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Welcome to Versus. The series where we look at two albums in metal history, compare them, and see which one was the better record.
In this edition of Versus, we look into some of the most underrated bands in the thrash genre. Bands that could definitely be part of "The Other Big 4" amongst acts like Exodus and Testament. One band, who is one of the most active and productive bands in the thrash genre. With a release that would be cited as the origin of the groove metal genre. The other, the debut of a young band, with so much spunk and attitude. Showcasing their speed, ferocity, aggression and with something to prove. Not giving a damn who got in their way. Grab your battle vests and jump in the pit in this matchup I'm calling "Through Decay and Violence, We Will Rise".
In this corner, we have New Jersey thrash legends Overkill, with the band's fourth album, 1989's The Years of Decay. Their first album produced by Terry Date, the album would receive positive reviews and cited as one of the band's best records by fans. The album was also seen as an influence in the groove metal genre, with Pantera wanting Date to produce their album Cowboys From Hell based on the production. Along with the guitar tone, helping Dimebag Darrell transition to the trademark Pantera sound they are known for. Did this classic thrash album really deserve the hype and legacy upon its release, as well as over thirty years later?
Album opener "Time To Kill" starts with a rising wall of guitar feedback by Bobby Gustafson. The ding of D.D. Verni's bass, mixed with drummer Sid Falck's build adds an intense rhythm section, adding heft to the weight of the production. The build intensifies before the piercing shriek of Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth kicks the track into overdrive. Ellsworth's snarling vocals go great with the heavy riff and bass of Gustafson & Verni. Along with the gang vocals of the chorus, is such a great touch. Interspersed with the heavy low-end mix of the guitars. Falck's double bass also has punch in the mix, as well as during the chorus. I love the slow-down, almost breakdown section at the halfway mark. With the ringing low-end bass peaking above the riff. Ellsworth's clean/gritty vocals have so much bravado in its delivery. One hell of an opening track.
"Elimination" almost has a "Master of Puppets" like opening, before switching gears to Ellsworth's manic vocal delivery. The drums, intermixed with the guitar solo, keeps the song's ferocity and energy driving amidst Ellsworth's commanding highs. The classic heavy metal sounding section near the minute and a half mark, is an impressive transition, before heading back to the thrash metal sound the band is known for. Gustafson destroys his fretboard with speed and proficiency during the solo. Playing a more restrained solo with the rhythm section keeping the pulse and groove going. Not only my favorite track from the album, but my favorite from Overkill. The opening ringing guitars and frantic playing of "I Hate" start the song. I love the lyrics and Ellsworth's annoyed energy in his delivery. A catchy, earworm riff and I was instantly tapping along with Falck on the drums. The ticked off energy of the song instantly makes it a great song to listen to when you've had a rough day and the band channels that unhinged, pissed off energy and nails it. "Nothing To Die For" opens with ringing bass and undertone guitars. Verni's bass leads the track with Gustafson following along, while adding his own addition countering the bass melody. I also love when Falck's drum strikes match along with Ellsworth's vocal cadence on the chorus. I do like the slap/funk-style bass solo by Verni at the halfway mark, before diving into double bass and a guitar solo by Gustafson.
"Playing With Spiders / Skullkrusher", a ten-minute piece, is the band pushing their thrash sound in a unique & diverse direction. With distortion walls and manic playing, it builds and creates an uneasy feeling, before channeling the mighty Black Sabbath with the opening riff and funeral dirge-like bass and drums. With every drum strike by Falck channeling Candlemass in its drum mix. Ellsworth is singing with a deeper tone in his delivery. It still has his grit, but more singing and not really his screeching/shouting vocals that has been heard so far. The song almost sounds like a proto-Black Label Society track in the riff, vocal cadence, and production. Around the halfway mark, the riff begins to change and speed up to a more thrashier sound, along with Falck's drumming. Ellsworth's vocals still have some of the depths from the previous section, but now his thrash-famous vocals begin to rise, showing the song is building to shift its direction. Gustafson channels his inner-Iommi while adding a little more speed, before slowing the riff back down to a crawl like the opening. With the band so good at toying with the pacing and direction of the track. A very unique track for the album. Feeling out of place of the thrash metal sound Overkill was known for, but it just works. "Birth of Tension" returns to the classic thrash metal sound in its opening guitar riff and pummeling double bass. The song has a nice groove to the track at certain moments, with Falck's double bass intensifying the chorus with Gustafson heavy riffage.
"Who Tends The Fire" opens with clean guitar tone and heavy reverb/chorus guitar in the foreground. Creating an unknown and anxious build. The drums and bass begin to slowly rise from the depths of the track as the build intensifies, and the full power of the band kicks in. Ellsworth delivers a clean, more singing vocal delivery. Fitting the proggy motif and unease of the track's energy. Verni's bass again leads the song until Gustafson joins him and the riff intensifies as Ellsworth's vocals get drenched in effects. An ok track for me, I think it was trying to channel the "Playing With Spiders / Skullkrusher" energy, but I don't think it nailed it like that track did. Next is the album's title track. With opening acoustic guitar, Ellsworth is straight clean singing, with nice bass accompaniment from Verni. With his bass ringing with every pluck, as Gustafson's acoustic guitar playing is sublime throughout. Around the three minute mark, the distortion and drums kick in and the chugging comes in. Ellsworth delivers a mix of clean vocals, snarls, and shrieking throughout the rest of the track. Really showcasing his range. The song returns back to its somber section after another a solo by Gustafson for the rest of the track. Album closer "E.vil N.ever D.ies", opens with warping and rising/fading like effect. Creating a make-shift orchestra section in its opener. The band returns to full force to close the album out strong. Straightforward thrash and schizophrenic vocals by Ellsworth, the song is just thrash through and through. Gustafson delivers a nice wailing siren-like solo, before returning to the hammering riff. Interspersed with clean, acoustic sections before the shouting of the song title. A punchy, high-octane closer to a classic album from the band.
Their opponents are fellow thrash metal legends Death Angel with the band's debut album The Ultra-Violence in 1987. With all the band members under the age of twenty, the band had youth, vigor and energy. Along with hostility in its delivery on their debut. Launching a career for the band that would span over forty years. With the release, the band would join fellow rising acts from the Bay Area thrash scene with acts like Testament and Exodus. Did these young whippersnappers match the fury and speed enough to beat their opponents today?
The album opens with a driving, thrashing guitars of Rob Cavestany and drum strikes of Andy Galeon on "Thrashers". The pulsing, heart-pounding bass of Dennis Pepa adds the depth to the guitars of Cavestany and Gus Pepa. The song is just aggressive and heavy right off the bat, and going for the throat in it's speed and vocal delivery by Dennis. Cavestany's lead guitar over the fist-pumping riff, into a nice shred-tacular solo, is just so damn good. Especially when the bass rings in during the solo as the main riff comes back, with flurries of lead guitars and high-bass playing. The song cranks up the speed, going even faster and more furious as we approach the halfway mark of this seven minute opener. Another great solo by Cavestany, the riff and drums bounce along during the solo as the song goes for the throat for one more sprint to the finish line. On "Evil Priest", we open with gritty and heavily distorted opening guitars before the pummeling drums and bass combo kick into overdrive with an instant-headbang along opening riff and snare combo. Vocalist Mark Osegueda makes his vocal debut on the album. With vocal similarities to Joey Belladonna of Anthrax, but with more aggression and visceral anger in his gritty delivery. He matches the pacing and tone of the song. I love his ear-piercing scream going into the musical interlude. Then, the bass and drums lead the charge as the main riff transforms to a slowly building and increasing speed palm-muted chug fest. With the drums matching the speed and intensity. Cavestany wails on the guitar before his fingers fly up and down the fretboard. Pounding drum hits by Galeon begin to intensify. Straight-forward thrash with high octane energy and impressive musicianship in the speed and technicality of the playing.
Galeon's cannon-like drums open up "Voracious Souls". With ringing guitars and cymbal strikes, the song pummels the listener with drums and guitar hits before the main, chugging riff starts the track. Cavestany and Gus Pepa lead a chugging, thrash metal/new wave of British heavy metal opening riff while Osegueda delivers a clean vocal section at certain points. With juggling from chugging heavy riff, to clean musical sections, then back to thrash is a nice complex riff structure. Cavestany's short solo back into the reverb-heavy drums and fast riff, continues the band's intensity in its playing. The double bass adds so much punch, along with the bass high notes plucking throughout. Adding little pops of aggression to the song. "Kill as One" opens with another commanding guitar opening. Giving the listener no reprieve from the heavy and fast playing from these youngsters. I love the rising guitar riff in the verses, as Osegueda continues his shouting/screaming combo, with accompanied backing vocals in the chorus. The energy of the song is ferocious and it instantly makes me want to bang my head along and fist pump along with the snare. When it suddenly almost double times, with Galeon's drumming hitting a fever pitch. With another wailing solo by Cavestany, the song chugs along behind him with thundering drum fills behind him before speeding up even faster near the close.
