Overkill - Under the Influence Album Review

Overkill - Under the Influence (1988)

Members:

Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth – lead vocalsl

Bobby Gustafson – guitar, background vocals

Sid Falck – drums

D.D. Verni – bass, background vocals

Produced by:

Overkill, Alex Perialas

Executive Producers:

Jon Zazula, Marsha Zazula

Under the Influence is the third studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on July 5, 1988 through Megaforce Records. This was Overkill's first album to feature drummer Sid Falck, who had replaced Rat Skates when the latter left the band in 1987 during the Taking Over tour.

First Impressions:

1988 thrash metal at its best.

As a heads up, this review will be a tad biased due to the fact that this particular album has seen me through some tough times in my life...however I will be as objective as possible in its construction and its sonic presentation. With that said, I received my first of many copies of this album from my aunt Karen as a Christmas present in 1988, one of 3 cassettes I received from her (the other 2 being KIX - Blow My Fuse, and Iron Maiden - Maiden Japan). My aunt was the only family member who stuck to my Christmas list, no second guessing from her. When I saw that this was part of my gift I decided right then to break out my cassette player and sit on the couch and just crank this one, we were at my uncle's place this year and as usual I was kinda shut out of all the conversations that were going on with the family at large (I was always an outcast). Upon hitting play and cranking up my volume, the world faded around me and all I knew was pure aggression and great tunes, this became a goto album for me and was always included in mix tapes I made. But that was in 1988, over the years this album has stayed very special to me but how does it fare now? Let's dig into this 80's thrash gem track by track and see what stays in the gutter and what goes down the storm drain....Let's Do This!!

1."Shred"4:05

Aggression from the start, the trademark DD bass thumping under the catchy riffing by Bobby G. and new drummer Sid showing from the get go that he his far superior to the previous drummer...all capped off by Blitz and his aggressive voice. This track is pure mania at points and enjoyable from start to finish...Shred? Indeed they did here.

2."Never Say Never"4:58

This band isn't short of catchy riffs and good hooks. This track is no exception, it chugs along at a good pace and really keeps it interesting, even when it's being relatively simple. Blitz soars over this one vocally and it just kills. DD is always audible in their songs, but at least he is good and consistant. Bobby G. shows why he needed to be replaced by 2 guitarists when he departed after 1 more album, he really is impressive as a guitarist. Sid is solid as always here...this is a great tune.

3."Hello from the Gutter"4:14

The first song I heard from this album and catchy as all hell. Quite possibly the most commercially viable track on this album as well. Great guitar lead in and really good lyrics in this one too (if this band has a flaw it's in their lyrics, sometimes they're great, and sometimes they are very trite). This track is kinda playful as well in its presentation too, it's a track that kinda exemplifies thrash metal at this time...it never takes itself too seriously. Oh and the solo on this one....Top notch.

4."Mad Gone World"4:31

Typical Overkill intro to this one, leading into a aggressive riff and really tight drum part...spastic micro solos here and there, a chorus that has a punkish feel yet very thrash at the same time. Blitz does a great job mixing up the vocals here and DD is ever present here with his tin fart bass sound(a sound that would be irritating in any other band but here it works). The angst this song conveys is palatable but not overdone, it's still a fun song.

5."Brainfade"4:08

The song of liars, one of my favorite tracks on this one. It's just so snarky and sarcastic in so many good ways. A very moshable song to be sure and the lyrics are brilliant...

"I know you like a book

I know all the lies

I know, that you know

Your mouth is catchin' flies

Blank expression, a burnt out bulb

A thimble full of wit

Endless stories never follow

In short you're full of shit"

Absolutely great track, and very well executed...even the dialogue part in the later part of the track is great. Add a tight solo to it and a very driving drum sound to it as well...this song is perfect.

6."Drunken Wisdom"6:17

Nice little acoustic intro in this one that slides into a very heavy riff for 1988, a real headbanger. Kinda slower pace at the start but it cranks up a bit more later on and that really gives an impassioned feeling to this track that comments on the self importance of others....when it speeds up it is a thrashers paradise of moshing beats and chaotic guitar. Great lyrics and it mentions Beer later on...and that is what thrash is all about to me.

7."End of the Line"7:03

Chugging riffs start this one, goes on a measure or 2 too long but it picks up into a great riff that was formula for thrash at the time...but the chorus is great, kinda shows blitz in a different light...he can actually sing a bit instead of just yelling in key. This one has a mid track slow spot that kinda grounds the track thematically and sets the stage for a very good slow tempo guitar solo, this spot would be at home on any 80's metallica album...it spirals off into other influential nods then after a bit it goes back to trademark overkill. Great track, I wish it was more recognized by the thrash community at large.

8."Head First"6:02

The perverts anthem, or is it...this track is pure tongue in cheek (and anywhere else) fun. Good riff, great rhythm section, fun lyrics. This track was kinda nonsense to me back in the day but it had another great guitar solo and great drumming so I still liked it. Now, I can appreciate the track as a whole. Fun track, and well executed.

