Overkill - White Devil Armory

Thoughts on the latest album?

Well I have only listened to it all the way through twice but it's a damn good album. Not as good as "Ironbound" but better than "The Electric Age". Like Motorhead and AC/DC you know what you're gonna get in an Overkill album.

In about 30 seconds of messing around with EQ I was able to improve the sound on this album by about 60%. It doesn't sound like it was even mastered, totally flat and lifeless and over-compressed. However, when you actually put some low end into it (seriously, this recording is ALL midrange) and undo the mid-scoop on the guitars it springs to life.

The drum sound is horrendous as well, doesn't even sound like drums.

However...after emergency surgery on the audio I was able to listen to the album and I enjoyed it. There are about 4 real stand out tracks and nothing is less than acceptable. These guys can basically release albums in their sleep at this point (ala Motorhead) but they always sound convincing.

I still haven't heard it aside from the sneak peek of the song "Armorist"... I suppose I should be ashamed of myself, haha....bad fanboy, bad!!

S.D. wrote:

In about 30 seconds of messing around with EQ I was able to improve the sound on this album by about 60%.  It doesn't sound like it was even mastered, totally flat and lifeless and over-compressed.  However, when you actually put some low end into it (seriously, this recording is ALL midrange) and undo the mid-scoop on the guitars it springs to life.  

The drum sound is horrendous as well, doesn't even sound like drums.  

However...after emergency surgery on the audio I was able to listen to the album and I enjoyed it.  There are about 4 real stand out tracks and nothing is less than acceptable.  These guys can basically release albums in their sleep at this point (ala Motorhead) but they always sound convincing.  

God I thought I was alone this whole time. NO ONE is making mention of this for whatever reason. At first, before I got the album, I thought it was a Spotify thing, like the stream was the reason for the poor quality. When I finally got the CD, I put it in my car stereo which is a more than decent system. I was shocked; it sounded like a transistor radio hooked into a sub. I too had to fiddle with the EQ forever, and was shocked how high I had to boost the bass (unprecedented, too; I've never had it so high with any album). It still sounds only adequate. The album is as brickwalled as The Electric Age, but that album sounded much better and much more lively. Oddly enough, I noticed the engineering here was actually credited to DD and Dave. I wonder if that has anything to do with it. I do enjoy DD's plunk being back in his bass, though, just like the early days.

As for the tunes, I seem to be in the minority thinking that this pales in comparison to Electric Age or even Ironbound. In fact--forgive me, everyone--this is their worst moment. It's not a bad album necessarily, it's just gotta be my least favorite. I thought maybe my fifth spin would convince me otherwise, but it's still not latching on. In fact for the first time I'm finding a slight irritation at certain parts--the way a hook isn't as wide as it should be, the repetitive and inane lyrics (get to know my name/get to know my game/I'm a pig, I'm a pig, I'm a pig pig pig??), the drums drowning everything out--I've never experienced theses things with Overkill before, certainly not the ennui. And I think Bobby's voice is finally getting tired, which I can't fault him for, hell it's about time, so I'm not counting that against them.

I am happy that this is charting so high, but I can't deny how middle-of-the-road White Devil Armory (even the title!) is. Oh well, 17 albums in they should be allowed at least one. Can't deny how impressive that is for a thrash band.

Well, that's why I've only jammed it twice all the way through. It makes my ears tired.

Akeldama wrote:

Well, that's why I've only jammed it twice all the way through. It makes my ears tired.

This, too. I kind of get exhausted midway through.

I just realized I didn't say anything good about the album other than DD's bass. Must've been tired. There is some good riffing going on (although it's somewhat ruined by the mix) and the highlight is definitely Bitter Pill. It reminds me a little of Under the Influence. When there's Smoke is a furious song with a ton of aggression. King of the Rat Bastards too. Pig, for all its pratfalls (stupid inane lyrics, completely off-the-wall phrasing) has a great lead-in riff and is memorable enough, for better or for worse. And Freedom Rings has a nice sense of speed and melody. But this all only stands out to a point.

I kind of hope they go back to some groove on their next disc. I kind of miss those days.

