Band:	Overkill
Album:	Ironbound
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	January 29, 2010
A review by:	Baz Anderson

01. The Green And Black
02. Ironbound
03. Bring Me The Night
04. The Goal Is Your Soul
05. Give A Little
06. Endless War
07. The Head And Heart
08. In Vain
09. Killing For A Living
10. The SRC

The driving force behind keeping a band going for thirty years is commendable, let alone when Ironbound is both album fifteen and arguably the most solid album the band has put to their name.

That's right, Overkill make their return with a whole new sense of conviction and power. Ironbound oozes with a thrash pedigree and confidently outclasses much of the genre's other contributors, both new and old. You can not take Overkill for granted with this release, as the band finally appear to have a burning fire underneath them with the result being an album to genuinely get excited about.

By all means this is still Overkill. This is thrash metal that also delivers a smack of traditional heavy metal focusing on good riffs and tasteful, solid metal above mindless violence. Ironbound hits hard; the title track and the last third of the album especially displays Overkill on overdrive, almost as if momentum had taken them there. Outside of this blistering, unrelenting thrash metal, the band is more than welcome to show off their versatility, perhaps none more so than with the punchy, catchy little number "Give A Little" to mix things up a bit.

The iron heart of this ironclad album is set firmly in top draw thrash metal with both face-melting drums and guitar riffs, and a good deal of diversity. Bobby's engrossing singing sounds fantastic, and the bass guitar is also ever-present with its thundery undertones. Ironbound is a very efficient, perfectly crafted album with an immaculate production giving the listener a crystal clear recording of each instrument from the bass guitar and drums through the spectrum to the razor-like guitars and positive vocals.

Ironbound is pure class from start to finish, and offers a dense pool of thrash metal excellence. The closing combination of "In Vain", "Killing For A Living" and "The SRC" may however leave you with a bloodlust for more thrash, and listening back to the rest album just doesn't stand up to this final trio. The album sets the bar extremely high for the year, but in today's world of aggressive, in-your-face thrash, Ironbound might not be extreme enough to be appreciated by the younger audiences. The album emanates with experience from over the years, and is genuinely a breath of fresh air for thrash metal.

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Thrash metal
Nuclear Blast
U.S.A.
Length: 57:46