9."Overkill III (Under the Influence)"6:33

Not too fond of these "Overkill" tracks they all sound a bit shoehorned in, and this one is no exception. The aggression in it is good but honestly, the lyrics are a bit contrived and sound like they are from a demo by a band of teenagers who just started their band and are trying too hard to sound tough and dark. I think this song would have been an instrumental...when I worked in a recording studio, I filtered the voice tracks out of this one and a couple others and they worked much better...the music is enough on this one. The lyrics were simply put OVERKILL.

Conclusion:

This album along with their next one "The Years of Decay" should have permanently put this band among the elites of the thrash genre but for some reason it didn't. This album did help me through some tough times through its aggressive tendencies and sarcastic lyrics and for that I give this album a ton of kudos but as a reviewer, I can't ignore the shortcomings this album has as well. 1988 was one of 4 very good years for thrash as a whole (86-90) and this album was uppercrust for the time, and I love it still to this day....but in all honesty it hasn't aged as well as some of their contemporaries from the same 4 year cycle. I'll never dislike this one, in fact I will champion it...but for this review it isn't getting my highest rating. Other better albums came out before it, and there are some issues with its production,  especially in the mixing department (does DD really need to be so up front in the mix all the time?). But all in all this is a solid thrash album by 1988 standards, and was a great addition to any headbangers collection. I still thank my aunt for getting it for me, it's what I needed at the time, and still holds its spot in my top 50 albums of all time.

A bit of trivia that slides me still...at this time there were 3 guys named Bob in the band. Bobby Gustafson, Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, and Bob "Sid" Falck...just a side not for those that never really thought about it.

Score:4/5

http://wreckingcrew.com/Ironbound/

BABYMETAL - Metal Galaxy Album Review

Babymetal -Metal Galaxy (2019)

Current Members:

Suzuka Nakamoto (Su-Metal) - Lead Vocals & Dance

Moa Kikuchi (MoaMetal) - Screams & Dance

Metal Galaxy is the third studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It was released in Japan on October 8, 2019, with an international release following on October 11, 2019 worldwide. The album was released through BMD Fox Records in Japan, in Europe under earMusic, and elsewhere under Babymetal Records.

First Impressions:

Typical Babymetal fare, creative and very fun...but still kinda weird.

As an overview for those who may not know, this group was assembled in 2010 by Key Kobayashi from 3 members of the idol group Sakura Gakuin (Suzuka Nakamoto, Moa Kikuchi, & Yui Mizuno). Their first single was a track called "Doki Doki Morning" which was released in the same year. They hit it big internationally with "Gimmie Chocolate!" in 2013, a track that was on their debut album in 2014. Their 2nd album "Metal Resistance" was released on April 1st 2016 (Fox Day) and it furthered their popularity greatly, much to the chagrin of the metal elitists who were still up in arms over their very existence...3 years, a couple of missteps in image, and the departure of Yui Mizuno (for vaguely explained reasons) went by and it leads us here, 2019. The 3rd album comes off as an exercise in creativity yet again...especially when you take in the 5 tracks that were released off it over 2 of those years. But how does this album fare in the long run as a whole? I'll be reviewing the Japanese release of this one and notate the differences between it and the international version at the end. So without further babbling let's dive into this one track by track and see where the Fox God leads us....Let's Do This!!!

Japanese Edition Disc 1

1."Future Metal" 2:05

Never really got into these lead in tracks, but this one is interesting in its construction...very synth heavy and a bit spacey...it's an intro, and it's short.

2."Da Da Dance" (featuring Tak Matsumoto) 3:50

Well this one calls up an echo of an earlier track of theirs "Ii Ne". Very EDM at its core and quite an energetic little song. The guitars that were overlayed over this one are at points kinda dream theater (ish). It's a competently composed track with some great performances and production on it. Typical type of track from this little group and it's not a bad thing.

3."Elevator Girl" 2:45

One of the 5 singles from this one, it's a weird hybrid of metal and easy jazz like music. One of the several tracks that are sung in a large percentage of english, something they have been doing more of since their second album. Something far more prevalent than the usual word or two in most Japanese lyrics, when their language doesn't have a comparative. The musicianship is tight as always and Su-Metal's voice is over processed as usual on tracks like this. Her voice as is would serve the track just fine, she is very capable.

4."Shanti Shanti Shanti" 3:10

The latest single released before the album dropped and this is where this group shines. The Hindu inspiration is executed very well, and it gives this track a very pleasant and vibrant feel. This song is just fun to listen to and you can't help but move along with it. A super track and really helps the momentum of the whole album.

5."Oh! Majinai" (featuring Joakim Brodén) 3:12

Well....we are headed into folk metal territory. This track really sounds like it should be on a korpiklaani or alestorm album...and that is fun in its purest form. Songs like this are one of the main reason I love this group, they are not afraid to cross genres and explore the potential...I picture a crowd of burly bearded men in a venue wearing Babymetal shirts and a large mug of beer in their hand chanting along like pirates with this one. It's just so much fun.

