RELIXIV
I love getting promo discs of bands I grew up with. Makes me moist all over. OK, no it doesn't. That's actually a stupid line, and the next time I type that (and I do mean the NEXT time), I hope somebody hits me in the foot with a waffle iron....the big Belgian waffle variety.
Anyway, I just got this copy of
RELIXIV, OVERKILL's upcoming new studio disc, which features, believe it or not, the same lineup from their last disc
KillBox 13. Joining the two founding members Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth (vocals) and D.D. Verni (bass) are once again Dave Linsk and Derek Tailor (Guitars) and long time drummer, Tim Mallere. Overkill has figured out their formula; they're a metal band that writes crunhcy riffs, pastes them together, and shrieks over them...and they've been doing it consistently for the past 20 years.
One track you have to pay attention is the final cut on the disc, "Old School". It's a RAMONES-esque track that features my buddy
Eddie Trunk recreating his initial on-air debut of the band, and from what I understand, also features the owners of L'Amour (rock club in Brooklyn, New York) re-creating an intro for the band. The track is really catchy, and is a nice tribute to the band's longevity.
Tracks on
RELIXIV include:
Within Your Eyes
Love
Loaded Rack
Bats In the Belfry
A Pound Of Flesh
Keeper
Wheelz
The Mark
Play The Ace
Old School
The band wrote the disc during their tour for
KillBox 13 and recorded it at GEAR RECORDING in Shrewsbury, NJ, in October and November of '04. The band produced it themselves, and I'm not sure I'm crazy about that idea. It sounds fine (albeit not as punchy as I would have liked... check out the production on
Horrorscope and
From the Underground and Below; those discs will shake your friggin' fillings loose), but when you produce something yourself, you lose the element of objectivity that a producer can give to you. Sure, that point can be argued to death, but that's just my snooty production-guy opinion. Producers are good to have around so you can bounce songwriting ideas off a person who isn't necessarily in the inner circle of the band.
That being said, I think the band nailed it with "Loaded Rack" - it's got a creepy opening riff, and a main section that will kick you in the gut. Blitz is also singing more than screeching on this one, and I'm a fan of melody, so that scores points with me.
The guitars sound thin. Bah, I'm being snobby again.
"Bats In The Belfrey" is another creepy one; great riff and a chorus that you can just envision a crowd banging around to.
The main riff in "Keeper" starts off sounding like it's almost out of time with the drums; it's not though. When the rest of the band kicks in though... you've got a trademark Overkill groove.
It's really great to see that nothing has diluted these guys after numerous lineups, a few label changes, and 20 years in the business. Who knows how many more they'll see...but as long as they keep cranking out CDs like
RELIXIV, I'll be a fan.
