This is a band that doesn't care about trends, has let their sound evolve naturally, and delivers a show that gets the pit going. There are no rock star pretensions at work. Bobby goes out there, does his thing, leads the band through a roaring set of thrash, puts his love for the audience on display, and goes full bore. The same is true for the energy trapped in a digital sew that appears on this album.
On Immortalis Bobby's voice is a little deeper than usual, a good thing for me, and the band has detuned to match, also a good thing. Overall, this is a pure thrash album that has a classic style, but has bit of a darker edge with the detuning at work. When compared to the other Overkill disk I own, this clearly has the edge. It seems to be a better album all around from production to songwriting to musicianship. I cannot say how it compares to the earlier Overkill output, as I never really listened to it all that much.
This album gets off to a strong start with "Devils in the Mist," a thrash track that lets you know what you should expect from everything else on the album. Speedy riffs, furiosu double bass, and Blitz’s voice soaring in over the instruments dominate the song. The pace never lessens, never lets up, and never lets you catch your breath. The second track, "What it Takes," sees to it that the speed is kept up.
Business really picks up with the third track "Skull and Bones." The song opens with a very heavy riff, accompanied by some fantastic double bass. It gets extra points for Bobby employing a lower vocal register. Then there are always the guest vocals by Randy Blythe (of Lamb of God). It is a strong song with nice vocal interplay and demonstrates just how compatible the old school style of Overkill can mesh with the much more modern stylings of Blythe's delivery. This is quite possibly my favorite song on the disk.
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1 - Silas
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