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OVERKILL
Power In Black (1983)

This four-piece band from New Jersey have been in existence since 1978 and play the hard, fast and aggressive power metal that is currently so popular with the global hardcore clan; although Overkill themselves like to use the term “blood metal” to describe their particular form of mayhem.

Founding members D.D. Verni (bass) and Rat Skates (drums) were part of New York’s punk scene in the 70s, having previously been together in a band called Lubricunts; roots that obviously contribute to Overkill’s raw, thrash ’n’ bash approach. The band’s line-up is completed by ex-DOA vocalist Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth and guitarist Bobby Gustafson, who was formerly with the apparently aptly named Dropouts.

Overkill’s demo, Power In Black, contains five tracks of equally constructed mayhem: ‘Overkill’, ‘The Beast Within’, ‘There’s No Tomorrow’, ‘Death Riders’ and their stage opener ‘Raise The Dead’. Although at present there’s nothing particularly significant in their music to make them stand out from countless other similar sounding combos, Overkill’s high energized metal will no doubt appeal to the hordes of you fellow go-for-death metal merchants out there.

Bernard Doe

Review taken from Metal Forces, Issue 3 (1984)