If only every heavy metal concert DVD was this chock full of material, the world would be a better place indeed. Thought I'd start out with this statement, as this DVD companion to the recent Overkill live CD of the same name is one heck of a package. Having seen the band live at least a half dozen times back in the 80's, I was surprised out how lean and mean the band still is. This show, recorded in Asbury Park, New Jersey (the band's home state) shows Overkill as tight and heavy as ever, in front of a rapid, middle-finger pumping, loyal crowd.
Many of the tried and true Overkill classic's are performed here, such as"Wrecking Crew", "Shred", "In Union We Stand", "Deny the Cross", "Powersurge", "Hello From the Gutter", and "Overkill." What surprised me is how well the tunes the band have recorded in the last decade hold up compared to the 80's material. Songs like "Horrorscope" and "Battle" are just dripping with lethal, monstrous riffs, while "Thunderhead", "Coma" and "The Years of Decay" are thrash metal at its best. The closing encores of "Rotten to the Core", "Elimination" and "Fuck You/War Pigs" end a 23 song set that seemingly left the audience (and myself) exhausted. The addition of new guitarist Dave Linsk is a good move for the band. He adds a more technical crunch to the bands sound, and they comes across much tighter than in the past, and his guitar solos are fluid and filled with emotion.
An extra added treat is a second CD, that includes a wonderful documentary with band interviews and old live footage of the band throughout their career. Seeing the band dressed in garish horror costumes and make-up from the early 80's is a hoot, plus hearing info on all the various line-ups is very informative. With a two-hour plus concert, and a 90 minute documentary, there is a lot of material for the Overkill band to enjoy here. Let's hope more music DVD's contain as much fun as this one.
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