7/25/2023 0 Comments Overkill under the influence![]() ![]() Guitar people will love this, because I think Gustafson seriously had a heavy hand in shining bright, taking advantage of new drum recruit Sid Falck to team up with. Sturdiness isn’t its standout factor, but just about everything else that it stands for is. I love revisiting it from front to back, I love the changes in foundation, and really the whole thing is loads of fun. It’s unfairly squeezed between back-to-back perfect records on both sides of its release, so it really struggles to get some sun. I just can’t overlook some of the looser ends.Īs a whole though, Under The Influence is still a phenomenal record. The burning crawl that solos its way into some furious grooves punches hard! From the front side, “Mad Gone World” reflects these same things at a shorter length, representing some jarring attacks from the leads and over-the-top vocals. “Drunken Wisdom” is wavy all around, with a darker undertone that would hint at the doom numbers that they tamper with later. “End Of The Line” has such a bouncy chorus, utilizing long length better than the others, and I can’t deny the earworminess. For starters, “Overkill III” feels a bit unnecessary as a whole, and while the chorus is neat, the rest is obvious retread. Again, they’re loads of fun, but I can’t help but notice that they’re less firm in the joints than how the band would execute on the next album. On the back side, you get the longer, experimental numbers that push these hints from the front side to harder lengths. Seriously, can’t you feel how much warmer this one is than really anything on that side? And of course, there’s the blatant reach in “Never Say Never” with it’s awkward stops and booming basslines. However, as much as “Hello From The Gutter” is looked at as a classic, the rock ‘n roll bottom that captures most of it usually gets glossed over. That’s been talked about since the beginning of time, and I appreciate the hell out of it. The obvious one is in the opener “Shred,” feeling like a steadier galloping thrash number before Bobby Gustafson unleashes hell on the solos. The first half is where the perfect gems lie, and while these may be a little more traditional in build, the songs still throw some minor curveballs. It’s pretty evenly split into two halves. Even though this is my least favorite of the ‘80s run, I return to it quite often because of how interesting it is. How the mighty would rise with this idea! Though I’ve pretty much gushed endless love for The Years Of Decay, it’s predecessor Under The Influence was where this idea took foundation, as Overkill stepped away from the traditional, punk-driven, dirty, and stripped down thrash that the Rat Skates days breathed out. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |