Classic thrash band Overkill will release the box set “The Atlantic Years 1986-1994” on Oct. 29, 2021. Pre-orders are available here.
An integral part of the early-’80s thrash metal movement that spawned acts like Metallica and Anthrax, New Jersey’s Overkill garnered a reputation for brutal, pounding speed and technique. Taking its moniker from the 1979 Motörhead album of the same name, the demo “Power in Black” made waves in the underground tape-trading circuit and caught the attention of Megaforce Records, which issued the band’s full-length studio debut, “Feel the Fire,” in 1985.
High-profile shows alongside luminaries like Slayer and Anthrax followed, and with the American thrash scene in full tilt, Overkill inked a major-label deal with Atlantic, which put out its sophomore effort, 1987’s uncompromising “Taking Over.” This was followed quickly in 1988 by “Under the Influence,” which spawned the MTV hit “Hello from the Gutter.”
Continuing its breakneck pace, the band issued the Terry Date-produced “Years of Decay” in 1989, which saw it pushing it sound in a more epic direction, while maintaining the neck-snapping attack of its debut. Expanding its lineup to a five piece in 1990, Overkill released the brooding and relentlessly heavy “Horrorscope,” which introduced elements of doom into the mix and went on to become a defining release and fan favorite.
Overkill continued to move toward a more epic Sabbath style on 1993’s “I Hear Black” but switched up again on 1994’s “W.F.O.,” which marked a return to the whiplash-inducing thrash of the past.
All six of these albums are back on vinyl for the first time in over a decade, half-speed mastered for dynamic range and pressed on 180g vinyl. “The Atlantic Years” also will be available as a CD collectors box.
“The Atlantic Years 1986-1994” contains :
- “Taking Over”
- “Under the Influence”
- “The Years of Decay”
- “Horrorscope”
- “I Hear Black”
- “W.F.O.”
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