The Electric Age (Deluxe Edition)

Like its predecessor—2010’s Ironbound—The Electric Age was self-produced by Overkill in the garage studio of bassist D.D. Verni. The lack of intrusion and pressure from record-label interests let the group focus on its songwriting, which is some of the best of its career. While Ironbound reassured the public that this veteran group was still the world's most intensely athletic metal band, The Electric Age feels more like classic rock. Fans of Gun N’ Roses will certainly respond to “Electric Rattlesnake,” “Drop the Hammer Down,” “21st Century Man," and “Old Wounds, New Scars,” which are at their core punky, bluesy hard rock songs intensified by about 10,000 extra volts of electricity. Fans who need the all-out militaristic blitz of thrash can proceed directly to “Come and Get It,” “Save Yourself," and “All Over but the Shouting.” Pit Overkill against the angriest, fastest, and youngest punk bands you can think of, and Overkill will blow the competition out of the water. The epic multipart closer “Good Night” is an Overkill classic. It's the perfect sendoff to the intensely concentrated but utterly enjoyable ride of The Electric Age.