Warthur Combining tight songwriting, straight-for-the-throat thrash aggression, and emotive lyrics taking a frank look at various issues, Overkill's Under the Influence stands out from the 80s thrash crowd less for its originality (there were a lot of bands throwing together similar elements at the time) and more for its execution.

Sure, it's hardly the only album taking this approach from this era, but Overkill seem to have an extra bit of grit that much of the competition don't have. By the standards of their later discography it also feels slightly more light-hearted than some of their later works - take Drunken Wisdom, for instance (which also seems to have a somewhat more grown-up and balanced take on alcohol consumption than was typical for thrashers of the era - everyone knows someone who's a total bore when they're drunk, and the song's a great takedown of such a person). An early highlight of their career.

Unitron Overkill - Under the Influence

"Under the Influence" is the third studio album by thrash metal band Overkill. After their first two raw speed metal-twinged albums, on "Under the Influence" Overkill fully unleashes their thrashing fury to secure themselves in the realm of thrash master acts. With that said, they certainly did just that.

Overkill has come to shred, as they immediately let you know with the furious opener which is aptly titled 'Shred'. This song really has it all, the aforementioned shredding, rumbling bass and drums, and an extremely catchy chorus that will probably get stuck in your head for awhile. You'll also be saying 'Hello from the Gutter', and 'Never Say Never' that you won't bang your 'Head First'. Don't forget to not let your 'Brainfade' while listening to 'Drunken Wisdom', or else you'll reach the 'End of the Line'. To put it simply, this album will have you 'Under the Influence' of addicting thrash to save you from the 'Mad Gone World'. However, you really don't need saving from the furious thrashing and riot chants that the aforementioned will put forward.

If you're like me, and can never get enough of amazing bass and riot vocals, then you're in for a treat with this album. Just take a listen to the bridge of 'Never Say Never', and try not to lose yourself in D.D. Verni's killer bass-line. Give a listen to 'Drunken Wisdom', and just listen to that skull-crushing guitar that is made even heavier with the heavy rumbling bass. 'Head First' also has an insanely addicting bassline throughout the song, rivaling Annihilator's 'Knight Jumps Queen' as one of my favorite bass-led songs. At the end of the song there is some pretty crazy soloing. As far as riot chants go, there is no shortage here. 'Shred', 'Brainfade', 'Mad Gone World, and 'Head First' all have great use of riot vocals. The final song on the album makes fantastic use of everything, beautiful classical intro, more rumbling bass, great chorus, crazy soloing, and everything else.

Overkill, this album along with "The Years of Decay" are among my all time-favorites. If you like thrash, sweet bass work, or crushing riffs and haven't heard this album, go do yourself a favor and give it a listen. Hope you found this review helpful.

Feel free to comment!

Vim Fuego While Overkill were late starters on the thrash scene, they more than made up for it by being one of the most prolific bands of the late '80s. ‘Under The Influence’ was their third album in three years when it was released in 1988, and the rapidity at which the albums had been released had no effect on the quality of the material whatsoever.

So what were Overkill serving up for the Wrecking Crew? Well, it was a good dose of solid riffing, bass with attitude, some of the most imaginative drumming to be heard in the entire scene, and perhaps the second best thrash vocalist in Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, bettered only by Joey Belladonna. Bobby Gustafson proved himself one of the most versatile guitar players of the time, showing off crushing rhythm and searing lead guitars. To make up for the lack of a second guitar, DD Verni's bass is high in the mix, sacrificing a bit of bottom end to fill the mid-range gaps. The two blended together incredibly well to produce a distinct sound which set Overkill apart from the crowd.

The shout–along of "Hello From The Gutter", while a little cheesy now, was a typical Overkill thrasher– a catchy main riff, backed by the rock solid rhythm section, topped with Ellsworth's distinctive voice and some tasty leads.

No one ever did this band any favours as they fought their way up from the gutters (Hello!), which is reflected in some of the dark lyrical themes running through their songs. Broken dreams, the depths of drunken despair, the end of the line, all may have seemed lost, but there was definitely hope there for Overkill. "Shred", "Never Say Never" and "Headfirst" had more positive themes coming through, like new beginnings and pride in being yourself.

But at the end of the day, no one really minds what a band sings about as long as they have the songs to get the mosh pit going. Overkill more than deliver in that department on this album, or in fact on any album.

And they have one of the coolest mascots ever in Chaly the skull bat thing!

UMUR "Under The Influence" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Overkill. The album was released through Megaforce Records/Atlantic Records in July 1988. There´s been a lineup change as original drummer Rat Skates has been replaced by Sid Falck.

While the thrash metal elements were overshadowed by the traditional heavy metal elements on the two predecessors, "Under The Influence" is the first Overkill where the band nearly take the full plunge into thrash metal territory. There are still traditional heavy metal elements on the album like the chorus in "End of the Line" or most of "Hello From the Gutter", but "Under The Influence" is first and foremost a thrash metal album. The most "classic" track on the album is probably "Hello From the Gutter" but I think the quality is consistent throughout and "Under The Influence" is overall a quality thrash metal release. Personal favorites are tracks like "Shred", "Drunken Wisdom" and "Head First". In addition to the always attitude filled raw vocals by Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth another highlight that needs a mention are the blistering and varied guitar solos courtesy of Bobby Gustafson.