The album's ten-plus minute title track is a feat in itself as a listen. With a almost progressive metal like opening guitar, into a chugging palm-muted riff that starts to speed up as it distorts with lead guitar sections. To realize again, that the whole band is under twenty and are playing with this musicianship, speed, technicality, proficiency and relentlessness is just impressive and astonishing. The complexity of the pacing of the track, riff selection, and time signatures throughout is just impressive and such an enjoyable listen and could be up there as one of the best instrumentals in heavy metal. "Mistress of Pain" continues that Bay Area thrash sound, with the gurgling bass of Dennis Pepa underneath that sprinting and tremolo like riff. Galeon's drumming is just unstoppable on the track, and throughout the record. Kind of the hidden gem and underrated drummer for the time and the scene itself. Osegueda's bat-like shrieks are so high and have that ear-shattering effect that Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth wishes he could get. One of the shortest songs on the album, but my favorite track off the album, really a beast of a track. The pounding drums of "Final Death" starts with a simple drum groove with the guitars building up into the verses. Osegueda's vocals are lower in its range, which fits the darker feeling of the lyrics and tone of the song. I like Cavestany's random guitar flurries throughout the main riff of the song. Sort of like delivering short bursts of guitar solo, while also adding to the main riff. The album closes with the instrumental "I.P.F.S.". With a somber and sorrowful acoustic guitar, it concludes the album thinking it's just a nice quiet track. Then a groovy bass line comes rising along with drums as well as guitars. The band goes as fast as they can, in a start/stop, slow down/speed up pacing of the song as this underrated thrash classic comes to a close.
With a sore neck, and not being able to hear well out of one my ears, who wins this matchup of these thrash legends? This is a tough battle, but I would have to go with The Years of Decay as the winner today. Decay was an all around stronger record. It wasn't full on thrash metal like Death Angel's debut, but both band's didn't go full on thrash. Death Angel pushed a progressive and technical thrash metal element with "The Ultra-Violence". Overkill went in a doom metal sort of direction with "Playing With Spiders / Skullkrusher", so even though both of these records delivered thrash classics, they took their sound in different directions and risks. For me, Decay was a record I could instantly restart the whole record right after I finish it. The Ultra-Violence was an impressive record and again, to show how good the band was at such a young age, showed these guys had some damn talent in them. At the end of the day, it came down to what record would you go round two on after finishing it, and Decay was that record. Making it the winner of this matchup. Both bands deserve more credit for not only their influence to other thrash acts besides the big four we all know, but also the longevity and the success both bands would have in their careers.
Overkill would continue being a relentlessly active touring band. With peaks and valleys and musical directions, Overkill had been around the block. Pushing and challenging the "thrash norm" and what the band wanted to sound like throughout their over forty year career. The band gained a huge resurgence with the release of their fifteenth album Ironbound. Many fans and critics stating as a "real return to form" and not only one of the best thrash metal records of the year, but of all time. The band released their twentieth album Scorched in 2023 to positive reviews through Nuclear Blast.
Death Angel would continue to make a name for itself with their debut, along with the follow-up albums Frolic Through The Park and Act III. Unfortunately, during the band's rise to higher success in 1990, the band was in a bus accident, with Galeon being critically injured. Following the bus accident and pressure from the label to replace Galeon, the band would break up. The band would reunite in 2004, with new guitarist Ted Aguilar and released their long anticipated album The Art of Dying on Nuclear Blast. The band's last album, 2019's Humanicide, was well received by critics and fans. Even the album's title track was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
Do you agree with my decision? Who do you think should have won? Cast your vote on the poll below, leave your comments on our social media, and your suggestions who you think should step in the ring next. I’m Justin, your friendly neighborhood metalhead, for This Day in Metal and this has been Versus.
What happened on this day in #ROCK #CLASSICROCK #GLAMMETAL #HEAVYMETAL #THRASH history! #TDIM
