ELECTRIC AGE

Personnel: Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (vocals); Dave Linsk (guitar); Ron Lipnicki (drums). Audio Mixer: Greg Reely. Recording information: Gear Recording Studio, Shrewsbury, NJ; Jrod Productions; SKH Recording Studios, Stuart, FL. Editors: Dan Korneff; Rob Shallcross. Photographer: Mark Weiss. At this point in their career, every time Overkill come back with a new album it feels as if they're giving the metal world a much needed lecture in thrash 101. Much like 2010's Ironbound, The Electric Age is a window to a more straightforward era in heavy metal's past, reminding the world of a time when the genre was a rebellious loner that thrived on volume and aggression and not a nomenclature-obsessed librarian. As such, this album is prefix- and hyphen-free thrash, pure and simple. The guitar and bass work is tight and technical, the drums are fast, and the vocals are soaring, and with a toolkit so direct and simple, not a whole lot more is needed. Even though they always seemed to exist in the second tier of bands snapping at the heels of the "big four," it's hard to think of any bands from that era that are still doing thrash better than Overkill, and while The Electric Age may not be an artistic revelation, it is an incredibly solid album that might cause spontaneous outbreaks of sleeveless jean jackets to occur anywhere it's played. ~ Gregory Heaney