I would like more groove as well, I am really a fan of Necroshine and Immortalis.

Akeldama wrote:

I would like more groove as well, I am really a fan of Necroshine and Immortalis.

God, Necroshine is a beast of an album, even 15 years later.

The drums are WAY TOO FUCKING LOUD in the mix and they are all so processed it might as well have been a drum machine. Click-click sounding kick drums are the nadir as far as I'm concerned.

I need to listen to the album again to make up my mind about the overall strength. I liked Ironbound a lot, wasn't that crazy about Electric Age (which also didn't sound very good).

I don't really listen to thrash much these days, Overkill is one of the few exceptions.

Electric Age and WDA both had the same dude mixing, so that explains a lot. Electric Age is overly compressed but still has better tonality; you can at least discern the timbre of each instrument whereas here everything is camouflaged.

Electric Age was the reason I got back into metal and CD collecting. It blew me away, especially the tracks Black Daze, Old Wounds New Scars, and Goodnight, despite the lack of DR. They have these freakishly twisted hooks that sound downright nasty. I'm not getting anything like that out of WDA.

I really liked Bitter Pill and Freedom Rings, those are the only two I remember off the top of my head. Will listen again tomorrow.

This album is growing on me.

I *still* don't have the "White Devil Armory" CD but I've been Spotifying the f*ck out of it for the past day or so to familiarize myself with the new stuff....because I'm going to SEE Overkill w/Municipal Waste and Prong tomorrow night at the Starland Ballroom here in New Jersey... got a free ticket from a buddy who was supposed to go with his brother, but his bro had to bail on him. When he called and asked if I wanted in I practically did a metal fanboy happy dance, like "are you f*cking KIDDING me?" Haha.

I saw Overkill four times backinthaday but I haven't been to a Kill gig since 1994. Haven't seen Prong since 1991 either. Shoot, I haven't even been to a concert by anybody in more than five years. So needless to say, this is gonna be quite an evening for me. I'm stoked.

I'm sure you'll have a blast. I really wish I could have seen Prong around '93 or so, maybe the Prove Your Wrong tour. The closest I got was seeing Danzig when Tommy Victor was playing guitar for him. Honestly, that combination didn't work.

Anyway, Overkill. I absolutely love that Wrecking Everything concert video, they open with a version of Necroshine that just kills the studio version, Blitz sounds better on that song live than he does in the studio. I also have the one from a couple years later at Wacken.

I need to put together an Overkill playlist on Spotify...

If I did an Overkill playlist on Spotify I'd end up with the entirety of their discog. Save for this one. I'm sorry but I shelved this shit a while back; it's just not as good as everyone is making it out to be. I'm really not trying to be a ToB here and I'm super-forgiving with thrash records (hell, I don't think there's a bad one out there) but this one is tired and hard on the ears.

In any case, Keith I wish they had a device that could record moments that you live for others to experience in 4D. Because I'd definitely request your experience of this Sat night LOL. It's gonna be a kickass, relentless show.

Even though I'm not on the level with this last disc, I've no doubt it will have nothing to do with the level of onstage intensity the band is capable of to this day.

I've been toying with the idea of compiling an "Ultimate Overkill Setlist" on Spotify too, but like Shay sez, it would probably end up being every song off of every album (haha). At the very least, it would be heavy on the From the Underground... and Necroshine albums, cuz those seem to be the ones I reach for most nowadays.

S.D. wrote:

I really wish I could have seen Prong around '93 or so, maybe the Prove Your Wrong tour.

Prong was supporting the Prove You Wrong album when I saw them in late 91. I went to that gig not knowing much about them other than the songs that were getting MTV play ("Unconditional" and the "Prove You Wrong" title track)... I was there mainly to see Type O Negative, who had just released their debut, Slow Deep And Hard and were opening the show. (I was a massive fan of Pete Steele's prior band, Carnivore.) Type O was great that night, but then Prong came on and they just wiped the floor with everybody ... they were vicious! I went to the mall and bought Beg To Differ and Prove You Wrong the next day.

