Overkill’s Scorched: No ballads, no compromises, just pure, vicious thrash metal

Overkill frontman Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth’s signature lunatic yelp is one of metal’s most recognizable, a fearsome howl of derision and defiance from the urine-soaked gutters of NYC. 

Nearly forty years since their inception as the underground’s number one “blood metal” band, Blitz still sounds like a slasher villain hacking his way through the front row, and Overkill’s 20th album is just the kind of gorgeously tawdry affair you’d hope for. 

Scorched is another in a very long list of pandemic albums – both in theme and production – and while the band will tell you it’s a more melodic approach to their patented thrash ’n’ potatoes sound, it still sounds like a wild night in the mosh pot, full of snarling rippers like Going Home, Twist Of The Wick and the maniacal Surgeon. 

No ballads, no compromises, just pure, vicious thrash metal with all the energy and vitality of a band half their age.

Source: loudersound.com