Overkill - The Grinding Wheel

Artist: Overkill
Release Title: The Grinding Wheel
Year: 2017
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Genre: Old-School Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Mean Green Killing Machine
2. Goddamn Trouble
3. Our Finest Hour
4. Shine On
5. The Long Road
6. Let's All Go to Hades
7. Come Heavy
8. Red White and Blue
9. The Wheel
10. The Grinding Wheel

Remaining true to the old-school, New Jersey thrash legends Overkill have been at the helm of the scene since the early 80s without ever receiving the credit due for keeping the genre as big as it is as they’ve amassed a back-catalog that rivals anyone in the genre from start to finish. With a line-up firing at the top of their game, their celebrated nineteenth album was originally released February 10, 2017 on Nuclear Blast Records.

It should come as to no surprise what the band has been doing in their latest resurgence during the past decade, and for the most part that remains true of their latest release. An overwhelmingly vast amount of the material here comes off with a great sense reflection on their past employing their trademark swirling thrash riffing and pounding rhythms that once again displays their penchant for dynamic tempo shifts that makes the music far more interesting than most suspect. Elsewhere on the album, the band continues to explore their long-standing infusion of groove into their sound that keeps their straightforward sections as biting and intense as ever. Capable of carrying their swirling patterns and clanking rhythms into intense sections without relying on their raging speed-drenched paces that are a staple of their sound, it’s all quite familiar in the best way possible by carrying on a traditional feel of their own past rather than looking at anything else in the genre which makes the fiery, explosive material sound rich, dynamic and full of energy that thrashes and rages with the most explosive. Just to nitpick, the album doesn’t really feature the greatest production with the guitars sounding far too clean and lacking the bite that usually comes from their sound. However, this is again nitpicking as the album contains everyone necessary to be enjoyable.

A nearly-flawless release that has so much to really like about it, this might not be as important or influential as the bands’ past history might be but it is so good at what it does that it stands up as an upper-tier inclusion in their style and makes for another worthy piece to their collection or just metal fans in general.

Score: 98/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/products/sound/cd/cd-digi/overkill-the-grinding-wheel-digipak-.html

Condition Critical - Extermination Plan

Artist: Condition Critical
Release Title: Extermination Plan
Year: 2016
Label: Self-Released/Independent
Genre: Retro Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Interminable Surgery
2. Fatal Incision
3. Intravenous Mutilation
4. Voluntary Disfigurement
5. Extermination Plan
6. Ostracized
7. Vindictive Hostility
8. Genocidal Void

Furthering their approach in the genre, New Jersey thrashers Condition Critical have taken a huge step forward in their intensity and outward approach to the scene which makes them emerge as forerunners of the scene. With a flurry of lineup shuffling during the three-year gap between releases that saw drummer Ryan Donato leave only to return in time for the recordings while guitarists Alonso Maguiño and Sam Agnew got replaced by Tony Barhoum and Ryan Taylor, the groups’ second full-length is self-released March 18, 2016.

As was produced in the first go-round, the band here is exceptionally proficient at providing deep, frenzied riffing and rather intense patterns here in tight, utterly maniac tempos. The album’s loose, off-the-rails intensity featured here is full of explosive energy as the album dives through a series of ravenous, high-velocity riffing that offers a slight progressive touch only in the sense of being able to wallop the listener over the head with their dexterous arrangement changes. This produces a slew of tight, cramped songs beating down with a blistering intensity switching over into different rhythms and breaks constantly in their patterns which is a rather impressive feat at the ability to generate that feverish intensity for a consistent approach throughout here with the deep, churning patterns carrying these intense tracks along the way. That does bring up the slight problem here with this one being just way too compact and same-sounding to b unable to really differentiate the tracks from each other in the running order as the incessant volley of riffing thrown out makes it nearly impossible to catch a breath or even tell what track’s playing, and while that sort of relentless beatdown may appeal to some it does offer a potential problem for some.

Though the band is certainly quite adept and utterly pummeling in their delivery, this sort of tactic might not be a truly universally loved one as those who want some sort of variety in their thrash should heed caution but the overall frantic assault here should be welcomed by anyone looking for intense thrashing or any fans of the revivalist movement as well.

Score: 95/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://www.indiemerch.com/conditioncritical