On April 14th, 2023, the band Overkill released their twentieth studio album, titled Scorched. This album was released on the same record label as their previous two albums, ‘Nuclear Blast.’ This album was initially announced to release in October 2019 as a follow-up to their album from earlier that year, ‘The Wings Of War.’ Unfortunately, this album was postponed numerous times due to the well-known 2020 COVID pandemic. This album also came out the same day as Metallica’s 72 Seasons, which is a bold move for the band, releasing a metal album the same day as the music scene’s titan. This album is a going back to roots for Overkill, with some fun nostalgic treats for long-time fans of the band, along with some surprises in the album within the ten-song album, filled to the brim with attitude, energy, gritty vocals, along with more fun things.
The title track, which is also the intro song to this album, is the longest of the album, at 06:13, and is an absolute sucker punch of a song while being an explosive start for the Scorched album; my only complaint being is that this song could use a bit of trimming lengthwise, but doesn’t overstay its welcome too much. It has an older Overkill sound to it, which is always welcome, and is just dripping with gritty style. The second song, titled ‘Goin’ Home,’ is a home-run track, in my opinion. The guitar parts sound almost like they could be right off the ‘87 album Under The Influence. ‘The Surgeon’ is a song that shows off the vocal prowess of Overkill, with super mean-sounding lyrics and vocal patterns. This album also has some songs with a bluesy sort of swing, especially the songs ‘Wicked Place’ and ‘Fever.’ These tracks have a slow, dark, and doom-metal-esque-type mood that works wonders for the album. The song ‘Won’t Be Coming Back’–another throwback track to their earlier albums– is probably my favorite; it’s overloaded with classic Overkill punk energy with huge amounts of aggressiveness throughout the entire song. ‘Bag O Bones’ has a great bass part to it, almost reminding me of The Misfits. This album also includes great guitar work, along with their signature, raspy and throat-sore vocals that are better than they’ve been for the last few albums.
In conclusion, this album is a very fun album, filled to the brim with something any sort of Overkill fan will enjoy, with their toxic, sharp-sounding vocals a huge highlight in this album, with excellent guitar work. I would recommend this album to anyone who likes their previous albums or wants to get into their music.
