Many, many years ago, I was never the biggest Overkill fan. Like Exodus, I found the vocals a grate, ad the thrash so much weaker than the big boys around at the time. Strangely, both bands have soldiered on yet surprisingly, to become leaders of the thrash...and metal pack. 'Ironbound' is finally Overkill finding their true voice, this rampant record is of extreme weight, juggernaut speed, and Ellsworth's vocals finally hit home like a razor to the skull instead of a dinner fork. This is an hours worth of solid heavy metal in its truest form, marvellously structured, pounding, fast, and eternally raging. Not a filler on offer, the band, fronted by twin-guitar attack of Linsk and Tailer, hack and slash their way through a collection of enormous cuts, some rattling in at over six minutes, which would have been pretty unheard of back in the days of '80s thrash, with Metallica being the exception. 'Give A Little', ''In Vain', 'Endless War', 'The SRC', to name but a few are titanic in construction. No longer does thrash hide within its own field, Overkill and the likes now occupy the major league alongside the likes of Priest and Motorhead, but in consistency could well overtake their heroes. Much respect must go to Ellsworth who although of the same vocal style has added greater dynamics and more attitude, his snarl backed by the stampede of the thrash the band now create.
8/10
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