Motörhead: still immune to the sands of time
OVERKILL’S SIX-ALBUM COLLECTION,
The Atlantic Years 1986-1994,
[8] offers a crash course in the band’s stylistic adventures. 1987’s Taking Over feels like the missing link crossover between NWOBHM and thrash – albeit about four years too late. But by Under The Influence and the Terry Date-produced The Years Of Decay, the band had given themselves to the goofy glory – and groove – of East Coast thrash (inspiring a glam-weary Pantera to seek out Terry and reinvent themselves in the process). Horrorscope remains the band’s most vibrant and vital (classic) release, its thundering assault crystallising everything brilliant about Overkill. By comparison, I Hear Black and W.F.O. feel uneven, though Overkill’s continued commitment to stylistic experimentation ensures they remain interesting listening, if somewhat inessential.