Had an awesome time last night. I will be posting an in depth report on my HubPage tonight but here's a quick nutshell version:

First impression of Starland Ballroom: nice joint, roomy and with plenty of sight lines. If this place was closer to my house I'd be there every week.

Got there way too early so we ended up having to sit thru the three local-yokel bands that opened the show, only one of which was worth a damn - Apathy (who hail from Clifton apparently), a thrash band who had a bit of a Slayer vibe. The other two were pretty "meh" - Eye of Anubis was a generic melo-death band and Midnite Hellion were an average.power/thrash band with a terrible singer. They covered "For Whom the Bell Tolls" in honor of Cliff Burton which got a decent reaction.

Prong was next and they were tight as hell. Tommy Victor still looks the same as he did when I saw them in 1991. He and the bassist jumped and ran across the stage for the whole set, crashing into each other occasionally. They opened with "For Dear Life" and "Beg to Differ" plus they did "Unconditional" and "Snap Your Fingers Snap Your Neck" along with a couple of new songs that I was unfamiliar with. They definitely kicked the energy level up a notch.

Municipal Waste were fun as hell. Total Exodus/Nuclear Assault/S.O.D. worship with song titles like "The Thrashin of the Christ" and "Beer Pressure." The pit was completely insane the whole time they were on, bodies flyin' everywhere. If they had been around in 1989 I probably would've been right in the middle of it but since I'm old my buddy Glenn and I just stayed at the back wall and admired the mayhem from a safe distance, haha

Overkill, as expected, brought it. Blitz sounded great and the band was set to "pulverize." Set list was a nice mix of old ("Overkill," "Rotten to the Core," "Hello From the Gutter," "Wrecking Crew," etc) and new ("Ironbound" and "Electric Rattlesnake" plus three from the new album - "Armorist," "Pig," and "Bitter Pill") plus a few surprises from out of left field ("Bastard Nation" from WFO, "End of the Line" from "Under the Influence," and "Long Time Dyin" off "From the Underground & Below!")

Show ended @ 1 AM, I was back home shortly before 3. Needless to say I am toast today, haha. It was a blast and a much needed Metal Night Out!

As promised, here's my super in-depth, ultra Metal Nerdy review of the show:


http://fatfreddyscat.hubpages.com/hub/Heavy-Metal-Concert-Review-OverkillMunicipal-WasteProng-Starland-Ballroom-NJ-92714

Awesome!

S.D. wrote:

Awesome!

It was a blast!! Naturally I busted out all of my Overkill and Prong CDs today for at-work listening.

I got some $$ in my PayPal this weekend too so I'll finally be ordering the new Kill CD and probably something by Municipal Waste as well. They were funny as hell!

Sound like the time of your life man. Looks like a good set too; I read your Hub and cried tears of jealousy haha.

corplhicks wrote:

Sound like the time of your life man. Looks like a good set too; I read your Hub and cried tears of jealousy haha.

'Twas a thing of beauty, bro. It was like going back to Church for the first time in years.

...I ordered copies of "White Devil Armory" and Municipal Waste's "Massive Aggressive" the next day, I'm just waitin' for them to arrive.

This probably won't be a big surprise to anyone here but I have made it official, Overkill's WHITE DEVIL ARMORY is my fave Metal CD of 2014.

...of course, I only bought four 2014 releases this year (the others, in case you're keeping score, were Accept, Kix and Body Count), so the field was rather narrow, haha. But then I'm a Kill fanboy so they probably would've come out on top anyway even if I'd bought a few dozen "new" releases.

Fat Freddy wrote:

This probably won't be a big surprise to anyone here but I have made it official, Overkill's WHITE DEVIL ARMORY is my fave Metal CD of 2014.

...of course, I only bought four 2014 releases this year (the others, in case you're keeping score, were Accept, Kix and Body Count), so the field was rather narrow, haha. But then I'm a Kill fanboy so they probably would've come out on top anyway even if I'd bought a few dozen "new" releases.

As much as I'm not favoring WDA, I have listened to the other three albums you mentioned, and yeah WDA would be the best of the four.