by Brenda McTaggart
– Columnist —
There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that there’s anything special in the water in the state of New Jersey, but whatever it is that continues to deliver thoroughbred bands of the Rock and Metal genres that continue to enthral us is showing no signs of dying away. Still thrashing at full throttle with the pedal to the metal, Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth and Overkill (there must definitely be a fountain of youth somewhere in New Jersey) are back and smashing it triumphantly with an 18th studio album – The Grinding Wheel.
The Grinding Wheel opens in scorching fashion with the classic Overkill trademark of booming double bass drums from Lipnicki and builds into something that can only be described as pure fury with the mighty “Mean Green Killing Machine,” which is a standout track.
This album also has quite a lot of gear and teeth grinding going on, as this grit and diversity cuts to the core and pulls no punches in “Red White And Blue,” which launches into an all-out Punk attack. And it’s not the only Punkish effort on this record; something the band decided to bring back to its sound in 2010, when they released Ironbound. According to D.D Verni, Punk, it seems, continues to be a huge influence for the band.
Penned by Ellsworth and Verni, this album shakes, rattles and rolls from beginning to end and has the distinct feeling that they’ve mixed it up a little by systematically going back to their roots. They’ve jammed everything into it, including Bluesy riffs as well as Thrash, Groove and Punk. The Grinding Wheel has metaphorically speaking brought the proverbial “what goes around comes around” to your doorstep.
This record, in all its glory, is a reflection of the teeth gritting grind the band has gone through for almost four decades. It’s almost like Ellsworth and the boys would like us all to know exactly how they got here with the lyrics, “can’t you see it was meant to be,” which is belted out in the third track, “Our Finest Hour” in classic old-school thrashing manner.
“Come Heavy” has a swinging sexiness that echoes the classic touch of Black Sabbath, and an Iron Maiden influence is strong in “The Long Road.” In these two, especially, it’s very evident that Verni brings something phenomenal to every song, and although guitars are perfection, it’s the bass that seems to be in complete control, soaring above the guitar at times; Verni isn’t holding anything back on this album.
The record continues with tons of enthusiastic energy; there isn’t a lazy track on it, and it isn’t just 10 epic Thrash tracks that we heard on the likes of the band’s last release White Devil Armory, no – this is something else – Retro v Modern even. But it has this reviewer thinking that Ellsworth is relentless and lives somewhere between chaos and logic, as we have a record here that feels 100 percent thrash but sounds like he has let his mischievousness go wild. Frontman Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth says, “Grinding on! Here we come again kids, strapped to the Grinding Wheel! Bang your head.” He isn’t joking either.
“Lets All Go To Hades” promises nothing short of pandemonium in the pit, and it sounds like it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun, too. The album closes on “The Wheel” and the title track “The Grinding Wheel.” Both of these tracks are immense with deep groove and slashing solos, true to the absolute unrelenting top form that Overkill seems to be enjoying, and sure, why not? This album is a statement; “We are here, and we ain’t going away anytime soon.” The writing on this album is impeccable, and although diverse, this record is in no way falling off the beaten path. With the release of The Grinding Wheel, Overkill has proven, it is without a doubt, that they are the apex predators when it comes to Thrash Metal. Overkill is to be respected and revered for the very fact that the band can produce this high standard of music and still keep it sounding fresh and interesting after almost 40 years, as well as the one bloomin’ thing we all crave – entertainment.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Band:
D.D. Verni
Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth
Dave Linsk
Derek “The Skull” Tailer
Ron Lipnicki
Track Listing:
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”
Label: Nuclear Blast
Web: www.wreckingcrew.com – www.facebook.com/overkillwreckingcrew – www.nuclearblast.de/overkill
Hardrock Haven rating: 
(10 / 10)
