ("Bitter Pill", "Down to the Bone", and "Another Day to Die"), and to even straight up classic heavy metal ("In the Name") all in one amazingly killer musical package. Every song on "White Devil Armory" just shreds and crushes with plenty, and I do mean plenty of wicked, full octane, head-ripping, neck-breaking speed-like thrash, and muscular, heavy, bone-crunching grooves, and absolute spot on musicianship throughout. Every musician here is just on the top of their game as always with vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth leading the attack with his always powerful, and viciously aggressive, yet soaring, melodic vocals as he just fires out every note with every ounce of emotion and passion that no other words can describe. The guy is just a pure living legend, no question about it. Elsewhere, the guitar duo of Dave Linsk and Derek "The Skull" Tailer just shred away on their guitars like no one else's business, as they are just armed to the teeth with their excellent riffing and sweet, killer soloing, and bassist D.D. Verni as always just tears and rips away on his bass, thus being thoroughly heard perfectly over the dueling guitars of Linsk and Tailer, and then finally, you have drummer Ron Lipnicki does a downright excellent job at rounding off the band's massive sound with his awesomely super fast drumming all complete with insane double bass kicking, fast, hammering beats and fills, and crashing cymbals, the whole nine yards I tell ya.After shortly beginning with the short, dark, and forebodding intro "XDM", "White Devil Armory" immediately slams and blasts into brute force with the explosive thrasher "Armorist" which just oozes with sweet, blistering thrash riffing, blasting, pounding double bass drumming, and awesome Rob Halford-esque vocals from Blitz, and is also highlighted by a cool bass solo by D.D. Verni, as well as a memorable, delicious, shred-worthy, melodic guitar solo, plus a very catchy, memorable shout-along chorus to boot as well. Following that, we have "Down to the Bone" which is an intense mid-tempo thrasher that features that classic mixture of thrash and groove which really makes for a great song. The song includes great, chugging, crunching riffs, awesome drumming, and thumping bass lines, as well as a great, addicting chorus, and another killer, ripping, tasty solo to top things off. Next up, the fourth cut, "Pig" is another vicious, pummeling, and ripping groove-driven thrasher of a track that just pounds it's way straight through with surging, bruising, and crunching riffage, and pounding double bass drums, and wicked, fierce, and energetic vocals, and is also highlighted by an insanely addicting, and memorable chorus that is just guaranteed to stay stuck in your head for lord knows how long, as well as another killer, winding, ripping, melodic solo to boot. This song is definitely another huge highlight. Meanwhile, following that is track five, "Bitter Pill" is a fantastic mid-tempo, groovy driven monster of a track that starts and ends with some dark, eerie, proggy guitar strings, and also features a whole boatload of massively abrasive, grinding, and bone crunching riffage being perfectly sandwiched in between the song's intro and outro, and the song itself is also home to some killer, eerie melodic vocals from Blitz throughout, along with a memorable, double kick driven chorus, and an outstandingly soaring, melodic, and ripping guitar solo as well.Moving forward, the album's sixth track, "Where There's Smoke..." is another sick, ripping, and blistering, in-your-face thrasher, and another favorite of mine that just confidently overflows with more bruising, surging, and savagely blistering, thrash induced riffing, frantic, pounding double bass drumming, rumbling bass lines, and savage, piercing vocals, and wild, ripping, and shredding soloing abound. Following that is track seven, and my absolute favorite song off the album, that being "Freedom Rings" which is an incredibly amazing, near 7 minute thrash epic that begins with an awesome bass intro from Verni which flows greatly and directly into a ferocious, no-holds-barred onslaught filled with catchy, bruising, blistering, and bone crunching riffs, grumbling bass, menacingly deft, and savagely pounding double-timed drumming, and memorably menacing vocal patterns as well, and is also home to yet another ferociously memorable chorus, as well as some awesomely technical, and wailing, shredding solos too. Afterwards, we have "Another Day to Die" which is nicely highlighted by a bed of crunchy, crushing, and chunky, razor-sharp riffs, and all around solid drumming which also includes some rolling double bass kick fills, plus some more wonderful, melodic, shredding soloing, as well as some strong melodic, almost power metal-worthy vocal hooks too.Next up, track nine, "King of the Rat Bastards" meanwhile is another awesome, crunching, neck-breaking thrasher that is home to an awesome opening grinding, and crunching riff which leads straight into a barrage of more crunchy, chugging, thrash induced riffs, plus more solid, deft, pounding drums, and also included are another memorable, and anthemic chorus, and some more fantastic, winding, melodic, shred-worthy soloing, and a catchy, and crunchy mosh-worthy breakdown to follow that. Meanwhile, following that is "It's All Yours" is another awesome, bruiser of a track that is highlighted by a bed of yet more chunky, chugging, and bone crunching guitars, along with more great drumming, bass, and excellent vocals from Blitz as well. The song does happen to slow down a bit during the middle thus paving way for yet another excellent, and unforgettably infectious, wailing, shredding, eargasmic solo section, and the song also contains a very catchy and aggressively pounding chorus as well. Then finally wrapping up the album is "In the Name" which is an amazing epic of a closer that is backed by some solid, heavy, grinding, chugging riffs, thumping bass lines, as well as more great drumming throughout which include some deft, solid drum rolls, however it is Blitz's vocals that are the main highlight of this song as they just evoke pure power metal as he turns in yet another amazing vocal performance that would definitely make Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson mighty proud.All in all, "White Devil Armory" is an all around, brutal, tight, and incredibly well performed, five star thrash metal album that is just nothing short of sheer brilliance, and if you loved Overkill's previous two releases "Ironbound" and "The Electric Age", then by all means, you'll truly love "White Devil Armory". This album much like those two aforementioned albums truly proves that a band like Overkill knows how to improve with age, and even though they may not be as recognized as most of thrash's other greats, most notably the Big Four (Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax), but there's certainly no question that Overkill are one of the most influential bands not just in thrash metal, but metal period. So anyways, if you're a long time fan of Overkill, thrash metal, or just metal period, then you certainly must buy this album ASAP!!! ALL HAIL THE WRECKING CREW THAT IS OVERKILL!!! \m/ \m/BTW: Also be sure to check out Overkill's eighteenth and newest release "The Grinding Wheel" which is due out in February 10th.Jeremy

