UMUR
"ReliXIV" is the 14th full-length studio album by US, New York based thrash metal act Overkill. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in March 2005. It´s the successor to "Killbox 13" from 2003 and features the exact same lineup who recorded the predecessor.
Stylistically the material on the 10 track, 50:57 minutes long album more or less continues the same thrash/heavy metal style of the last couple of albums by the band. The groove element the band added to their music in the mid-90s is still here too (listen to some of the riffs on tracks like "Love" and "Bats In the Belfry". So overall "ReliXIV" is not the most innovative nor the most distinct sounding Overkill album. It´s still a solid release though, featuring strong musicianship and a professional sound production, which suits the material well.
So it´s in the songwriting department where "ReliXIV" could have been a stronger release. Not many tracks stand out on the album, and although tracks like "The Mark" and especially "Old School" do stand out, they aren´t exactly the most interesting tracks the band ever wrote. And that is the overall impression I get when listening to "ReliXIV". There´s little here to criticise in terms of general quality of the product, and the album is entertaining enough while it plays, but it needs a couple of highlights to really shine. When that is said a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is still deserved.