The sound production is pretty strong for the time, the musicianship is on a good level and the songwriting has matured since the first couple of albums and all those elements make "Under The Influence" an enjoyable listen. I´d say a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Diogenes There once was a thrash family hailing from the depths of New York. They bore many thrash offspring, most of which went on to be very successful in the metal world. The first child, Feel the Fire, grew up to run General Motors and release many mediocre cars to lazy Americans, while making millions of dollars. Taking Over became a Hollywood actor and starred in several movies and television shows, and also made millions of dollars. The Years of Decay, well, he won the lottery (millions upon millions of dollars), annexed part of Guam, and started his own country. Then there was…oh, I skipped one, didn’t I? Under the Influence, that’s it. With charming good looks and a quick wit, he played minor league baseball and made hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now, I would be ecstatic if that were my career, but poor Under the Influence was born in between several siblings that got more recognition than he did, and for some stupid reasons, too. I mean, come on…Guam? Seriously?

Being the runt of Overkill’s 80s discography, Under the Influence tends to get overlooked. This is understandable, since every other album Overkill released in the 80s was really, really good. However, it’s really not that bad. No, no. This album is quite good. Yes, it has its flaws that keep it from attaining the height that Taking Over or Years of Decay did (and frankly, those still didn’t get enough credit, but that’s a different story), but it’s still a great listen and, depending on how much you like thrash metal, should be a worthy addition to your collection.

If you’re new to Overkill, this is actually a great place to start. Feel the Fire and Taking Over, while stupendous, have a large speed metal influence (which is not a bad thing), whereas Under the Influence shows the band ditching most of the melody and transforming into the thrash band that went on to rule the New York metal scene for some time. And if you’re new to Overkill, there are three things on this album that would be featured on almost every Overkill album from here on out. For one, Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth’s vocals are what stick in most people’s heads after listening to the band. His voice is distinct, with both great range and attitude, screeching, howling, you name it. I, for one, find his vocals an essential part of the Overkill sound, and if you don’t like them, well…it’s thrash, right? Vocals usually aren’t a strong point in this genre anyway. D.D. Verni’s bass is loud and clear in the mix, clanging and galloping along; if you think bass should be turned up HIGH in metal, then look no further! Finally, gang shouts are an integral part of the Overkill sound, and they are in full force here. The shouts are usually used in the choruses or places where you’d look for more traditional backing vocals. They’re an acquired taste as well, but to that I say, this is thrash, damn it! Lighten up a bit! Indeed, the gang shouts give the album more of a fun, catchy feeling, balancing out the somewhat darker guitars and lyrical themes.

Like I said before, Under the Influence shows Overkill starting to play some real thrash metal, as opposed to thrash metal with speed metal elements. The new sound is defined with heavier, more aggressive guitar work, more varied song structures, and lyrics that can actually be taken half-seriously. Listen to the refrain of Drunken Wisdom and you’ll see what I mean:

“Sorry if I'm not as nice as you could be! Why don't you take the time to see? That the world does not revolve around only you And we got better things to do”

Yeah? Blitz is maaad! But seriously, although this isn’t the goofy blow-stuff-up poetry that you’ll find abundant in thrash, there’s still a carefree feeling on Under the Influence that was missed in the genre as bands started getting heavier and heavier. Here, it works pretty nicely.

As for the varied song structures, this is both good and bad. The opener, Shred, starts as you might think it would with some fast riffing, but it then slows down during the verse and chorus. This works because the song is pretty catchy, yet there are other parts of the album where the songwriting is inconsistent. Song like Mad Gone World and Never Say Never have some great riffs which are brought down by strange breaks that seem forced. Of course, you also have your traditional Overkill thrashers, like Brainfade and Head First to pick things up a bit. Hello From the Gutter is an Overkill classic, the best song on the album, with incredibly catchy and memorable riffs and vocal lines. Chances are, you’ve probably heard this if you like thrash metal at all. Finally, you have the traditional closing track named Overkill-whatever number. Overkill III (Under the Influence) wraps the album up nicely with some great Blitz vocals and the best of Bobby Gustafson’s guitar work this time around.

One thing I’d like to point out is that drummer Sid Falck really brings it on this album. His drumming is probably the number one reason why the band is able to branch out and try new things on Under the Influence. It’s surprisingly technical and varied for this era and this style of music, as Sid not only is a good fast-pace drummer, but he shows that he’s no slouch with time changes, either. The drumming here is, sadly, another aspect of this album that goes unnoticed when it shouldn’t.

The production, well, it’s mediocre. It’s not good, but it’s certainly not as bad as most people say. Yes, the guitars are a little thin. Yes, the bass sounds kind of loopy. Maybe there’s too much echo on the vocals in some parts. But it’s your standard 80s thrash production, and it suits the music just fine, thank you.

Being an album in which a band starts to find its own sound, Under the Influence has its ups and downs, but the inconsistency is not a good enough reason to overlook the album completely. There’s nothing too special or original here, but so what? It’s still a very enjoyable and fun listen, no doubt about it. In the end, yes, being the CEO of a big company and having enough money and power to buy the world might be considered “successful”, but…wouldn’t you enjoy being a baseball player just the same? Take a step back for a moment and ask yourself if you’re having fun. If you aren’t, try Under the Influence.