Back in Business, Baby! - A Review of Over Kill's Scorched

Over Kill's twentieth official full length effort Scorched comes as a massive positive surprise and might qualify for one of the greatest records of the year. The quintet from the Garden State had celebrated a ferocious return to force with Ironbound thirteen years ago and while the following releases have varied between excellence and decency, they have also progressively gotten less energetic, imaginative and surprising. Not much was going to be expected from Scorched other than a mellow sequel to Ironbound but New Jersey's bat-shit-crazy thrash metal veterans have knocked it out of the ballpark when least expected.

The record already starts with a massive bang in form of title track ''Scorched'' that opens with epic, melodic and mysterious guitar play before pumping bass guitar and dynamic drum play sets in. The stage is set for aggressive, charismatic and timeless vocals to kick in as Over Kill delivers one of its best epic tunes ever and one of its greatest opening songs in history. When you open an album on a high note, the first song should be so addictive that listeners feel the need to hit the repeat button right away time and again. Few albums manage to accomplish this. Examples that come to mind might be Nirvana's Nevermind, Red Hot Chili Peppers' By the Way and Puddle of Mudd's Life on Display. Over Kill's Scorched now has to be included on this list. This tune is a home run but how about the rest?

I'm relieved to inform you that the rest of the album comes very close to the quality of the ferocious opener. ''Goin' Home'' for instance is a memorable anthem that should be shouted by hundreds of drunk, happy and nostalgic fans in concert and if the band doesn't play this anthem on its next tour, then Chaly is personally going to go after the lads.

''Twist of the Wick'' might go down as this album's most creative tune as it meanders between fierce thrash metal sections and menacing heavy and doom metal intersections that make for a highly entertaining ride. The different sections have excellent transitions underlining a reinvigorated songwriting, forty-three years of experience and relentless hunger for more.

Another song that stood out immediately is ''Harder They Fall'' with its raw punk rock spirit culminating in a wild chorus with grinding backing vocals that provide the extra kick in the nuts. Sure, Over Kill have written similar tunes in the past but the grit of this cut is particularly believable and sounds more ferocious than any tune of recent memory delivered by the new generation of thrash metal bands. This goes to show that we should all be thankful that the veterans are still around because they still have got something to say.

I could point out many other excellent tunes on this album such as ''Know Her Name'' with its haunting lyrics on the pulse of time but I'm simply going to let you discover this wonderful album by yourself. If you are looking for aggressive, creative and timeless thrash metal with inspired lyrics, excellent musicianship and perfect production, you have found what you have been looking for. Now, give a little dominance, take a little soul and try a new experience!

Final Rating: 90%