• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

1986 was a ridiculous year for thrash metal, but 1987 also saw some big hitters release sophomore albums, including Sodom, Exodus, and everyone's favorite New Jerseyan punks, Overkill. Taking Over followed up their debut, Feel the Fire, a phenomenal piece of punk-infused thrash metal with tons of attitude. Compared to that one, Taking Over sports a better production, sounding much heavier with a thicker guitar tone, and a gruff-sounding rhythm section. The riffs never really go off the rails in terms of speed, but are heavy and punishing, and generally reminiscent of many other US thrash bands of the era including Exodus, Testament and Death Angel. What separated Overkill from the rest of the bunch at this point in time for me though is 1) their enormously fuck-offish attitude and, 2) the vocals which lends tons of melody to the music here whenever Ellsworth keeps it clean.

Because at the helm, Blitz is firmly in command, for the last time utilizing his operatic vocal qualities, which I much prefer to his signature sneering yelps that started to take form from Under the Influence onwards. He sounds unbelievably good on this record and the upper end of his range shines bright on cuts like "Fear his Name" and "Fatal if Swallowed," whereas deranged, high-pitched shrieks and gang shouts invigorate album opener "Deny the Cross" and Overkill moniker "Wrecking Crew." If Bruce Dickinson ever sang in a thrash metal band, this is pretty damn close to what it would sound like.

There are no bad songs on this album, and even on the slightly over-the-top anthem "In Union We Stand" it is hard to find a misplaced riff or guitar solo, an unnecessary vocal line or a boring drum pattern. It's heavy, wonderfully rebellious in its energy and should be played loud. The songwriting is extremely sharp and of very high quality. The same cannot be said for the cover art though where the band looks like the thrash metal version of Twisted Sister, but in any case, this is a classic that belongs in every collection.