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Three years after Overkill produced the underwhelming Immortalis, they are back with a Ironbound. As always, I expected that any band that has put mediocre to above average material for the past 15+ years would have recorded another work with similar quality. However, to my big surprise, I got my ass kicked from the moment I heard the first note to the final moments of the last song.

First things first, this is an Overkill album; all the elements that made this band a great one are shown in full force. From the unique voice of Blitz Ellsworth, the thick bass of D.D. Verni to the great drumming and sweeping guitar leads, they all appear on this album. There are no guest singers to speak of, and that can only be a good thing (I don't want any metalcore artists on any thrash album). But the greatest improvement here is the songwriting quality that this album shows. It is faster and a little bit more epic than almost anything that they have done before, most of the songs passing the five minute mark, meaning that you'll have plenty of value here.

The disc begins with what I consider the best song of the band since the early 90's: "The Green and The Black". That track is fucking awesome and is worth the price of the CD by itself; fortunately, it is followed by a lot of good songs like "Endless War" and the title track. There is a lot of variety here, every song has its distinct characteristic and vibe while maintaining that trademark sound. The musicianship level of the guys is at a high level, there are no moments of sloppiness here and everything feels well balanced.

The only minor complaint that I had with this is that sometimes a song can last too long; "Killing for a Living" is the best example here. Still, that a minor nitpick in an album full of highlights. Ironbound is Overkill's return to glory and in this reviewer's opinion, their best record since Horroscope. Any fan of this band must get this album immediately and if you thought that thrash metal was dead, this album will give the genre a million bolt charge.