Like with several other albums I have purchased on amazon.com, I went right ahead and bought this the very day it was released in the United States. I booted up my laptop first thing in the morning, logged into my account, and dowloaded this album. After that, I listened to the whole thing from beginning to end on my daily morning commute to work. Now I can say that I have no regrets at all about purchasing it, and that it was well worth the wait.Honestly, like with other albums I have reviewed, calling this album a masterpiece is a huge understatement. If giving this album a million stars was an option, I would give it that in a heartbeat. Overkill are legends beyond further recognition, and they have actually done more for the thrash metal genre than any of the so-called "Big Four" of thrash (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) have ever done. They might not have as big a following, but in terms of artistic quality, combined with the number of albums they have released, they crush all four of them with regards to their skill and devotion and contribution to the genre. Anyone who does not think so has no business calling themselves a true metalhead, no questions asked.Bobby "Blitz" Ellworth fires out notes that that are absolute bad-a$$, and conveys a level of edge and emotion that is more than enough to make people like Fred Durst, Chester Bennington, John Davis, or even James Hetfield flee in terror. Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer shred those guitars like it is no one else's business, with enough stamina and endurance to scare an overrated Kirk Hammett into an early retirement. D.D. Verni rips into his bass, sometimes even being heard over the lead and rhythm guitars, much like John Paul Jones can be overheard with his bass on Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." Finally, Ronnie Lipnicki tops off the massive sound by beating those drums within an inch of their lives with his insane double-bassing, super fast fills, and crashing cymbals. Altogether, these guys are the perfect definition of what a thrash metal band should be.Honeslty, Overkill leave the "Big Four" of thrash in the DUST, especially Metallica. After Metallica sold out to the mainstream and all that mindless MTV garbage, Overkill, along with peers like Testament, Annihilator, Kreator, and many more, stayed true to their thrash metal roots and kept on cranking out album after album worth of REAL METAL, not ever caring about the money, but instead putting their music, their art, and their heart and soul as their first priority. That is what true rock and true metal is all about.Also, as for all those lame nu-metal/metalcore/emo bands, such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy, Nickelcrap, Green Day, Weezer, Blink 182, My Chemical Romance, etc... forget it! Overkill destroys every one of those untalented poser bands all at once, hands down. NONE of those losers stand even a ghost of a chance against a band of bad-a$$ thrash metal legends. Troll reviewers like Cincinatti Bengals Lover are just jealous because none of those bands will ever be as gifted as the mighty Overkill. Bands like Overkill want nothing to do with MTV, radio, or any of that B/S, because they do not need it to be able to do what they do best. Honestly, I should not even have to say that, because that is just common sense.Anyways, if you are a true and devoted fan of quality thrash metal, or of legitimate metal in general, then please pick up this album without delay! You will be very glad that you did! ALL HAIL OVERKILL!!! LONG LIVE THRASH METAL FOREVER!!! \M/\M/