6."Brand New Day" (featuring Tim Henson and Scott LePage) 4:08

Well this one is the definition of this band as it was defined earlier, metal fused with J Pop...this is a track that would fit on a perfume album if you removed the metal parts. It's very commercial pop at its very core and it's as catchy as hell in its own way. Not a bad track, but honestly not one of my favorites...but what it does, it does very well. Although the snaps are a nice touch.

7."↑↓←→BBAB" 3:05*

Well, this is interesting. What's with the auto tune? This track is a bit of filler to me, it kinda goes nowhere special but it isn't boring...it just won't be on one of my playlists anytime soon. Can't say much more.

8."Night Night Burn!" 3:40

Back to the metal, a upper tempo one that falls into the experimental arena. It goes from metallic to poppy off and on, but more metal than pop...the pop has a basic 90's style r&b pop type thing, but not exactly. The more I hear live from this band the more I wish they would leave Suzuka's voice alone...she really doesn't need all the post production things they do...she can carry a song very well. The subtle Caribbean vibe towards the late middle of the track is cool though.

Japanese Edition Disc 2

1."In the Name Of" 4:30

Ooohhh....gothic chorus stuff...nice. This is a good way to our some drama back in this album...I approve. Then the track kicks in and we have more of that middle eastern influence creeping in, but this is done in a more war song like thing, it's actually quite epic. The growly vocals on it harken back to their original lead off track on their first release "Babymetal Death". This is quite a cool track, this would be a great track to blast as you lead an army into war. Excellent.

2."Distortion" (featuring Alissa White-Gluz) 3:04

A bit of a recording of the first track they released late last year. Still a great track and really feels like traditional Babymetal...but under all its fuzzy effects and overproduction poor Alissa gets a bit lost in it, you can still hear her, but she's trapped behind a layer of fuzz. But all in all a good track and still one of my favorites.

3."Pa Pa Ya!!" (featuring F. Hero) 3:55

This was the single that really harkened their return. Catchy as hell and fun to listen to....not a bad thing to say about this one...but there is one thing that kinda bugs me, when I listened to the original release and this one side by side, the chanting is a bit slower on this one, not too much but still it's noticeable. The mid song rap by F. Hero is quite jarring at first but it's well done and fits the track quite well once you wrap your head around it...great track.

4."BxMxC" 3:03*

Well it's Babymetal goes urban gangsta tone...but not full gangsta rap, thank god for that. The Bass on this one and the electronic clips really give this a big feeling, and a deep punching low feel. However Su's vocals here are very creative and not her usual fare...they go all over the place in tone and pitch, well done but quite destracting, I would like to hear the raw vocal track of this one without the post production...as a whole this track is very industrial in sound but it really leans more towards the urban and dubstep side of things. A very unique track, and a surprisingly good one too.

5."Kagerou" 3:30

The track that was called "Tattoo" early on by the fans, and the track is one where Su had much looser, if any, choreography live...especially during the dark side era after Yui left, and Su did this one solo. This is a very traditional pop metal type track with very little post production, it's by far one of my favorites on this album. It's a showcase for Su and her voice...it's really what Babymetal should be in a lot of ways. Should Su ever do a solo album, I hope it sounds like this, she just shines on it...this is simply put, her place in the genre. Tracks like this are where I say that she is the logical successor to the Queen of all metal once Doro Pesch quits making music.

6."Starlight" 3:37

The tribute to the late Mikio Fujioka and the second song they released after Yui left the group. A fitting little piece, and it tends to bring a smile to your face. Its high energy and very tight sounding. The vocals in the chorus have an ethereal feeling to them and the song as a whole is packed with Babymetal tropes...it's a great little track and a bit of an earworm after a few listening sessions.

7."Shine" 5:52

A track that has a somber start and fits the mold of a traditional Babymetal epic track in its constriction, much like "The One" on their last album it has slower verses and a much grander chorus section that even shares some vocal phrasing with the abovementioned track "The One". It's a nicely constructed song and it was performed great. I can't say enough good things about this one at all.

8."Arkadia" 5:18

Well this one starts with more chorus type stuff and rolls into a song that more resembles a Dragonforce song. This is a love letter to all power metal bands in its construction, and being a fan of that genre, I love it. This is a great capper to a great album....tight musicianship, great vocal phrasing, and over all a super performance. This is an empowering track that has no dull parts and doesn't overstay its welcome. I just love it.

[*The international version still has a large track list of 14 songs ("↑↓←→BBAB" & "BxMxC" were removed from the international version) but some would still say this album is a bit bloated given the type of album it is.]

Conclusion:

With this being their 3rd album over the course of almost 10 years (typical for Japanese idol groups, a ton of singles followed by a full album) this is pretty much more of the same from this group, but more of the same isn't a bad thing. This group and their writing team is still top notch and not afraid to keep testing the waters with styles and genres, and it usually works out for the better. Now, in all honesty at 16 songs for the Japanese release and 14 for the international release, this album is a bit bloated but all the tracks here have merit(and they say there was more recorded for this one). For all its clever parts and overproduction at its core it's a well performed album and a joy to listen to...I really can't complain too much about this one...it fits their discography and feels like a continuation of their last album. Very well done indeed.

Score: 5/5

http://www.babymetal.com/en