Who would believe it that Overkill have been around for 30 years, and it’s been 25 years since their debut “Feel The Fire”, and here we are 16 albums on and still referring to them as flag bearers for the Thrash genre? With Thrash being as popular now, if not more so, than it was back in the late 80’s, this really is perhaps the time for Overkill to step out of the shadows and emerge for once ahead of the likes of Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer. Who have monopolised the genre, in many cases on reputation alone for far too long.

Well if ever Overkill were to steal a march and really get people to stand up and take notice, “Ironbound” is the album to do it. The first thing to say about “Ironbound” is that this is the best collection of Overkill songs since “Years Of Decay” and/or “Horrorscope”. The albums post “Horrorscope” had their moments but did suffer from an overall patchy feel to the quality level of martial as the band ventured into new areas which often lead them down blind avenues.

Blitz and Verni appear to have taken charge once more with sharp and concise writing, the album opener “The Green And Black” is a thunderous 8 min white knuckle ride of savage riffing that relentlessly refuses to let up; the sort of song that grabs you by the ears and shakes the sense clean out of you. Then without so much as missing a beat you’re then into the whirlwind that is the title track with its machine gun like rhythms which breaks into the almost “Master Of Puppets” like instrumental mid section to then be flung head first back into the rampage of the chorus, Thrash master class 101.

Much of the appeal of “Ironbound” is in the bands mixture of tempos and the fusion of influences, while still being instantly recognisable as Overkill. “Bring Me The Night” has an almost sped up NWOBHM vibe going on and is sure to be a mosh pit favourite, “Give A Little” could oh so easily sit alongside anything from the “Years Of Decay” era while “Endless War” has a distinct Judas Priest / Iron Maiden feel to it.

I can’t recall when Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth’s vocals have sounded as vital, like this time around he has a real point to prove (not that his vocal style could ever be consider reserved). The production is crisp and clean with little distortion which enhances the gravelly sharpness for which Ellsworth has become famed. If “Death Magnetic” or “Endgame” where heralded as new dawns for Metallica and Megadeth respectively, then they best stop, take stock and take long hard look at themselves as “Ironbound” is one of the better Thrash albums I can recall being released in many a long year.