If you couldn't tell by the name of the DVD, this release chronicles Overkill's performance at the 2007 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival. The tour spans four days and features a veritable ton of bands playing heavy music to more than 40,000 rabid metal fans around the world. Wacken is one of the biggest metal festivals in the world, and each year attracts some of the top metal acts in the world. This year, in addition to Overkill, the stage welcomed the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Lordi, Sacred Reich, Samael, Moonspell, Napalm Death, Lacuna Coil, and a lot more. Overkill was the band chosen to close the first day of performances, ten years removed from their first Wacken appearance, they took to the stage and proceeded to tear it up for 50 minutes.I have said before that I am not the biggest fan of Overkill, and I will likely say it again at some point. Despite that fact, which I stand by, there is no denying the quality of music, energy of execution, and the importance of the band to the metal scene. They have been a force to be reckoned with for north of a quarter century, helping forge the early days of thrash metal. Without Overkill's contributions, who knows where metal would have ended up. Yes, I know that sounds a little more dramatic than it truly is, but the band was a player in the birth and continued to success of thrash. Not to mention, they have been a near constant force through all of the intervening years, releasing 14 albums and touring constantly.
So, on that warm August night in Germany that Overkill took the stage and proceeded to show the thousands of youngsters in attendance some of thrash's roots. The ripped a 50 minute set of songs, spanning their entire career, right through to their (at the time) not yet released Immortalis LP.
Led by founding members Bobby Blitz on vocals and D.D. Verni on bass, Overkill took everyone back in time. The set was a ferocious tour de force that demonstrated the wild nature of the early days of metal, playing fast and loose with the conventions of rock and punk, fusing them with a new aspect of heaviness and speed. The crowd responded in kind, opening their welcoming arms and paying tribute to this long lasting band.
Was it a perfect performance? No, but it was very close. It didn't have to be perfect, a lot of what makes this music work is the energy and the ferocity used to deliver it. And these guys definitely had that.
Like I said, I am not their biggest fan, but this DVD goes a lont way to proving their case. It is wild, raucous and is an absolute blast to watch, warts and all.
The DVD was previously released in a digipack version of Immortalis, but it was only available as part of the German release. Understandable, considering where this concert originated. The overall quality of DVD also points towards this, as it is not the best shot concert I have seen. It feels, at times, as if they just happened to have a few cameras and decided to capture what they could. The angles and editing choices are at times a little odd, focusing on odd places and occasionally out of focus. Still, the audio is strong and it is well worth the generally low prices I see it going for.
Bottomline. If you are a fan or are curious what live Overkill is like, do yourself a favor and pick this disk up. It is well worth the 50 minutes of your time needed to be blasted away by some old school thrash. No rock star posturing here, just good music.
Recommended.
Track List:
01. Rotten to the Core
02. Elimination
03. Necroshine
04. Thanx for Nothin'
05. Skull and Bones
06. In Union We Stand
07. Walk through Fire
08. Wrecking Crew
09. Old School
10. Fuck You
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