Arrivato integro e puntuale

Après les claques successives d' Ironbound  et de  The Electric Age , on finissait par se dire qu'Overkill avait trouvé la formule magique en plus de le fontaine de jouvence... Presque, en fait.Il faut dire que les deux précités avait mis la barre très très haut damant le pion du supposé Big Four dans l'art de bastonner sévèrement à coup de riffs tranchants, de rythmiques surpuissantes et rapides, de vocaux abrasifs et possédés. Aussi, quand arrive White Devil Armory on n'attend pas autre chose et on a... Presque la même qualité, mais presque seulement. Peut-être parce que les compositions y paraissent plus simples, que les riffs sont juste un tout petit peu moins bien trouvés, certainement parce que les soli sont légèrement moins convaincants dans ce qui reste une excellente collection de chansons avec même une belle reprise de Miss Misery de  Nazareth  (featuring Marc Tornillo actuel et excellent hurleur des germains d' Accept ) rappelant que ces messieurs ne sont pas nés de la dernière pluie et assument fièrement leurs (p)références passées de mode. Côté chant, on retrouve avec un vrai plaisir le Brian Johnson (ou Udo Dirkschneider) du thrash metal, un gars qui sait beugler comme un taureau furieux sans jamais perdre de vue qu'il faut un peu de mélodie pour faire passer cette salutaire colère vocale, la rendre plus acceptable sans lui laisser perdre ne serait-ce qu'un iota de sa substance rageuse. Oui, Bobby Ellsworth est un vocaliste PARFAIT pour le genre, ce que ne démentit nullement White Devil Armory. Comme en plus l'album est idéalement mis en son (précision, puissance, etc., vous connaissez le refrain), il n'en faut pas plus pour secouer sauvagement nos chefs ravis malgré les légères réserves constatées.Alors non, White Devil Armory n'amène pas tout à fait la même satisfaction que ses deux glorieux prédécesseurs mais, si vous aimez le thrash metal, le bon !, nul doute, vous aimerez White Devil Armory même s'il ne vous surprendra pas vraiment voire vous poussera à revenir vers Ironbound et The Electric Age en le délaissant un peu. Ca n'en demeure pas moins un efficace, rondement mené et diablement addictif album de thrash metal oldschool qu'on se passera en boucle le temps qu'il faut.1. XDM 0:492. Armorist 3:533. Down to the Bone 4:044. PIG 5:215. Bitter Pill 5:486. Where There's Smoke 4:207. Freedom Rings 6:528. Another Day to Die 4:569. King of the Rat Bastards 4:0910. It's All Yours 4:2611. In the Name 6:03Bonus12. The Fight Song 5:1313. Miss Misery (Nazareth cover) 4:31Bobby Ellsworth - lead vocalsDave Linsk - lead guitar, backing vocalsDerek "The Skull" Tailer - rhythm guitar, backing vocalsD. D. Verni - bass, backing vocalsRon Lipnicki - drums&Mark Tornillo - vocals (13)4,5/5 IronboundThe Electric AgeNazarethAccept

超ベテランスラッシャー達の最新作でアルバム何枚出しているかわからないぐらいある。マンネリズムとの戦いになるが前2作と共に優れたアルバムだ。作曲者がベーシストのＤＤなのでブリブリ感のあるベースラインにクランチーなギターリフが乗っかる様な曲が大半です。このアルバムの一番の特徴はブリッツのボーカルパフォーマンスの凄さではないでしょうか。邪悪な金切り声で幅のあるレンジを見事に歌い上げています。3曲目なんかはある種、スラッシャーなのにキャッチャーですらあります。ちょいちょい入れてくるメンバー達の凛々しくも男らしいコーラスもいい感じだ！マイフェイバリットソングは11曲目。ブリッツのサビのところの渾身のスクリームに気分が高揚せずにいられなくなります。デイブ・リンクスの破天荒で派手なギターソロもこのアルバムの聴きどころです。ボーナス曲もいいセンスしてます。いろいろ書いたけど彼らの音楽に対する真摯な姿勢や節を曲げない信念を感じる作品でした。

Per me la band con più cattiveria del trash metal: sono un loro fan dai tempi di from underground and below. E pure prima, direi. Quest' album si inserisce nel solco di relix xiv, ironbound, immortalis... Non si finisce mai di ascoltarli

こんな凄いアルバム最近ではないと思います。アグレッシヴさがハンパないのでぜひお試しあれ。詳細はブログ「メタル再興祈願」にて。