The Years Of Decay (Overkill)

Along with the following "Horrorscope", this 1989 effort is considered one of the strongest albums in both the Overkill catalog and in the general field of thrash. Musically, the album is a hybrid of sorts and combines the more epic nature of "Taking Over" with the more raw aspects of the previously released "Under The Influence". It was the first album to be produced by Terr Date and was unfortunately their last album to feature founding guitarist Bobby Gustafson.

Time To Kill: Ominous guitar feedback fades in and soon leads in some dramatic guitar/bass chords and a strong drum heavy romp during the introduction, an upbeat pace with vocalist Bobby Ellsworth at his best during the verses, a solid one-liner and more menacing bass during the chorus, a smooth breakdown during the bridge, and some sweet solos in between. Not quite a classic but a pretty sweet start.
8 out of 10

Elimination: One of Overkill's famous songs comes in with an introduction with riffs similar to those of Metallica's "Master Of Puppets", the verses continue at an even more active pace and amusingly delivered vocals, the choruses feature great backing chants and rapidly delivered lead vocals, the bridge brings in a uplifting sound that reminds me of "Blood Money" off of the following album, and the solo section packs in some cool shredding. All in all, classic thrash.
10 out of 10

I Hate: Bright guitar riffs and subtle backing bass open this song's introduction nicely, the verses provide more enegetic rhythms and rapid fire vocals, the choruses remind me of Anthrax's cover of "Got The Time" for some reason and feature lyrics that would sound quite bitchy if Ellsworth wasn't the one singing ("I hate people that make you feel small/I hate having my back against the wall/You know, I hate being talked down to/I hate your rules/I hate 'em all/Hate being marked to take the fall/Planet's not big enough for me and you/But most of all/I hate you..."), and the solo section is another great shred fest. Another great track.
9 out of 10

Nothing To Die For: More building guitar harmonies start this song off before an upbeat groove that sounds like a better version of Exodus's "AWOL" comes in, the verses continue with more dissonant riffs and solid vocal/guitar trade-offs, the chorus features more cool trade-offs, and the solo section features more great guitar solos and even a little slap bass around the 2:20 mark. Another cool addition.
8 out of 10

Playing With Spiders/Skullkrusher: Here we truly embrace that epic nature I was talking about earlier. The introduction (I'm guessing that's the "Playing With Spiders" part) comes in with strange guitar noodling that soon leads into doomy guitar riffs that wouldn't sound out of place on a Black Sabbath album, the verses continue at a foreboding album with more melodic vocals thrown in, the chorus are similar with a particularly catchy refrain thrown in, and the bridge and solo section unsurprisingly leads into a much more violent direction. One of my favorite Overkill tracks and perhaps their best track done in the doom metal style.
10 out of 10

Birth of Tension: Back to thrash we go as this track comes in. The introduction comes in with crashing guitar chords and speaking voices in the background before going into another intense thrash rhythm, the verses continue at an upbeat pace like the songs before it, the chorus brings in heavier drums and guitar riffs, the bridge goes into another interesting breakdown accompanied by the most unusual lyrics on the album ("did you kill your father, sleep with your mother/idolize your sister, jealous your brother/did ya kick the dog, were you beat a strap/were you really be abused, were you fakin' all that"), and the solo section returns the song to its original style. A pretty cool track.
9 out of 10

Who Tends the Fire: Melodic guitars and a backing melody that bares resemblance to Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" open this eight minute in a most dramatic fashion, the verses continue with groovy mid-tempo guitar chugs and more melodic vocals, the chorus slows the song down with a smooth refrain thrown in, and the bridge is another fast paced segment with driving guitars and unusual vocal effects on display. Not as powerful as "Skullcrusher", but it's probably not supposed to be. . .
9 out of 10

The Years Of Decay: Now we come to a strong ballad, quite a rarity in the Overkill catalog. This song is dominated by somber accoustic guitar and an emotional vocal performance during the verses, a much heavier mid-tempo chug and angrier vocals during the bridge, soaring guitars during the solo section, and a climactic chant towards the end. A great track that kinda reminds me a more melodic version of Megadeth's "In My Darkest Hour". All apologies for the numerous comparisons, I make too many random associations. . .
9 out of 10

E. vil N. ever D. ies: Closing the album out is the fourth and final (Until 2007's "Immortalis") installment of the band's "Overkill Saga". Spacy guitar effects similar to those of Metallica's "Damage Inc." start this introduction off in an interesting fashion before going into a much angrier thrash assault, the verses continue with more intense riffs and more quickly sung vocals, the chorus features some unusually catchy vocal lines and a brief melodic flourish, a great bass solo leads into a doomy direction, the bridge follows suit until angrily returning to thrash territory, and the second solo section packs in a brief moment to shred before the final verse comes in. A most powerful closer.
9 out of 10

Overall, this album gets 81 out of 90, 90%, and 4.5 stars. If you consider yourself to be a thrash metal fan by any means, then this album is required listening. It showcases a strong band performance and awesome constrats between thrash and doom. Not to mention you should be able to get a copy cheap if you can find it. I got mine for about $7.99 at the Greenwood mall. . .