If Skullcrusher and Who Tends the Fire weren't so damn long, than this would easily place as my second thrash album, behind Peace Sells, but those two songs drag on for so long, it just brings the whole album down. Great album still, by a ridiculously underrated band.

Written by [user id=111774] on 16.03.2011 at 19:59

Great album still, by a ridiculously underrated band.

I don't want to start a debate but I think when it comes to Thrash, Overkill is not underrated at all. Overrated, more like.
Mediocre pussy pseudo-Thrash, Imo.

Written by [user id=111774] on 16.03.2011 at 19:59

If Skullcrusher and Who Tends the Fire weren't so damn long, than this would easily place as my second thrash album, behind Peace Sells, but those two songs drag on for so long, it just brings the whole album down. Great album still, by a ridiculously underrated band.

Overkill is surely underrated.

I agree with Void about some of the tracks being too long, but it doesn't take away any of the perfection that is The Years Of Decay.

BEST OF ITS TIME.

Who Tends The Fire is too long, but Skullkrusher is fine I think. Though the shortened version of that on the Wrecking Your Neck live album was awesome, so it works either way, to be honest. Anyways, this is an awesome album, although I do slightly prefer Under The Influence over it.

Great Thrash albulm. hail overkill \m/ cheers!

The Years of Decay means for Overkill the Years of the better!

Great ALBUM !
I'll listen to it again!

I like how some people think Overkill is a bad Thrash band ... well I say fuck em'
The Years Of Decay is Overkill's best by far

Criminally underrated. One of the greatest thrash records of all time.

8.8 over 350 votes is criminally underrated? What reality did I find myself trapped in?

I really don't see any possible circumstances in which this album could be considered underrated, it's pretty generic and plain mediocre at times and even despite that still has an very high rating here and gets high praise in many other places

Written by deadone on 05.03.2015 at 00:57

Personally I think there's some great song writing, great energy on first several tracks and great meaty riffs on Years of Decay. I don't think it's revolutionary or even evolutionary (nothing Overkill did really was) but is a great example of well written thrash metal.

Just my $0.02 - I think it's fine you don't agree with it!

Yeah, it's all good. I'm probably beating a dead horse to an extent talking about it all as I pretty much got my thoughts out on it in my review. I just wouldn't consider it an underrated album in any way. As time goes by I like it and care for Overkill less and less but I can see why people do like it/have opposing thoughts on it to mine.

Written by deadone on 05.03.2015 at 06:48

I did read your review and when I thought about it, no Years of Decay doesn't compare to Master Of Puppets or Reign In Blood or By Inheritance or whatever. I think it's still the best Overkill album by far together with Horrorscope.

What about Feel The Fire and Taking Over? Personally I think the latter was their best (and one of the better thrash albums out there). Hell, I liked Under the Influence more than this and I found Horrorscope to be completely meh.

Do agree that the Ironbound (and beyond) albums are a tad overrated but I don't mind too much. It was much better than the stuff they were making before.

Written by deadone on 05.03.2015 at 06:48

Written by Mattybu on 05.03.2015 at 06:23

As time goes by I like it and care for Overkill less and less but I can see why people do like it/have opposing thoughts on it to mine.

There's a few of their albums I really like but they often write quite average albums (not bad nor very good) that are at best interchangeable. The last two albums have especially been "meh" but I think people still love it cause there's nothing better really happening in Thrash Metal these days.

Overkill at its best was - 1987 to 1991.

Little bit hint of "Overkill epic" sound in "Ironbound" but other than that, totally average records. One thing surprises me here about Overkill is their fan base and this has become more verified when last shitty record gone onto become one of the best thrash releases of '14. Granted, thrash is dead for a while but that doesn't mean you hear some grumpy ass screaming and making awful sounds while b'ground thrash music just playing something else.

This has become even more annoying when new Overkill record get staff picked.

Written by deadone on 05.03.2015 at 07:43

Thrash is back to being a borderline corpse. We need more diversity.

I really want to say you're wrong. I really do. But sadly, I have to agree. While the rest of the sub-genres have one eye on the past and one eye on the future, thrash is shoving its face so far into the past that it can't even see it anymore.

Most of what thrash is right now is bands either going "Hey, remember this awesome old stuff?" or "Hey, we used to play this awesome old stuff!". I can only think of two new thrash bands that are more or less original (Vektor and Deceptor) with a handful of other significantly less original bands who currently make quality releases.

Will thrash die? I don't think so, this is the age of the internet after all. Hell, I'm still hopeful that an amazi-balls thrash album will appear in the future though the chances of that happening compared to the rest of metal is pitifully small. Shame considering all the amazing albums that thrash used to have.

Written by deadone on 05.03.2015 at 23:25


Last Testament and Dark Angel albums showed that a good album can still be written in the thrash realm. But as you say they're a mere handful..

I meant newish bands, not old ones from the 80s.

Written by deadone on 05.03.2015 at 23:25


Last Testament and Dark Angel albums showed that a good album can still be written in the thrash realm. But as you say they're a mere handful..

Hun? Last Dark Angel album? That's from 1991.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 06.03.2015 at 01:28

Hun? Last Dark Angel album? That's from 1991.

I think he meant Death Angel

Agree with deadone.

Need hefty push in thrash scene as bands' putting up rehash records a lot. So much tiring that people fan of rehash thrash music is now gettin' sick of rehash thrash music. Forget about folks who're fan of originality.

Written by [user id=126528] on 06.03.2015 at 01:49

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 06.03.2015 at 01:28

Hun? Last Dark Angel album? That's from 1991.

I think he meant Death Angel

Dark Angel writing new album.

It will be fun to listen to 'em after so many years.

Some classic songs and some totally forgettable ones too. I'm gonna say it's pretty good album because of songs like "Elimination", "I Hate" and "E.vil N.ever D.ies".

Written by DeathMetal on 26.02.2019 at 07:58

Eeeeevil neeeeeeever diiiiiiiiiiiiii.........es!

A classic thrash metal album...

Written by Redel on 09.01.2021 at 00:37

Written by DeathMetal on 26.02.2019 at 07:58

Eeeeevil neeeeeeever diiiiiiiiiiiiii.........es!

Evil never dies is such an amazing song

Written by JavierPaper on 29.01.2021 at 05:55

Evil never dies is such an amazing song

It is. But most of the songs here are.
For me it is the three songs that are sandwiched in the middle (04, 05, 06) that bring the album down somewhat.
The rest slays.

Lemmon nation is an awesome song. Whole album is... Some songs are kinda overlong, but kick ass in general.

Written by TSRodriguez on 01.05.2021 at 23:22

Lemmon nation